Cell and Molecular Biology B.S.

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 the following prerequisite courses:

• (BSC X010 and BSC X010L Biology I with Lab) or BSC X010C or BSC X040C - 4 credit hours
• (BSC X011 and BSC X011L Biology II with Lab) or BSC X011C or (ZOO X010 and ZOO X010L) or (BOT X010 and BOT X010L) or BSC X041C or ZOO X010C or BOT X010C - 4 credit hours
• (CHM X045 and CHM X045L Chemistry I with Lab) or CHM X045C or (CHM X040 and CHM X041) - 4 credit hours
• (CHM X046 and CHM X046L Chemistry II with Lab) or CHM X046C - 4 credit hours
• (CHM X210 and CHM X210L) and (CHM X211 and CHMX211L) or (CHM X210C and CHM X211C) or (PHY X053 and PHY X053L) and (PHY X054 and PHY X054L) or (PHY X048 and PHY X048L) and (PHY X049 and PHY X049L) - 8-10 credit hours
• MAC X311 or MAC X233 or MAC X253 or MAC X281 or MAC X241 - 4 credit hours
• MAC X312 or MAC X282 or MAC X234 or STA X023 or STA X024 or STA X321 - 4 credit hours

Required Supporting Courses for the Major (8-10 Credit Hours)

The following courses are supporting courses for this major. They are required for the major, but are not counted in the total major hours but are counted toward the total program hours of 120 credit hours. The degree will not be awarded if these courses have not been taken by the end of the student’s final semester.

The minimum acceptable grade for the Required Supporting courses is a grade of C-.

Note: The course sequence that will count toward the Support Courses requirement is based on which sequence (Organic Chemistry or Physics) the student took to meet the common prerequisite requirement. If the Organic Chemistry sequence was taken to fulfill the common prerequisite requirement, the Physics sequence will meet the supporting courses requirement. The opposite is true if the Physics requirement was used to meet the common course requirement.

Total Major Hours: 32

GPA Requirements

• A minimum adjusted grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 on all coursework taken at USF.
• An overall 2.0 GPA average on all college-level coursework.

Grading Requirement

A student must receive a C- grade or better in all Department of Cell Biology, Microbiology, and Molecular Biology courses and supporting courses in the natural sciences, except if they are used as general elective courses. This specification applies to both USF and transfer courses.

Residency Requirement

A minimum of 20 credits hours of courses must be taken in residency and be applicable to the major.

Research Opportunities

A maximum of 2 credit hours of Undergraduate Research (BSC 4910  ) may be taken in a single semester, and a maximum of 4 credit hours of Undergraduate Research may be applied as electives.

Accelerated Non-Thesis B.S./M.S. Program

Accelerated B.S. in Cell and Molecular Biology and M.S. in Biology with a concentration in Cell and Molecular Biology (Non-Thesis)

This program allows Cell and Molecular Biology majors to take graduate courses for the elective part of the major and apply them to a non-thesis M.S. degree in Biology with a concentration in Cell and Molecular Biology. Successful students will be able to earn the M.S. degree in two additional semesters beyond the completion of the B.S. degree.

For more information, see the Graduate Catalog for Accelerated Majors.

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 Bioadvise@usf.edu.

4 Year Plan of Study - Cell and Molecular Biology B.S.

NOTES:

• SCIV - Civics Literacy  needs to be completed prior to graduation. For more information, see https://www.usf.edu/undergrad/students/civics-literacy.aspx or talk with your academic advisor.
• Items that are critical are marked with a ✳️ and are included in the plan for a student to stay on track.

Potential Entry Level Job Titles:

• Biologist
• Biochemist
• Microbiologist
• Medical Scientist
• Chemist
• Biological Technician
• Chemical Technician
• Researcher / Research Associate
• Laboratory TechnologistBiotechnology

Potential Entry Level Salary Range:

$40,000 - $60,000

2 Year Plan of Study - Cell and Molecular Biology B.S.

NOTES:

• SCIV - Civics Literacy  needs to be completed prior to graduation. For more information, see https://www.usf.edu/undergrad/students/civics-literacy.aspx or talk with your academic advisor.
• Items that are critical are marked with a ✳️ and are included in the plan for a student to stay on track.