Biology (BA)

This program was approved for students entering the university in the Summer 2025-Spring 2026 catalog year. For more information about catalog year, go to Catalog Year Information.

Bachelor of Arts in Biology 
Unit: College of Arts and Sciences (AS)
Department: Biology 
Academic Plan Code(s): BIOLBA

Program Information

There are two undergraduate degree programs offered in the Biology Department, a Bachelor of Arts in Biology and a Bachelor of Science in Biology. 

The BA degree is a more general degree than the BS. It is a liberal arts degree designed for those students who desire a broad education in a variety of disciplines. This degree requires more foreign language and social science and/or humanities courses than the BS degree. It is a good degree for students interested in taking a diversity of courses outside the sciences. This degree is also suitable for someone planning to be a teacher. A student planning on applying to professional schools can do so with this degree, as long as the student takes all the prerequisites for admission to the desired program.

Completion of this degree requires work to be submitted for the department’s Learning Outcomes Measurement. For details, contact the department.

Degree Summary

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Some credit hours from the General Education Requirements may be satisfied by courses defined by the program, in which case additional electives will be required to complete the minimum hours for the degree. See the Degree Requirements tab for specific coursework.

 

Specific coursework information can be found on the Degree Requirements tab.

Accelerated BA/MS in Biology

This program is available to only University of Louisville undergraduate students.  Students  who are considering pursuing a non-thesis master's degree (MS) in Biology can speed up the process by applying some of their undergraduate credit hours toward a master's degree.  Students accepted into the Soaring Scholar BA/MS program  take three graduate courses (up to 9 credit hours) as an undergraduate that apply toward both the bachelor's degree and the eventual master's degree. An additional 24 credit hours of graduate coursework will constitute the minimum number of credit hours for obtaining the non-thesis masters.  A minimum of 17 credit hours in the MS program must be in courses at the 600 level.  With approval from the Director of Graduate Studies, successful applicants will identify up to 9 credit hours at the 500-600 level to count toward both the undergraduate and graduate degrees.  These credits will count as elective credits toward the undergraduate degree.

Undergraduate students interested in participating in an accelerated dual bachelor’s/master’s degree offered through the university’s Soaring Scholar Program must first meet with their Academic Advisor and be accepted into the program. Once accepted, students will receive an official admission letter outlining program policies and details. They will then work with their department and academic advisor to register for classes each semester, ensuring they meet the milestones and academic progress requirements of the Soaring Scholar program. A Soaring Scholar student is considered an undergraduate student until their bachelor’s degree is conferred. In their final undergraduate semester, they are expected to apply for admission to their respective master's program.

Early Start Program (Jointly with the College of Education and Human Development)

The Master of Arts in Teaching program in conjunction with the undergraduate programs in Chemistry, Biology, and Mathematics offers a comprehensive and professionally-focused program leading to an additional degree of MAT Middle or Secondary Education. This early start program enables superior students to receive two degrees within five years. A total of 148 credits are required for the dual degrees: 121 credits of coursework devoted toward the baccalaureate degree and 36 credits toward the MAT, with nine hours double-counted. This program will be available for students who are entering their junior year. They may take graduate level courses in the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) in their 4th year of study.

The current qualifications for the joint degree program have been agreed upon by discipline faculty from the Colleges of Arts and Sciences and Education and Human Development. The criteria vary by discipline. Students enrolling in the accelerated program will be non-thesis students and must adhere to all policies pertaining to Graduate Students. All interested students must submit an application to the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) MAT program and meet the admission criteria.

Departmental Admission Requirements

Admission to the BA in Biology requires completion of BIOL 240, BIOL 241, BIOL 242, and BIOL 243 with a grade of C or better; completion of MATH 111 with a grade of C or better OR placement into a mathematics course above the level of MATH 111 on the basis of either the University of Louisville mathematics placement examination or ACT/SAT score; and a minimum overall grade point average of 2.0. 

The Change Major Request form can be found under the Academic Progress tile on ULink.

Accelerated BA/MS in Biology

Students applying to the accelerated Soaring Scholar program must:

1. Have completed the equivalent of all the “core” majors courses in Biology with grades of B or higher;
2. Have a grade point average of 3.35 or higher; and
3. Apply for admission before the end of their junior year or completion of 90 credit hours toward their degree.

