Integrative Biology, BSLAS
for the degree of Bachelor of Science in Liberal Arts & Sciences Major in Integrative Biology
In the School of Integrative Biology (SIB), students receive interdisciplinary training to prepare them for 21st-century scientific roles. We occupy a unique position on campus. Our majors explore how scales of life interact, from molecules through global cycles, to solve grand challenges such as addressing global change, improving human health, mitigating biodiversity loss, and contributing to ecosystem restoration and sustainable food and biofuel production. The SIB community collaborates extensively on both research and teaching, leading to multi-disciplinary courses grounded in active learning and highly transferable, higher-order processing skills such as application, interpretation, and evaluation. Students build laboratory skills spanning from tall grass prairie restoration to modern genome-editing techniques. The IB curriculum includes preparation in genomics and evolution; comparative anatomy, physiology, and development; ecology and behavior; phylogenetic systematics and molecular biology; and mathematical modeling and informatics. Graduates are well-equipped for a broad range of careers in fields including healthcare, biotechnology, genetic counseling, wildlife management, and environmental sciences.
For students interested in the 5-year, combined BSLAS & MS in Integrative Biology program visit the Integrative Biology, BSLAS-MS catalog page.
For students interested in adding educational licensure to the BSLAS in Integrative Biology, visit the Teacher Education Minor in Secondary School Teaching catalog page.
Students pursuing a degree in Integrative Biology will not be allowed to double major in Molecular and Cellular Biology.
Distinction for Excellence in Research
Students are eligible for graduation at the following levels: Distinction, High Distinction, or Highest Distinction. Distinction will be determined by the SIB Distinction Committee and the level of Distinction will be based on the information below. To be eligible for graduation with Distinction for Excellence in Research a student must:
- Be enrolled as an Integrative Biology or Integrative Biology Honors major
- Have a completed distinction evaluation form submitted by their Faculty Research Advisor
- Maintain a minimum 3.25 GPA within the major at the end of the penultimate semester
- To be eligible for Distinction, students must give a poster presentation at the SIB Distinction Symposium or other approved venue
- To be eligible for High or Highest Distinction, students must submit a written thesis and give an oral presentation at the SIB Distinction Symposium or other approved venue
-
Finally, all students regardless of Distinction level must either:
-
Complete two or more semesters of IB 390/IB 490 for 2-credit hours or more each semester. The student should enroll in IB 490 the semester they intend to graduate, which counts towards the two required semesters.
OR
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Complete at least 180 hours of mentored research. The research experience must last a minimum of 20 weeks (the weeks need not be consecutive and summer research counts toward this total) and students should enroll in one semester of IB 490 for a minimum of 1-credit hour prior to or during the semester they intend to graduate. Example: a student could be eligible if they complete a 10-week summer research experience combined with enrolling in IB 490 the following spring semester, the same term they intend to graduate.
for the degree of Bachelor of Science in Liberal Arts & Sciences Major in Integrative Biology
Graduation Requirements
Minimum hours required for graduation: 120 hours.
Minimum required major and supporting course work: Normally equates to to 66-75 hours.
University Requirements
Minimum of 40 hours of upper-division coursework, generally at the 300- or 400-level. These hours can be drawn from all elements of the degree. Students should consult their academic advisor for additional guidance in fulfilling this requirement.
The university and residency requirements can be found in the Student Code (§ 3-801) and in the Academic Catalog.
