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2021-2022

Biology, Bachelor of Science

VCU

Community college:
Associate of Arts & Sciences: Science, Biology Track (Germanna Community College)
Germanna Community College
Germanna Community College
Associate degree

Associate of Arts & Sciences: Science, Biology Track

Program description
The Department of Biology offers programs leading to baccalaureate, master’s and doctoral degrees; the doctoral degree is offered through the Ph.D. in Integrative Life Sciences program. Students may specialize within many areas, such as molecular and cellular biology, genetics, aquatic and terrestrial ecology, systematics, physiology, neurobiology, and developmental biology. Students also may develop an interdisciplinary focus to their degree program, for example within areas such as bioinformatics, cancer biology, forensic science and environmental science.
Career opportunities
The four-year curriculum in biology prepares students for employment in laboratory or field programs in private industry or government agencies and for teaching in secondary schools. This curriculum also prepares students graduate study in biology and for admission into schools of medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine, and into allied health programs.   
Bachelor-level job titles
  • Biological Technician
  • Clinical Research Coordinators
  • Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health
  • Fish and Game Wardens
  • Food Science Technician
  • Health Educator
  • Museum Technician and Conservator
  • Park Naturalist
  • Secondary School Teacher
  • Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products 
Graduate and professional level job titles
  • Attorney
  • Medical Doctor
  • Researcher
  • Scientific Publication Journalist or Editor
Contact information

 

VCU Transfer Center

Telephone: (804) 827-1349

Email: transferinfo@vcu.edu

Transfer Advising Request

VCCS Transfer Planning Checklist


Office of Admissions

Telephone: (804) 828-1222 or (800) 841-3638

Email: ugrad@vcu.edu
Apply Here.

Guaranteed transfer admission requirements

Completion of associate degree
Minimum GPA of 2.5
All courses must be completed with a grade of "C" or better

Degree requirements in Bulletin
Plan of study in Bulletin
Requirements
Highest level of math required
  • MATH 200
Science required
  • 5+ additional science courses
Foreign language requirements
  • Yes
Additional tuition/fees
  • Yes
GPA requirements (to progress/graduate in the major)
  • 2.0+ cumulative GPA, 2.0+ major GPA
VCU Major Maps

View VCU Major Map for Biology

Transfer major map
Visit majormaps.vcu.edu for the online version with links.
Sponsored by the Office of the Provost
Major map compass icon
2021-2022

Biology, Bachelor of Science

Germanna Community College (Associate of Arts & Sciences: Science, Biology Track)

MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
Explore Year 1
  • Cultivate relationships with your professors.
  • Be prepared for academic challenges and use tutoring resources to get ahead.
  • Schedule an appointment with your academic advisor each semester.
  • Register for SDV 100.
  • Log into Navigate and view its features to help you on your pathway.
  • Attend VCU’s annual Intercultural Festival or another community intercultural event.
  • Attend diversity-focused events on campus or in your community.
  • Identify a mentor in a diversity organization.
  • Explore the community college’s iGrad’s Job Genius Search Engine to look into building a career and financial future.
  • Build a LinkedIn profile.
  • Browse careers related to biology through the career coach.
  • Take a career assessment through the career coach.
  • Assess your preparation for a career by completing a Gap Analysis.
  • Use SDV 100 to create a weekly and monthly budget.
  • Work with career services to build resume.
  • Develop personal and career goals and create SMART steps for 2-3 "dream jobs."
Experience Year 2
  • Visit the VCU Biology department website to become familiar with upcoming course offerings, syllabi, and professors.
  • Research scholarship opportunities and explore your eligibility for the Two-Year College Transfer Grant.
  • Be prepared for academic challenges in your classes. Use tutoring resources to get ahead.
  • Prepare for organic chemistry at VCU by reviewing CHM 111-112 notes and textbook.
  • Use Navigate to remain on your pathway.
  • Research housing for next year.
  • Attend a talk or other event sponsored by the VCU Biology department, consider joining a VCU club, or meeting with VCU students to make professional and personal connections.
  • Participate in the STEM Transitions: Transfer Success Program after you’re admitted to VCU.
  • Visit the VCU campus and attend a transfer admission session.
  • Consider learning a foreign language to open doors to international organizations and future study.
  • Get involved with service-learning opportunities.
  • Attend diversity-focused events on campus and in your community (i.e. international festival).
  • Become familiar with OMSA at VCU.
  • Learn about short-term, semester and year-long study abroad options.
  • Attend Career & Internship Fairs throughout the year.
  • Acquire career related experience (e.g., job, internship, organization involvement).
  • Run for leadership in your student organization.
  • If your GPA is 3.5 or higher, consider applying for the VCU Honors College.
  • Find out about VCU REAL and learn about REAL graduation requirement.
  • Conduct informational interviews or shadow someone in a field of career interest.
  • Use the cost calculator to estimate your tuition/fees as an upperclassman at VCU.
  • Take advantage of free Financial Aid counseling.
  • Using LinkedIn, connect to at least 10 people. Check out the VCU alumni page in My Network.
  • Explore the types of aid available at VCU.
  • Consider who you would like to have serve as professional and academic references for future letters of recommendation.

