Biology Major Checklist for the Specialization in Environmental Biology

Foundational Courses in Related Fields

At least one semester of the two-semester sequences of required courses in calculus, general chemistry lecture, organic chemistry lecture, and physics lecture/lab must be passed with a letter grade of C or higher. 

General Chemistry

Organic Chemistry

Calculus, Statistics and Physics*

The Classical Physics A, B, C sequence requires 3 semesters of physics lecture.

Core Courses in Biology

Stony Brook Curriculum Courses

Advanced Course Requirements for the Specialization in Environmental Biology

The list of Advanced BIO Courses and Accepted Electives can be found on the bottom of this page. The Specialization in Environmental Biology requires: 

1. BIO 351 Ecology
2. One laboratory course from Area IV from the list of Advanced BIO Courses and Accepted Electives.
3.  Two additional advanced BIO courses from Area IV that may include at most one in a non-BIO indicator course.
4. Two additional advanced lecture courses with at least one from either Area I or Area II from the list of Advanced BIO Courses and Accepted Electives.
5. One additional advanced laboratory course from Area I, Area II, or Area III. Note: the elective advanced laboratory course can be replaced by two semesters of independent research for a total of at least 4 credits in a BIO research course. 
6. Additional advanced lecture, laboratory, reading, or independent research courses, as needed, for a minimum of 20 credit of advanced biology coursework.

Upper-Division Writing Requirement

The advanced writing component of the major in Biology requires registration in the o-credit BIO 459 and approval of either a term paper or a laboratory report written for an advanced course in the biological sciences at Stony Brook.

Area I: Biochemistry, Molecular and Cellular Biology:

• BIO 310 Cell Biology (Lec)(SPRING) 
• BIO 312 Bioinformatics and Computational Biology (Lab)(FALL)♦ 
• BIO 314 Cancer Biology (Lec)(FALL) 
• BIO 316 Molecular Immunology (Lec)(SUMMER) 
• BIO 320 General Genetics (Lec)(SPRING)♦ 
• BIO 361 Biochemistry I (Lec)(FALL) 
• BIO 362 Biochemistry II (Lec)(SPRING) 
• BIO 364 Laboratory Techniques in Cancer Biology (Lab)(FALL)♦ 
• BIO 365 Biochemistry Laboratory (Lab)(FALL)♦ 
• BIO 368 Food Microbiology Laboratory (Lec) 
• AMS 333 Mathematical Biology (Lec)(FALL) 
• BIO 511 Topics in Biotechnology (Lab)(SPRING) 
• BME 304 Genetic Engineering (Lec)(SPRING) 
• BME 404 Essentials of Tissue Engineering (Lec)(SPRING) 
• CHE 346 Biomolecular Structure and Reactivity (Lec)(FALL) 
• EBH 302 Human Genetics (Lec)(FALL)♦ 
• EBH 370 Advanced Human Genetics (Lec/Lab)(SPRING) 

Area II: Neurobiology and Physiology

• BIO 317 Principles of Cellular Signaling (Lec)(FALL)
• BIO 328 Mammalian Physiology (Lec)(SPRING)
• BIO 332 Computational Modeling of Physiological Systems (Lec)(SPRING)
• BIO 334 Principles of Neurobiology (Lec)(SPRING)
• BIO 335 Neurobiology Laboratory (Lab)(FALL)♦
• BIO 337 Neurotransmission and Neuromodulation: Implications
• for Brain Function (Lec)(SPRING)
• BIO 338 Selforganization of the Brain (Lec)(FALL)
• BIO 339 Molecular Development of the Nervous System (Lec)(SPRING)
• BIO 347 Introduction to Neural Computation (Lec)(FALL)
• BIO 369 Animal Nutrition (Lec) (SPRING)
• BCP 401 Principles of Pharmacology (Lec)(FALL)
• BME 301 Bioelectricity (Lec)(SPRING)
• BME 303 Biomechanics (Lec)(FALL)
• EBH 316 The Evolution of the Human Brain (Lec)(SPRING)
• EBH 331 Hormones and Behavior (Lec)
• NEU 517 Principles of Cell Signaling (Lec) (FALL)

