for the degrees of Bachelor of Science in Liberal Arts & Sciences and Master of Science Major in Integrative Biology

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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. 

Additionally, the MS in IB program provides students with a non-thesis, course-based advanced degree program opportunity. Students in the BSLAS+ MS in IB program can enhance their skill sets within IB upper-level courses through our world-class educational experiences, without having to invest in a required thesis component for the degree. Students interested in research are able to participate in course-based research opportunities such as IB 390, 490, and 590. Typical time to degree completion is 5-years (ten full-time semesters) with both an undergraduate and advanced degree.

• Integrative Biology, BSLAS and Integrative Biology, BSLAS Honors concentration students are eligible to apply. See the IB Honors degree requirements.
• Students with junior standing (90 credit hours, including those in progress) or higher apply internally to the School of Biology BSLAS + MS in IB program.    
• Students must have 3.0 or higher GPA from their junior year onward of undergraduate study to receive admission to the Graduate College. This means that the average GPA of their junior year and/or (depending on when the student applies) first semester of their senior year coursework must be 3.0 or higher.
• Applications are reviewed holistically, looking at GPA and performance in courses, experiential opportunities (work, volunteer experiences, internships), personal statements that seek non-cognitive attributes such as work-ethic, leadership and service, as well as recommendation letters.
• The GRE is not required.
• Upon acceptance, students are admitted to the joint program and meet with their BSLAS + MS in IB Director of Graduate Studies to determine which courses will be taken that will apply to both degrees. (During their undergraduate degree, students also continue to meet with their undergraduate advisor.)
• After the completion of the undergraduate requirements (including those in progress), students apply to the master's portion of the program through the Graduate College and are assessed graduate tuition as the MS portion is self-supporting. 
• Students admitted to the graduate program must maintain an overall 3.0 GPA to remain in good standing. 
• Credits from the IB, BSLAS program cannot be retroactively applied.
• 12-hours will double-count toward both the BSLAS degree requirements and the MS requirements, for a total of 140-hours required in total. These 12-hours may be selected from any course listed on the MS in IB Approved Courses List. 
• Students may withdraw from the program at any time by petition to have graduate hours earned converted to undergraduate hours and applied toward their IB, BSLAS undergraduate degree. Students reverting to a BSLAS degree program must complete 120 hours and satisfy all degree requirements

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

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 degrees of Bachelor of Science in Liberal Arts & Sciences and Master of Science Major in Integrative Biology

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Graduation Requirements

Minimum hours required for graduation: 120 hours for the BSLAS portion; 140 minimum total hours required for the BSLAS and the MS degrees combined.

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.

Course List

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
fulfilled by CHEM 102 and CHEM 104, or CHEM 202 and CHEM 204; PHYS 101 and PHYS 102, or PHYS 211 and PHYS 212; IB 150, MCB 150
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
fulfilled by MATH 220 or MATH 221; STAT 212; PHYS 101 and PHYS 102, or PHYS 211 and PHYS 212
Language Requirement (Completion of the fourth semester or equivalent of a language other than English is required)		0-20