General Education Requirements
Follows the campus General Education (Gen Ed) requirements. Some Gen Ed requirements may be met by courses required and/or electives in the program.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Composition I | 4-6 | |
| Advanced Composition | 3 | |
fulfilled by IB 203 | ||
| Humanities & the Arts (6 hours) | 6 | |
| Natural Sciences & Technology (6 hours) | 6 | |
| Social & Behavioral Sciences (6 hours) | 6 | |
| Cultural Studies: Non-Western Cultures (1 course) | 3 | |
| Cultural Studies: US Minority Cultures (1 course) | 3 | |
| Cultural Studies: Western/Comparative Cultures (1 course) | 3 | |
| Quantitative Reasoning (2 courses, at least one course must be Quantitative Reasoning I) | 6-10 | |
| Language Requirement (Completion of the fourth semester or equivalent of a language other than English is required) | 0-20 | |
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Orientation and Professional Development | ||
| LAS 101 | Design Your First Year Experience | 1 |
OR | ||
| LAS 100 & LAS 101 | Success in LAS for International Students and Design Your First Year Experience | 3 |
OR | ||
| LAS 102 | Transfer Advantage | 1 |
| Total Hours | 1 or 3 | |
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Major Core Requirements and Electives | ||
| IB 150 | Organismal & Evolutionary Biol | 4 |
| MCB 150 | Molec & Cellular Basis of Life | 4 |
| MATH 220 | Calculus (sections that start with 'X' are strongly recommended) | 4-5 |
| or MATH 221 | Calculus I | |
| Select one group of courses: | 8-10 | |
| General Chemistry I | ||
| General Chemistry Lab I | ||
| General Chemistry II | ||
| General Chemistry Lab II | ||
or | ||
| Accelerated Chemistry I | ||
| Accelerated Chemistry Lab I | ||
| Accelerated Chemistry II | ||
| Accelerated Chemistry Lab II | ||
| Select one group of courses: | 5-6 | |
| Elementary Organic Chemistry I and Elementary Organic Chem Lab I | ||
| Fundamental Organic Chem I and Structure and Synthesis | ||
| Select one group of courses: | 8-10 | |
| College Physics: Mech & Heat and College Physics: E&M & Modern | ||
| University Physics: Mechanics and University Physics: Elec & Mag | ||
| Note: An optional IB Honors concentration may be elected, please talk to an advisor. Students who do not elect an optional concentration are required to take the IB major coursework below. | ||
| STAT 212 | Biostatistics | 3 |
| IB 202 | Physiology (IB 202 requires animal dissection and no equivalent alternative is available. IB majors are required to enroll in the 4-hour version of this course.) | 4 |
| IB 203 | Ecology | 4 |
| IB 204 | Genetics (IB majors are required to enroll in the 4-hour version of IB 204.) | 4 |
| IB 302 | Evolution | 4 |
| Advanced Free Elective (300- or 400-level course from IB or any other unit on campus) | 3 | |
| Integrative Biology Advanced Area Courses | 15-20 | |
At least two courses from the following areas. At least one course must be a lab and the courses must be in different areas. | ||
Area I: Organismal and Evolutionary Biology | ||
| Evolution and Human Health | ||
| Marine Biology | ||
| Vertebrate Natural History (lab) | ||
| Introduction to Entomology (lab) | ||
| Plant Diversity and Evolution (lab) | ||
| Ornithology (lab) | ||
| Mammalogy (lab) | ||
| Ichthyology (lab) | ||
| Herpetology (lab) | ||
| Insect Classification and Evol (lab) | ||
| Fungal Diversity and Ecology (lab) | ||
Area II: Behavior, Ecology, and the Environment | ||
| Animal Behavior | ||
| Ecology and Human Health | ||
| Evolution of Traits and Genomes | ||
| Animal Behavior Lab (lab) | ||
| Behavioral Ecology | ||
| Genes and Behavior | ||
| Biogeography | ||
| Plants and Global Change | ||
| Insect Ecology (lab) | ||
| Conservation Biology (lab) | ||
| Ecosystem Ecology | ||
| Community Ecology | ||
| Vector-borne Diseases (lab) | ||
| Insect Pest Management (lab) | ||
| Theoretical Biology + Models (lab) | ||
Area III: Integrative Anatomy, Physiology, and Molecular Biology | ||
| Anatomy (lab) | ||
| Genomics and Human Health | ||
| Bioinspiration | ||
| Plant Physiology | ||
| Photosynthesis | ||
| Env and Evol Physl of Animals | ||
| Insect Physiology | ||
| Critical Evaluation of Herbal Remedies | ||
| How Organisms Move (lab) | ||
| Evol of Intelligent Systems (lab) | ||
| Methods in Molecular Genetics and Genomics | ||
Remaining courses to total 15 hours minimum may be selected from any of the area courses listed above or from the following list: | ||
| Fish and Wildlife Ecology | ||
| Translating Your IB Degree Into Career Success | ||
| Population Genetics | ||
| Evolutionary Neuroscience | ||
| Evolution of Infectious Disease | ||
| Stream Ecology | ||
| Principles of Systematics | ||
| Environmental Remote Sensing | ||
| Advanced Plant Genetics | ||
| Plant Growth and Development | ||
| Bioinspired Design | ||
| Paleoclimatology | ||
| Biological Modeling | ||
| Special Courses | ||
| Science Communication | ||
| Discussions in Integrative Biology | ||
| Microbiology | ||
| Introduction to Neurobiology | ||
| Introductory Biochemistry | ||
for the degree of Bachelor of Science in Liberal Arts & Sciences Major in Integrative Biology
Sample Sequence
This sample sequence is intended to be used only as a guide for degree completion. All students should work individually with their academic advisors to decide the actual course selection and sequence that works best for them based on their academic preparation and goals. Enrichment programming such as study abroad, minors, internships, and so on may impact the structure of this four-year plan. Course availability is not guaranteed during the semester indicated in the sample sequence.