Explore
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
  • Cultivate relationships with your professors.
  • Be prepared for academic challenges and use tutoring resources to get ahead.
  • Schedule an appointment with your academic advisor each semester.
  • Register for SDV 100.
  • Log into Navigate and view its features to help you on your pathway.
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
  • Attend VCU’s annual Intercultural Festival or another community intercultural event.
  • Attend diversity-focused events on campus or in your community.
  • Identify a mentor in a diversity organization.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
  • Explore the community college’s iGrad’s Job Genius Search Engine to look into building a career and financial future.
  • Build a LinkedIn profile.
  • Browse careers related to biology through the career coach.
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
  • Take a career assessment through the career coach.
  • Assess your preparation for a career by completing a Gap Analysis.
  • Use SDV 100 to create a weekly and monthly budget.
  • Work with career services to build resume.
  • Develop personal and career goals and create SMART steps for 2-3 "dream jobs."

Experience
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
  • Visit the VCU Biology department website to become familiar with upcoming course offerings, syllabi, and professors.
  • Research scholarship opportunities and explore your eligibility for the Two-Year College Transfer Grant.
  • Be prepared for academic challenges in your classes. Use tutoring resources to get ahead.
  • Prepare for organic chemistry at VCU by reviewing CHM 111-112 notes and textbook.
  • Use Navigate to remain on your pathway.
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
  • Research housing for next year.
  • Attend a talk or other event sponsored by the VCU Biology department, consider joining a VCU club, or meeting with VCU students to make professional and personal connections.
  • Participate in the STEM Transitions: Transfer Success Program after you’re admitted to VCU.
  • Visit the VCU campus and attend a transfer admission session.
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
  • Consider learning a foreign language to open doors to international organizations and future study.
  • Get involved with service-learning opportunities.
  • Attend diversity-focused events on campus and in your community (i.e. international festival).
  • Become familiar with OMSA at VCU.
  • Learn about short-term, semester and year-long study abroad options.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
  • Attend Career & Internship Fairs throughout the year.
  • Acquire career related experience (e.g., job, internship, organization involvement).
  • Run for leadership in your student organization.
  • If your GPA is 3.5 or higher, consider applying for the VCU Honors College.
  • Find out about VCU REAL and learn about REAL graduation requirement.
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
  • Conduct informational interviews or shadow someone in a field of career interest.
  • Use the cost calculator to estimate your tuition/fees as an upperclassman at VCU.
  • Take advantage of free Financial Aid counseling.
  • Using LinkedIn, connect to at least 10 people. Check out the VCU alumni page in My Network.
  • Explore the types of aid available at VCU.
  • Consider who you would like to have serve as professional and academic references for future letters of recommendation.
Recommended courses
Major map compass icon
2021-2022