Area III: Organisms

• BIO 315 Microbiology (Lec)(SPRING)
• BIO 325 Animal Development (Lec)(FALL)
• BIO 327 Developmental Genetics Laboratory (Lab)(SPRING)♦
• BIO 340 Zoology (Lec/Lab)
• BIO 341 Plant Diversity (Lec/Lab)(SPRING)
• BIO 342 Invertebrate Zoology (Lec)(FALL)
• BIO 343 Invertebrate Zoology (Lec/Lab)(FALL)
• BIO 344 Chordate Zoology (Lec/Lab)(SPRING)♦
• BIO 348 Diversity and Evolution of Reptiles and Amphibians (Lec)
• BIO 366 Molecular Microbiology Laboratory (Lec/Lab)(FALL) ♦
• BIO 515 Current Topics in Microbiology (Lab)(FALL)
• BIO 380 Entomology (Lec/Lab)
• MAR 370 Marine Mammals (Lec)(FALL)
• MAR 375 Marine Mammal/Sea Turtle Rehab. (Lec)(SPRING)
• MAR 376 Biology & Conservation/ Sea Turtles (Lec)(FALL)
• MAR 377 Biology & Conservation/Sea Birds (Lec)(SPRING)
• MAR 380 Ichthyology (Lec/Lab)(FALL)

 Area IV: Ecology and Evolution

• BIO 319 Landscape Ecology Laboratory (Lab)(FALL)
• BIO 321 Introduction to Ecological Genetics and Genomics (Lec)(FALL)♦
• BIO 336 Conservation Biology (Lec)(FALL)♦
• BIO 350 Darwinian Medicine (Lec)(FALL)♦
• BIO 351 Ecology (Lec)(FALL)
• BIO 352 Ecology Laboratory (Lab)(FALL)♦
• BIO 353 Marine Ecology (Lec)(SPRING)♦
• BIO 354 Evolution (Lec)(FALL)♦
• BIO 356 Applied Ecology & Conservation Biology Laboratory (Lab)(SPRING)
• BIO 358 Biology & Human Social & Sexual Behavior (Lec)(SPRING)
• BIO 367 Molecular Diversity Laboratory (Lab)(SPRING) ♦
• BIO 371 Restoration of Aquatic Systems (Lec/Lab)(FALL)
• BIO 383 Paleobiology (Lec/Lab)(SPRING)
• BIO 384 Intermediate Statistics (Lec) (FALL)
• BIO 385 Plant Ecology (Lec)(SPRING)♦
• BIO 386 Ecosystem Ecology & the Global Environ.(Lec)(SPRING)♦
• ANP 360 Primate Conservation (Lec)
• EBH 359 Behavioral Ecology (Lec)(FALL)
• EBH 380 Genomics (Lec)(FALL)♦
• EBH 381 Genomics Laboratory (Lec/Lab)(SPRING)
• ENS 311 Ecosystem Ecology and the Global Environ. (Lec, not for credit in addition to BIO 386)(SPRING)
• ENV 301 Sustainability of the Long Island Pine Barrens (Lec)
• MAR 301 Environmental Microbiology (Lec/Lab)(FALL)♦
• MAR 302 Marine Microbiology and Microbial Ecology (Lec, not for credit in addition to MAR 301)(SPRING)
• MAR 303 Long Island Marine Habitats (Lec/Lab)(FALL)
• MAR 305 Experimental Marine Biology (Lab)(FALL)
• MAR 315 Marine Conservation (Lec)(SPRING)
• MAR 320 Limnology (Lec/Lab)(SPRING)
• MAR 366 Plankton Ecology (Lec)
• MAR 373 Marine Apex Predators: Ecology and Conservation (Lec)(FALL)
• MAR 384 Diseases of Aquatic Organisms (Lec)(SPRING)
• MAR 386 Ecosystem Science for Fisheries Management (Lec)

Study Abroad Course Options in Area IV Jamaica:

• MAR 388 Tropical Marine Ecology (Lec/Lab)(WINTER)

Turkana Basin:

• ANP 304 Modern and Ancient Environments of Eastern Africa (Lec/Lab)
• ANP 305 Vertebrate Paleontology of the Turkana Basin (Lab) of
• the Turkana Basin (Lec/Lab)
• ANP 306 Paleoanthropological Discoveries of the Turkana Basin (Lab)

Madagascar:

• ANP 325 Primate Behavior (Lec)
• ANP 350 Methods of Studying Primates (Lec)
• ANP 391 Topics in Physical Anthropology (Lec)

Environmental Biology Electives (May only be used for the Environmental Biology Specialization)

• ATM 305 Global Atmospheric Change (Lec)
• ATM 397 Air Pollution and its Control (Lec)(SPRING)
• MAR 318 Engineering Geology and Coastal Processes (Lec)
• MAR 333 Coastal Oceanography (Lec)(SPRING)