Sep 26, 2023  
2020-2021 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2020-2021 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Biomedical Sciences B.S.


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TOTAL DEGREE HOURS: 120

The Biomedical Sciences degree serves as a gateway into a variety of health-professional programs such as Medicine, Pharmacy, Dentistry, and Physician Assistant. Required courses include Biology, Chemistry, Math, and Physics. This degree provides the flexibility to choose advanced-level science coursework based on academic and professional interests. Students contemplating graduate study should pursue a major in the discipline of their interest, such as Biology, Chemistry, or Microbiology.

University Admissions


Admission to the University is based on the University’s Undergraduate Admission Requirements that may be found by clicking on the following urls:

For Admission information specific to the College of Arts & Sciences, see the information at College of Arts and Sciences .

State Mandated Common Course Prerequisites


Students wishing to transfer to USF should complete an A.A. degree at a Florida College System institution. Some courses required for the major may also meet General Education requirements thereby transferring maximum hours to the university.

If a student wishes to transfer without an A.A. degree and has fewer than 60 semester hours of acceptable credit, the student must meet the university’s entering freshman requirements including ACT or SAT test scores, GPA, and course requirements.

Transfer students are also required to comply with the immunization, foreign language, and continuous enrollment policies of the university.

Students should complete the following prerequisite courses at the lower level prior to entering the university. If these courses are not taken at a Florida College System institution, they must be completed before the degree is granted.

Unless stated otherwise, a grade of C is the minimum acceptable grade in prerequisite courses.

  • BSC X010C or (BSC X010 and BSC X010L) - 4 credit hours
  • BSC X011C or (BSC X011 and BSC X011L) - 4 credit hours
  • CHM X045C or (CHM X045 and CHM X045L) - 4 credit hours
  • CHM X046C or (CHM X046 and CHM X046) - 4 credit hours
  • CHM X210C or (CHM X210 and CHM X210L) - 4 credit hours
  • CHM X211C or (CHM X211 and CHM X211L) - 4 credit hours
  • (PHY X053 and PHY X053L) and (PHY X054 and PHY X054L) - 5 credit hours OR
    • PHY X053C and PHY X054C - 4 credit hours OR
    • (PHY X048 and PHY X048L - 8 credit hours) and (PHY X049 & PHY X049L - 5 credit hours) OR
    • (BSC X093 and BSC X093L) and (BSC X094 and BSC X094L) - 5 credit hours OR
    • BSC X093C and BSC X094C - 4 credit hours
  • MAC X241 or MAC X281 or MAC X311 - 4 credit hours
  • MAC X242 or MAC X282 or MAC X312 or STA X023 or STA X024 - 4 credit hours

Total Major Hours: 61-62


Major Core (40 Credit Hours)


Tier 1


Required Biology Courses (8 Credit Hours)

Required Mathematics Courses (6 Credit Hours)

Required Physics Courses (8 Credit Hours)

Major Electives (21-22 Credit Hours)


Tier 2


Required Biomedical Electives (7-8 Credit Hours)

Minimum of 14 credits from the following to include

  • Upper-level Biology course (3 hour minimum lecture course)
  • Upper-level Chemistry course (3 hour minimum lecture course)
  • Upper-level Chemistry or Biology course (3 hour minimum lecture course)
  • Upper-level Chemistry or Biology Lab (1 hour minimum)
  • Upper-level Additional Biomedical electives (4 hours minimum)
Other Courses

Grading Requirement


C (2.0) or better to meet major course requirements unless specified elsewhere

Note:  Some USF courses have higher grade criteria to meet prerequisite knowledge necessary for progression into higher level courses.

D/F Policy


Effective Fall 2018, all students in the below listed programs must successfully complete the below science and math coursework without earning 3 D and/or F grades. Students unable to successfully complete these courses within these prescribed parameters will be required to select a different major and will not be permitted to take any additional courses offered by the below Departments/Divisions. In addition, registration for all courses offered by these departments will be dependent on students meeting the prescribed parameters regardless of their major.

Furthermore, any student who requests a change of major to one offered in the below identified departments will be required to meet these prescribed parameters as well as those criteria outlined in the Degree Progression Policy 10-505. Any continuing student who was previously forced to select a different major based on previous versions of this policy may now be eligible to pursue the majors listed below, but only if they meet both the criteria described here as well as the Degree Progression Policy 10-505 criteria. Students who are able to complete one of the below majors by earning fewer credit hours than required to complete any other major offered at USF may petition to request an exception and should contact the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics Advising Office for instructions.

