So, you think you’re graduating with a major in Biology... Advising for Seniors and Juniors Fall 2015

Carefully read the Fall edition of the Bulletin for Rowan Biology Majors Be on the look out for the Fall Bulletin in early October through your Rowan Use the Bulletin as a guide for Spring course registration, as well as other important announcements. Your questions may already be answered there!

Fall 2015 Graduation Application Graduation Applications must now be submitted online for Fall According to the Registrar, students must apply for graduation online through their Banner Self Service accounts. See also: and Fall 2015 includes a $65 non-refundable fee Regular Deadline: September 30 Late Deadline (fee + $45 late fee): October 31 Spring 2016: November 1-February 28 Did you miss a deadline? Contact the Registrar or Commencement NOW!

Did You Know? Much (not all) of the requirements for graduation are summarized in the program guides for the biology major. See the following two slides: Program guide for freshman or transfer students who have NOT completed Biology I and II Program guide for transfer students who have completed Biology I and II Guides are available in the Department’s Web Page (see the Menu “Academic Programs”)

First of all: Will you have enough total credits? You can’t graduate AT ALL from Rowan without earning 120 credits and a GPA = 2.0. Earned = Passed Can you get to 120 credits in your remaining semesters? (Note: > 18 credit hours in a semester requires approval from the Department Chair and Dean of the College.) Yes? Great! No? Well, what next? Summer classes? More semesters?

Do you have your General Education requirements? 42 credits total of non-Biology courses Specific requirements: Communication: Comp I, Comp II HHL: 6 credits (Can’t count two classes in same field.) Philosophy of Science or Philosophy of Medicine count as HHL Literature can count as HHL SBS: 6 credits (Can’t count two classes in same field.) Non-program courses: 16 credits Can include ACE, Public Speaking, requirements for minor/concentration

Have you finished your Rowan Experience requirements? Rowan Seminar: should have fulfilled this in freshman year, probably with Biology 1 (requirement doesn‘t apply to transfers) Public Speaking An Art/Creative Experience course (ACE) A Literature course (LIT) A Multicultural/Global course (M/G) (Philosophy of Science or Philosophy of Medicine) A Writing Intensive course (WI): (Philosophy of Science, Philosophy of Medicine, Special Topics in Biology). WI must be completed at Rowan (it can not be a transfer course).

Have you finished your core courses for the major? Bio 1 to 4 (or for most transfers, Bio 3T and Bio 4) Chemistry I and II Organic Chemistry I and II Physics I and II Calculus I Biometry (Statistics I is NOT an equivalent course)

Have you finished your electives for the major? You need 22 credits in biology electives: Any upper-level Biology course (i.e., Bio 4 is a prereq.) Can include Biochemistry I (Chemistry course) and Medicinal Chemistry (Chemistry course) Can include Human Anatomy I and II (see below) Special requirements At least 4 (different) lab courses (at least three must be 300- or 400-level; you can take both Human A&P I and II, but only ONE will count as a lab elective) Must include Special Topics OR Biology Lab/Field Research (Biology I and II, if transferred, are not electives)

Fulfilling the requirements doesn't just mean passing the courses! You need at least a C in ANY Biology course for it to count toward the major Got a C- or less in Bio 1, 2, 3, 3T or 4? Take the course again and get a C or better Got a C- or less in an elective? Take the course again or take a different elective and get a C or better Keep in mind our Grade/Repeat Policy when retaking the same course

You need to AVERAGE a C in the following courses Chemistry I and II Organic I and II Physics I and II Calculus I Biometry So, you CAN get a D in one, but you’ll need to get better than a C in one or more of the others You still have to PASS ALL OF THEM Fulfilling the requirements does not just mean passing the courses!

Example: Biology Courses Biology 1: B+ Biology 2: A- Biology 3: B Biology 4: B- Genetics (300+ lab): C Cell Biology (300+ lab): B+ Microbiology (300+ lab): A- A&P I (200 lab): A- A&P II (200+ elective): A Special Topics/Research Lab: A Non-Biology Courses Chemistry II C Organic Chemistry I D+ Organic Chemistry II B- Physics I B+ Physics II A Calculus I B Biometry B+ GPA = 2.86

Now you should know… Classes you still need to take Classes you may need to Retake Can you take all of these classes in your remaining semesters? Other options? Summer/winter courses

Need to Catch Up? Consider taking a Gen/Ed Winter course at RU or community college (no labs) RU Schedule: December 19-Janurary 18 January 4-January 15 Online or on campus Possible Gen Ed options include: SBS, ACE, LIT, Philosophy of Science or Medicine

