Bachelor of Science in Applied Biological Sciences
Note: This program is currently unavailable for new admissions.
Applied Biological Sciences
A bachelor's degree in Applied Biological Sciences offers students a strong background in genetics, microbiology, cell biology and biochemistry, as well as hands-on lab experience. Many students in this program continue on to pursue medical, dental or pharmacy school, or graduate work in the health sciences with high success rates.
Students seeking this degree typically take lower-level courses at a community college or at the KU Lawrence Campus and complete the upper-level courses at the Edwards Campus in Overland Park, KS.
Note: This program is currently unavailable for new admissions.
Admission to KU
All students applying for admission must send high school and college transcripts to the Office of Admissions. Unless they are college transfer students with at least 24 hours of credit, prospective students must send ACT or SAT scores to the Office of Admissions. Prospective first-year students should be aware that KU has qualified admission requirements that all new first-year students must meet to be admitted. Consult the Office of Admissions for application deadlines and specific admission requirements.
Visit the International Support Services for information about international admissions.
Students considering transferring to KU may see how their college-level course work will transfer on the Office of Admissions website.
Note: This program is currently unavailable for new admissions.
Applied Biological Sciences
KU Edwards Campus
The undergraduate program in applied biological sciences is offered in its entirety only at the KU Edwards Campus, 12600 Quivira Rd., Overland Park, KS 66213. This program is designed for students who have earned an associate’s degree or equivalent hours and wish to complete the upper-level courses necessary for a bachelor’s degree.
The BS in Applied Biological Sciences has the following degree requirements in addition to the statewide general education requirements:
- 120 (minimum) total credit hours
- 45 (minimum) upper-division credit hours (these may include the following)
- 40-42 General Science credit hours
- 30 Applied Biological Sciences Required credit hours
- 12 Applied Biological Science Elective credit hours, to include at least 2 credits of seminar/topics
The following tables describe the specific courses to fulfill the above requirements.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Science Requirements | ||
| Majors must complete the following general science requirements that serve as foundational courses for this major. | ||
| Molecular & Cellular Biology. Satisfied by: | ||
| BIOL 150 | Principles of Molecular and Cellular Biology | 3 |
| or BIOL 151 | Principles of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Honors | |
| BIOL 154 | Introductory Biology Lab for STEM Majors | 2 |
| 2nd Biology Course. | ||
| BIOL 152 | Principles of Organismal Biology (Recommended) | 3 |
| Chemistry I. Satisfied by one of the following: | 5 | |
| General Chemistry I | ||
| Foundations of Chemistry I, Honors and Foundations of Chemistry I Laboratory, Honors | ||
| Chemistry II. Satisfied by one of the following: | 5 | |
| General Chemistry II | ||
| Foundations of Chemistry II, Honors and Foundations of Chemistry II Laboratory, Honors | ||
| Organic Chemistry I. Satisfied by one of the following: | 3 | |
| Organic Chemistry I | ||
| Organic Chemistry I, Honors | ||
| Organic Chemistry I Laboratory. Satisfied by: | ||
| CHEM 331 | Organic Chemistry I Laboratory | 2 |
| Organic Chemistry II. Satisfied by one of the following: | 3 | |
| Organic Chemistry II | ||
| Organic Chemistry II, Honors | ||
| Physics. Satisfied by one of the following: | 8-9 | |
| Option 1: College Physics | ||
| College Physics I and College Physics II | ||
| Option 2: General Physics | ||
| General Physics I and General Physics I Laboratory | ||
| General Physics II and General Physics II Laboratory | ||
| College Algebra. Satisfied by one of the following: | ||
| MATH 101 | College Algebra: _____ | 3 |
| or MATH 104 | Precalculus Mathematics | |
| Statistics. Satisfied by one of the following: | 3-4 | |
| Introduction to Biostatistics | ||
| Elementary Statistics | ||
| Statistics in Psychological Research | ||
| Applied Biological Sciences Course Requirements | ||
| Career Preparedness. Satisfied by: | ||
| BSCI 315 | Exploring Careers in Biological and Health Sciences | 1 |
| BSCI 415 | Career Readiness in Biological and Health Sciences | 2 |
| Genetics. Satisfied by: | ||
| BSCI 350 | Genetics | 4 |
| Microbiology. Satisfied by: | ||
| BSCI 400 | Microbiology | 3 |
| Microbiology Laboratory. Satisfied by: | ||
| BSCI 401 | Microbiology Laboratory | 3 |
| Laboratory in Genetics. Satisfied by: | ||
| BSCI 351 | Genetics Laboratory | 3 |
| Cell Structure & Function. Satisfied by: | ||
| BSCI 416 | Cell Structure and Function | 3 |
| Biochemistry. Satisfied by: | ||
| BSCI 600 | Biochemistry | 3 |
| Biochemistry Laboratory. Satisfied by: | ||
| BSCI 601 | Biochemistry Laboratory | 2 |
| Capstone Project. Satisfied by: | ||
| BSCI 540 | Biology Capstone I | 3 |
| BSCI 640 | Biology Capstone II | 3 |
| Applied Biological Sciences Required Electives | ||
| Satisfied by completing 12 hours of BSCI courses numbered 400 or higher or BTEC 300, BTEC 310, BTEC 400, BTEC 475, BTEC 494, or BTEC 550, including at least 2 hours of a seminar/topics course. No more than 3 hours of BSCI 490 Internship and Practical Applications can be applied towards the elective requirement. | 12 | |
| Seminar. Satisfied by completing at least 2 hours of the following seminar or topics courses: | ||
| Topics in Applied Biological Sciences: _____ | ||
Major Hours & Major GPA
While completing all required courses, majors must also meet each of the following hour and grade-point average minimum standards:
Major Hours
Satisfied by 43-44 hours of major courses.