Students must fulfill their Language Other Than English requirement by successfully completing a fourth level of a language other than English. For more information, see the corresponding section on the Degree and General Education Requirements page.
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| First Semester | Hours | Second Semester | Hours |
| LAS 101 | 1 | MCB 150 | 4 |
| IB 150 | 4 | CHEM 104 (or CHEM 204) | 3 |
| CHEM 102 (or CHEM 202) | 3 | CHEM 105 (or CHEM 205) | 1 |
| CHEM 103 (or CHEM 203) | 1 | Language Other than English (4th level) | 4 |
| Language Other than English (3rd level) | 4 | MATH 220 (or MATH 221) or Composition I | 5-4 |
| Composition I or MATH 220 (or MATH 221) | 4-5 | ||
| 17 | 17 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| First Semester | Hours | Second Semester | Hours |
| IB 203 | 4 | IB 202 | 4 |
| IB 204 | 4 | IB 302 | 4 |
| CHEM 232 (or CHEM 236) | 4 | CHEM 233 (or CHEM 237) | 2 |
| General Education course | 3 | STAT 212 | 3 |
| 15 | 13 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| First Semester | Hours | Second Semester | Hours |
| Advanced IB course | 3 | Advanced IB Course | 4 |
| PHYS 101 (or PHYS 211) | 5 | PHYS 102 (or PHYS 212) | 5 |
| General Education course | 3 | General Education course | 3 |
| General Education course | 3 | General Education course | 3 |
| 14 | 15 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| First Semester | Hours | Second Semester | Hours |
| Advanced IB Course | 4 | Advanced IB Course | 4 |
| Advanced IB Course | 3 | General Education course | 3 |
| General Education course | 3 | Free elective course | 3 |
| Free elective course | 3 | Free elective course | 3 |
| Free elective course | 3 | ||
| 16 | 13 | ||
| Total Hours 120 | |||
for the degree of Bachelor of Science in Liberal Arts & Sciences Major in Integrative Biology
By the time they graduate, an Integrative Biology major should be able to:
- Synthesize and apply core knowledge in Integrative Biology, including anatomy, development, ecology, evolution, genetics, molecular biology, physiology, and/or systematics.
- Apply predictive models to biological phenomena and engage with the process of scientific inquiry.
- Critically evaluate and communicate complex, dynamic scientific information.
- Employ curiosity, inquiry, quantitative reasoning, and critical thinking in problem solving.
- Create solutions for global and local biological challenges using interdisciplinary strategies.
- Develop professional skills including ethics, proficiency in oral and written scientific communication, data analysis and interpretation, collaboration, and the ability to critically evaluate science-related news and information.
for the degree of Bachelor of Science in Liberal Arts & Sciences Major in Integrative Biology
School of Integrative Biology
School of Integrative Biology website
School of Integrative Biology faculty
Advising
SIB Advising website
SIB Advising email
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences website
Admissions
University of Illinois Undergrad Admissions