When will the Spring 2016 course schedule be ready? The Spring 2016 schedule posted in Section Tally is more-or-less correct, but updates continue to be made. The Registrar expects to have a finalized Spring schedule posted by the second week of October As of the September 30 th, the Spring schedule for biology courses is posted in section Tally and nearly complete. For more information:

Seniors (90 or more credits including your current courses) Ideally, you should already have taken (or currently are taking): Biology 1, 2, and 3 and 4 Or, if a transfer, Biology I, II, 3T and 4 Chemistry I and II Organic Chemistry I and II College Composition I and II Calculus I and Biometry Physics I and Physics II (Note that Physics I could be Physics I for Life Sciences Majors or Introduction to Mechanics) Public Speaking General Education and Rowan Experience courses in addition to the above One or more Biology Electives Philosophy of Science (WI and M/G) or Philosophy of Medicine (WI and M/G) So, your Spring semester should include Any courses in red missing from the list to the left! Make these your top priority in registration! Courses below on the left: Philosophy of Science (WI/MG) or Philosophy of Medicine(WI/MG) One or more Biology Electives (most of these have a prerequisite of Biology 4; Human Anatomy and Physiology I and II are exceptions) If you still need a course or two after scheduling from the three options above, consider an SBS or HHL General Education course or a Rowan Experience Course (ACE or LIT).

Juniors (58 or more credits including your current courses) Ideally, you should already have taken (or currently are taking): Biology 1, 2, and 3 Or, if a transfer, Biology I, II, 3T Chemistry I and II Organic Chemistry I College Composition I and II Calculus I and Biometry Physics I (Note that Physics I could be Physics I for Life Sciences Majors or Introduction to Mechanics) Public Speaking You probably should have a General Education course or two in addition to the above So, your Spring semester should include Any courses in red missing from the list to the left! Make these your top priority in registration! If you’ve completed all courses in red, then your registration should include Biology 4 Organic Chemistry II Physics II If you still need a course or two after scheduling from the recommendations above, consider: - Philosophy of Science (WI; M/G) or Philosophy of Medicine (WI; MG) - Human Anat. and Phys. II - Microbiology (coreq: Biology 4) - an SBS or HHL General Ed. course - Rowan Experience course (ACE or LIT)

Interested in Independent Research? Biology Lab/Field Research – 3 course credits To participate, you MUST make arrangements with a faculty member. Contact individual faculty one or more semesters before you hope to begin research, and/or look for announcements distributed by Course credit is available: “Biology Lab / Field Research” Minimum of two semester commitment is generally expected This is a limited resource: keep trying if no position is offered! You’re not required to take Special Topics if you take this course.

Questions after Group Advising? How can I get advising help from a person? You can drop in on any other scheduled group advising session. Group advising sessions are late September-early October. The schedule was distributed by to all biology majors through Rowan . If you are a Junior or Senior (58 or more credits), you can contact Susan Schmidt at your assigned faculty Your faculty advisor’s name should appears in your GRAD report, in Banner self service ( If an advisor’s name does not appear in your GRAD report, contact Tricia Joslin, the Department Administrative Assistant: 130 Science Hall or See the next slides for other advising opportunities

Below 2.0GPA? Need help improving your GPA? Do you know where to find campus resources? Do you need help calculating your GPA for this semester? GPA is very important, especially as a Biology student. It is possible you may need to retake courses and adjust your schedule to help improve your GPA Ask about our Grade/Repeat Policy Check your Registration Holds! Erin Barney – Academic Advisor/Early Intervention Specialist – Susan Schmidt –Junior/Senior Program Advisor -

Thinking about the future…. Health professions career interests? Meet with the Health Professions Advisor: Mr. Varela (ROB 203; Graduate school aspirations? Meet with the Bio Dept.’s Graduate School Advisors: Cell & Molecular fields: Drs. Iftode & Krufka Environmental & Ecology fields: Dr. Crumrine Interests in other biological careers? Talk to faculty in a related field BioJobs list: (include your name in the body of the )

Spring Registration (Honors, athletes, and accommodations) October 11 Seniors (90+ credits) and Students October 12 with Priority Registration Status Juniors (58+ credits)October 19 Sophomores (24+ credits)October 26 Freshmen (Any)November 2

Questions? Ask us! Contact your program or faculty advisor Susan Schmidt-Science Hall 225 –

Department Contact Dept. Chair:Dept. Associate Chair: Dr. Maria TahamontDr. Michael Grove 130 Science Hall 256 Science Hall x Program Advisor:Freshmen/Sophomore Advising Susan Schmidt UAC Advising 225 Science Hall Savitz Hall Department website: Advising