General Education Requirements

All degrees require the completion of the University-wide General Education Program (link provided above).  Some General Education requirements may be met in the requirements for the major or supporting coursework, in which case additional electives may be required to complete the minimum hours for the degree.

College/School Requirements

Program/Major Requirements

At least 50 of the total minimum hours required must be at the 300 level or above. 

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Some credit hours from the General Education Requirements may be satisfied by courses defined by the program, in which case additional electives will be required to complete the minimum hours for the degree. 

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Completion of the intermediate level of a single foreign language

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In addition to courses counted toward General Education; 6 hours must be at 300 level or above

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May be incorporated into other degree requirements

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BIOL 102, BIOL 104, BIOL 257, BIOL 258, BIOL 260, BIOL 261,  BIOL 263, BIOL 264, and BIOL 265 may not count toward electives in the major. BIOL 321, BIOL 322, and BIOL 323 may count toward free electives in the major.  A maximum of 6 hours of undergraduate research or independent study may count toward the major. Students should take all BIOL electives at the 300 level or above.  With approval from the Director of Graduate Studies, successful applicants to the accelerated BA/MS in Biology will identify up to 9 credit hours at the 500-600 level to count toward both the undergraduate and graduate degrees.  These credits will count as elective credits toward the undergraduate degree.

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At least 5 hours should be at the 300-level or higher. Students who satisfy General Education Requirements by courses defined by the program will require additional electives to complete the minimum hours for the degree.  With approval from the Director of Graduate Studies, successful applicants to the accelerated BA/MS in Biology will identify up to 9 credit hours at the 500-600 level to count toward both the undergraduate and graduate degrees.  These credits will count as elective credits toward the undergraduate degree.

Flight Plan

The Flight Plan outlined above is intended to demonstrate one possible path to completing the degree within four years.  Course selection and placement within the program may vary depending on course offerings and schedule, elective preferences, and other factors (study abroad, internship availability, etc.). Please consult your advisor for additional information about building a flight plan that works for you.

Degree Audit Report
Degree Audit reports illustrate how your completed courses fulfill the requirements of your academic plan, and which requirements are still outstanding. Degree audits also take transfer credits and test credits into account. "What-if" reports allow you to compare the courses you have completed in your current academic plan to the courses required in another academic plan.  Should you have questions about either report, please consult with your academic advisor.

Flight Planner
The Flight Planner tool is available for you to create a personalized Flight Plan to graduation.  Advisors have access to review your Flight Planner and can help you adjust it to ensure you remain on track to graduate in a timely manner.

To create these reports:

1. Log into your ULink account.
2. Click on the Academic Progress tile.
3. Select the appropriate report.
   1. To run a Degree Audit report, click on "View my Degree Audit."
   2. To create a What-if report, click on "What-if Advisement Report."
   3. To run a Flight Planner report, click on "Use My Flight Planner."

Click here to run a Degree Audit report, create a What-if report, or run a Flight Planner report.

Accelerated BA/MS in Biology

This program is available to only University of Louisville undergraduate students.  Students  who are considering pursuing a non-thesis master's degree (MS) in Biology can speed up the process by applying some of their undergraduate credit hours toward a master's degree.  Students accepted into the Soaring Scholar BA/MS program  take three graduate courses (up to 9 credit hours) as an undergraduate that apply toward both the bachelor's degree and the eventual master's degree. An additional 24 credit hours of graduate coursework will constitute the minimum number of credit hours for obtaining the non-thesis masters.  A minimum of 17 credit hours in the MS program must be in courses at the 600 level.  With approval from the Director of Graduate Studies, successful applicants will identify up to 9 credit hours at the 500-600 level to count toward both the undergraduate and graduate degrees.  These credits will count as elective credits toward the undergraduate degree.

Undergraduate students interested in participating in an accelerated dual bachelor’s/master’s degree offered through the university’s Soaring Scholar Program must first meet with their Academic Advisor and be accepted into the program. Once accepted, students will receive an official admission letter outlining program policies and details. They will then work with their department and academic advisor to register for classes each semester, ensuring they meet the milestones and academic progress requirements of the Soaring Scholar program. A Soaring Scholar student is considered an undergraduate student until their bachelor’s degree is conferred. In their final undergraduate semester, they are expected to apply for admission to their respective master's program.