Course List

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

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
MS in IB Requirements
12-hours will double-count toward both the BSLAS degree requirements above and the MS requirements below. These 12-hours can be selected from courses listed on any requirements for the MS in IB program.
Required Course List
IB 592	Career and Skill Development in Integrative Biology	2
Core Curriculum		12
Select from the following three Areas. At least one course must be a lab and the courses must be in at least two different Areas.
Area I: Organismal and Evolutionary Biology
IB 401	Introduction to Entomology (lab)
IB 407	Plant Diversity and Evolution (lab)
IB 461	Ornithology (lab)
IB 462	Mammalogy (lab)
IB 463	Ichthyology (lab)
IB 464	Herpetology (lab)
IB 467	Principles of Systematics (lab)
IB 468	Insect Classification and Evol (lab)
IB 471	Fungal Diversity and Ecology (lab)
Area II: Behavior, Ecology and the Environment
IB 405	Evolution of Traits and Genomes
IB 430	Animal Behavior Lab (lab)
IB 431	Behavioral Ecology
IB 432	Genes and Behavior
IB 439	Biogeography
IB 440	Plants and Global Change
IB 444	Insect Ecology (lab)
IB 451	Conservation Biology (lab)
IB 452	Ecosystem Ecology
IB 453	Community Ecology
IB 455	Ecotoxicology and Human Health
IB 481	Vector-borne Diseases (lab)
IB 482	Insect Pest Management (lab)
IB 494	Theoretical Biology + Models (lab)
Area III: Integrative anatomy, Physiology and Molecular Biology
IB 411	Bioinspiration
IB 420	Plant Physiology
IB 421	Photosynthesis
IB 426	Env and Evol Physl of Animals
IB 433	Insect Physiology
IB 435	Critical Evaluation of Herbal Remedies
IB 438	How Organisms Move (lab)
IB 460	Evol of Intelligent Systems (lab)
IB 465	Methods in Molecular Genetics and Genomics
Additional electives selected from the following list to meet the 32-hour minimum.
Courses from the any of the Areas above that did not fulfill another requirement may also count toward elective credit.
IB 416	Population Genetics
IB 436	Evolutionary Neuroscience
IB 442	Evolution of Infectious Disease
IB 454	Science Writing & Presentation
IB 476	Environmental Remote Sensing
IB 478	Advanced Plant Genetics
IB 479	Plant Growth and Development
IB 484	Paleoclimatology
IB 496	Special Courses
IB 497	Science Communication
IB 499	Discussions in Integrative Biology
IB 501	Programming for Genomics
IB 502	Biological Networks
IB 504	Genomic Analysis of Insects
IB 505	Bioinformatics & Systems Biol
IB 506	Applied Bioinformatics
IB 512	Plant Metabolomics
IB 513	Plant Science Seminar
IB 516	Ecosystem Biogeochemistry
IB 517	Analysis of Biological Data in R
IB 524	Plant Biochemistry
IB 526	Seminar in Entomology
IB 531	Emerging Infectious Diseases
IB 533	Human Genome & Bioinformatics
IB 534	Evolution and Medicine
IB 542	Environmental Plant Physiology
IB 546	Topics in Ecology & Evolution
IB 590	Individual Topics
Total Hours Required		32
Other requirements:
Minimum GPA		3.0
Maximum hours of IB 590 allowed to count toward the MS in IB degree		6
Minimum hours at the 500-level within the unit		12

for the degrees of Bachelor of Science in Liberal Arts & Sciences and Master of Science Major in Integrative Biology

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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 five-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.

IB majors may begin with CHEM 101 or MATH 115 if needed based on placement as part of a standard eight-semester sequence.

First Year
First Semester	Hours	Second Semester	Hours
LAS 101	1	MCB 150 or IB 150	4
IB 150 or MCB 150	4	CHEM 104 or 204	3
CHEM 102 or 202	3	CHEM 105 or 205	1
CHEM 103 or 203	1	Language Other Than English (4th level)	4
Language Other Than English (3rd level)	4	MATH 220 (or Composition I)	5
Composition I or MATH 220	4
	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 236	4	CHEM 233 or 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	3
PHYS 101 or 211	5	PHYS 102 or 212	5
General Education course	3	General Education course	3
General Education course	3	General Education course	3
	14		14
Fourth Year
First Semester	Hours	Second Semester	Hours
Advanced IB course	4	Advanced IB course	3
Advanced IB course	4	General Education course	3
General Education course	4	Free advanced elective course	3
		Free elective course	3
	12		12
Fifth Year
First Semester	Hours	Second Semester	Hours
IB 592	2	IB 500 level course	4
IB 500 level course	4	IB 500 level course	2
Advanced IB course	4	Advanced IB course	4
Free elective course	3	Free elective course	3
	13		13
Total Hours 140

for the degrees of Bachelor of Science in Liberal Arts & Sciences and Master of Science Major in Integrative Biology

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The Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) for the BSLAS+MS in IB joint degree program are as follows:

1. Synthesize and apply core knowledge in Integrative Biology, including anatomy, development, ecology, evolution, genetics, molecular biology, physiology, and/or systematics. 
2. Apply predictive models to biological phenomena and engage with the process of scientific inquiry.  
3. Critically evaluate and communicate complex, dynamic scientific information. 
4. Employ curiosity, inquiry, quantitative reasoning, and critical thinking in problem solving. 
5. Create solutions for global and local biological challenges using interdisciplinary strategies.
6. 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 degrees of Bachelor of Science in Liberal Arts & Sciences and Master of Science Major in Integrative Biology

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School of Integrative Biology

School of Integrative Biology website
School of Integrative Biology faculty

Advising

SIB Advising website
advising@sib.illinois.edu

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences website

Admissions

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Undergrad Admissions