Biology, Bachelor of Science

Germanna Community College (Associate of Arts & Sciences: Science, Biology Track)

Germanna Community College courses
Course Title Equivalent course Credits Requirements
SDV 100 College Success Skills UNIV 101 1 Elective
ENG 111 College Composition I Note: students with credit for AP English Language and Composition will only receive credit for UNIV 111 at VCU and should take ENG 112 to fulfill the VCU composition requirement. UNIV 111-112 3 General education
Lab Science (I) CHM 111 General Chemistry I CHEM/Z 101 4 Major (Ancillary)
Lab Science (II) BIO 101 General Biology I BIOL/Z 151 4 Major (Ancillary)
History elective History elective (select 1): HIS 101, 102, 111, 112, 121, 122 HIST 3 General education
ENG 112 College Composition  II UNIV 200 3 General education
MTH 167 Precalculus with Trigonometry (or MTH 161-162) MATH 151 5 Major (Ancillary)
Lab Science (III) CHM 112 General Chemistry II CHEM/Z 102 4 Major (Ancillary)
Lab Science (IV) BIO 102 General Biology II BIOL/Z 152 4 Major
Humanities (PHI) Select any PHI (Philosophy) course VCU equivalent 3 General education
Social Science Social Science (select 1): ECO 201, ECO 202, PSY 200, SOC 200, SOC 211, PLS 211, PLS 241 VCU equivalent 3 General education
MTH 263 Calculus I MATH 200 4 Major (Ancillary)
Science elective BIO 206 Cell Biology BIOL 300 + BIOZ 391 4 Major
Science Capstone Science Capstone Presentation VCU equivalent 1 Elective
Social Science Social Science (select 1): PSY 200, SOC 200, 211, PLS 211, PLS 241 VCU equivalent 3 General education
MTH 245 Statistics I STAT 210 3 Major (Ancillary)
Humanities/Fine Arts Humanities/Fine Arts (select 1): ART 101, 102, 106, HUM 100, or REL VCU equivalent 3 General education
Transfer elective PHY 201 General College Physics I PHYS 201 4 Major (Ancillary)
Transfer elective Transfer elective VCU equivalent 1 to 3 Elective
Germanna credits transferred to VCU 60 to 62
VCU courses
Course Title Credits Requirements
Foreign language through the 102 level.   (This requirement can be fulfilled by means of completion of the 102-level of a language or waived if the student completed up through the third level of a foreign language in high school.  Additionally, language waiver and placement testing options are available for native or heritage speakers of a non-english language.) 0 to 8 General education (not waived by associate degree)
BIOL 200 Quantitative Biology 3 Major
BIOL 310 Genetics 3 Major
BIOL 317 Ecology 3 Major
BIOL 318 Evolution 3 Major
Select 0-3 credits from the following: BIOL 475, BIOZ 476, BIOL 477 0 to 3 Major
Select from all biology (BIOL and BIOZ) courses applicable to the biology major and biochemistry (CHEM 403). All majors must complete at minimum three additional upper-level biology lab courses. The laboratory experiences may be fulfilled by a separate laboratory section (BIOZ) or by laboratory hours included in a lecture-based (BIOL) course. Not all courses are offered each semester. 17 to 20 Major
CHEM 301 + CHEZ 301 Organic Chemistry I and Laboratory 5 Major (Ancillary)
CHEM 302 + CHEZ 302 Organic Chemistry II and Laboratory 5 Major (Ancillary)
PHYS 202 General Physics II 4 Major (Ancillary)
Upper-level electives (300- or 400-level courses) Note: Students must complete a minimum of 45 upper-level credits to graduate from VCU. 6 to 9 Elective
Open electives 3 to 12 Elective
Minimum number of credits completed at VCU 58 to 60
Bachelor's degree total 120