Grade Forgiveness will NOT apply to the mandated requirement of changing majors. Included Departments/Divisions: Division of Health Professions Advising; Department of Chemistry; Department of Cell Biology, Microbiology and Molecular Biology; and Department of Integrative Biology. Included courses: BCH 3053 ; BSC 2010 ; BSC 2011 ; BSC 2085 BSC 2086 ; BSC 2093C ; BSC 2094C ; BSC 2932 ; CHM 2023 ; CHM 2045 ; CHM 2046 ; CHM 2210 ; CHM 2211 ; CHS 2440 ; MAT 1033 MAC 1105 ;MAC 1147 ; MAC 2241 ; MAC 2242 ; MAC 2281 , MAC 2282 , MAC 2311 ; MAC 2312 ; MCB 3020 ; PCB 3023 ; PCB 3063 ; PHY 2053 ; PHY 2054 ; PHY 2048 ; PHY 2049 ; PHY 2060 ; PHY 2061 ; STA 2023 .

GPA Requirement


Major GPA (all USF courses which are applied to major requirements):  2.0

Gen Ed GPA (all USF courses which are applied to gen ed requirements):   2.0

USF GPA:  2.0

Overall GPA 2.0

Residency Requirement


Department Major Academic Residency Requirement -  

  1. At least seven (7) credits of Chemistry coursework, upper or lower level, must be completed at USF, and
  2. At least 12 credit hours of major-applicable, upper-level natural science courses must be completed at USF.

College Academic Residency Requirement - Interdisciplinary majors do not have an additional college academic resident requirement. 

USF Academic Residency Requirement - 30 of the last 60 hours earned must be from USF.

Other Program Information


General Electives. Courses over and above the required courses should be taken to complete a 120 hour program. Additional courses in computer programming, economics, management, engineering, statistics, writing, and other applied disciplines are strongly recommended to strengthen the degree for subsequent professional employment.

Transfer Credit: It is strongly recommended that students transferring from community/state colleges to the University of South Florida complete whole sequences of chemistry courses, such as general and organic chemistry, before they transfer. Even though courses may carry the same common course number, topics covered may vary significantly from school to school.

Other Requirements


No duplicate credit allowed.

Research Opportunities


Undergraduate students in any degree program are able to participate in undergraduate research. Several options exist to show mentored undergraduate research activity on a student’s official transcript. Those who wish to enroll in an undergraduate research course should consult with their academic advisor to understand how the credit will apply towards the degree requirements. If no credit is needed, students may be eligible to enroll in the 0-credit IDS 4914   course. This course will not impact degree credits or GPA but will show on an official transcript and document the experience. The Office of Undergraduate Research is able to assist with further inquiries.

Bachelor’s/Master’s Pathways


Students majoring in Biomedical Sciences have the option to pursue one of the following Bachelor’s/Master’s Pathways:

  • B.S. Biomedical Sciences/PharmD Pharmacy

For more information, see the Graduate Catalog.

Advising Information


USF students schedule advising appointments online through USF Archivum Platform.   Students are encouraged to meet with their advisor each semester to discuss courses planning, degree progression, and career preparation. 

Tampa Campus Website: https://www.usf.edu/arts-sciences/students/academic-advising/index.aspx
For questions, email ChemAdvise@usf.edu.

4 Year Plan of Study - Biomedical Sciences B.S.


NOTES:

Potential Entry Level Job Titles:

  • Biomedical Engineer
  • Secondary Education Teacher
  • Health Profession

Potential Entry Level Salary Range:

$25,000 - $50,000

Year 1


Semester 1 (Fall)


Total Credit Hours: 13

Semester 2 (Spring)


Total Credit Hours: 14

Semester 3 (Summer)


Total Credit Hours: 3

Year 2


Semester 4 (Fall)


Total Credit Hours: 15

Semester 5 (Spring)


Total Credit Hours: 15

Semester 6 (Summer)


Total Credit Hours: 6

Year 3


Semester 8 (Spring)


Total Credit Hours: 14

Semester 9 (Summer)


Please consider pursing High Impact Practice opportunities this semester such as Education Abroad, Internship Opportunities, Community Engagement, or Research Opportunities.

Questions about opportunities? Schedule an appointment with your academic advisor.

Year 4


Semester 10 (Fall)


  • Upper-Level Elective Credit(s): 3
  • Upper-Level Elective Credit(s): 3
  • Major Chemistry Elective Credit(s): 3
  • Major Biology Elective Credit(s): 3
  • General Elective Credit(s): 2

Total Credit Hours: 14

Semester 11 (Spring)


  • General Elective Credit(s): 3
  • General Elective Credit(s): 3
  • Major Elective Credit(s): 3
  • Major Elective Credit(s): 4

Total Credit Hours: 13

2 Year Plan of Study - Biomedical Sciences B.S.


NOTES:

 

Year 1


Semester 1 (Fall)


Total Credit Hours: 13

Semester 2 (Spring)


Total Credit Hours: 13

Semester 3 (Summer)


Total Credit Hours: 7

Year 2


Semester 4 (Fall)


Total Credit Hours: 14

Semester 5 (Spring)


  • Major Chemistry Elective Course Credit(s): 3
  • Major Elective Course Credit(s): 3
  • Major Elective Lab Credit(s): 1
  • Upper Level General Elective Credit(s): 3
  • General Elective Credit(s): 3

Total Credit Hours: 13

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