Major Hours in Residence
Satisfied by a minimum of 15 hours of KU resident credit in the major.
Major Junior/Senior Hours
Satisfied by a minimum of 12 hours from junior/senior courses (300+) in the major.
Major Junior/Senior Graduation GPA
Satisfied by a minimum of a 2.0 KU GPA in junior/senior courses (300+) in the major. GPA calculations include all junior/senior courses in the field of study including F’s and repeated courses. See the Semester/Cumulative GPA Calculator.
Note: This program is currently unavailable for new admissions.
Below is a sample 4-year plan for students pursuing the B.S. in Applied Biological Sciences. To view the list of courses approved to fulfill KU Core Goals, please visit the KU Core 34 page.
The Applied Biological Sciences major is only available at the Edwards campus in Overland Park, KS. The Edwards campus only offers Junior/Senior level courses (300+). Lower level courses (100-299) may need to be taken at the KU Lawrence campus or transferred in from another institution. Please consult an academic advisor for more assistance.
| Freshman | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| BIOL 1501 | 3 | BIOL 154 | 2 |
| CHEM 130 (Core 34: Natural and Physical Sciences (SGE))040* | 5 | CHEM 135 | 5 |
| MATH 101 (Core 34: Math and Statistics (SGE))030 | 3 | Biology Elective (BIOL 152 Recommended) | 3 |
| Core 34: English (SGE)010 | 3 | Core 34: English (SGE)010 | 3 |
| Core 34: Arts and Humanities (SGE)060 | 3 | ||
| 14 | 16 | ||
| Sophomore | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| CHEM 330 | 3 | CHEM 3352 | 3 |
| CHEM 331 | 2 | CHEM 336 | 2 |
| PHSX 114 | 4 | PHSX 115 | 4 |
| Core 34: Social and Behavioral Sciences (SGE)050 | 3 | Core 34: Communications (SGE)020 | 3 |
| Core 34: Arts and Humanities (SGE)060 | 3 | Core 34: Social and Behavioral Sciences (SGE)050 | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Junior | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| BSCI 3153 | 1 | BSCI 4004 | 3 |
| BSCI 3505 | 4 | BSCI 4014 | 3 |
| BSCI 3513 | 3 | BSCI 4154 | 2 |
| BSCI 4163 | 3 | BSCI 6014 | 2 |
| BSCI 6005 | 3 | MATH 365 | 3 |
| Elective (Math 115 recommended) | 3 | ||
| 14 | 16 | ||
| Senior | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| BSCI 421 | 3 | BSCI 400+ Elective6 | 3 |
| BSCI 400+ Elective6 | 3 | BTEC 640 (Capstone) | 3 |
| BSCI 400+ Elective6 | 3 | BSCI 400+ Elective6 | 3 |
| BTEC 540 | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| Core 34: Global Culture (SGE)070 | 3 | Core 34: US Culture (SGE)070 | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Total Hours 120 | |||
- 1
Concurrent or prior enrollment in CHEM 130 is required.
- 2
CHEM 335 is offered only in the spring and summer (Lawrence campus).
- 3
BSCI 315, BSCI 351, BSCI 416, and BSCI 540 are offered only on the Edwards campus in the fall.
- 4
BSCI 400, BSCI 401, BSCI 415, BSCI 601, and BSCI 640 are offered only on the Edwards campus in the spring.
- 5
BSCI 350 and BSCI 600 are offered on the Edwards campus in both fall and summer.
- 6
Twelve hours of BSCI/BIOL 400+ level elective and seminar courses, including at least 2 hours of seminar/topics course. No more than 3 hours of independent study can be applied towards the elective requirements.
Please note:
All students are required to complete 120 total hours of which 45 hours must be at the Jr/Sr (300+) level.
Notes:
* - This course is a Required major course and is also part of Core 34: Systemwide General Education. If this course is not taken to fulfill the Core 34:SGE requirement, it must be taken in place of elective hours.
** - This course is a Recommended Core 34: Systemwide General Education course. This specific course is not required but is recommended by the program’s faculty.
*** - This course is a Required Core 34: Systemwide General Education course. This program is approved by the Kansas Board of Regents to require this specific Core 34:Systemwide General Education course. If a student did not take this course it must be taken in addition to other degree requirements.
At the completion of this program, students will be able to:
- Students will have the foundational content knowledge expected by secondary educational, commercial, governmental, and/or medical institutions to which students aspire to join and progress in their careers. This includes the core principles of genetics, biochemistry, cell biology, and microbiology.
- Implement laboratory skills routinely used across all bioscience sectors (i.e., fundamental laboratory skills), including selection of the appropriate skill in line with target objectives; identify and implement appropriate protocols for proper usage; and identify signs of inaccurate application of the skill. This includes working in groups, using shared equipment space, and being independently responsible for carrying out the skills and reporting results.
- Leverage information in service of an argument, including selecting appropriate sources in line with target audiences; identify sources of information and weigh their relative merits; and synthesize across different sources of information. This includes appropriate use of the scientific method, experimental design, and critical analysis of data.
- Functionally operate in the working world (including the workplace and graduate programming) by operationalizing career readiness skills, including navigating diverse barriers-to-entry, professional development, and working within larger institutions to collaboratively achieve goals.
Study Abroad
Consult an advisor at least 4 months before undertaking study abroad. Consult the Office of Study Abroad, 108 Lippincott Hall, for information about study in one of the many countries (e.g., Scotland, Australia, Switzerland) with special arrangements with KU.