Biomedical Sciences

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Major Offered. 

Note that Biomedical Sciences majors cannot double major or minor in Biology, Biochemistry, Neuroscience, Biology-Physics, Conservation Biology, or Environmental Science-Biology.  

Visit the Biomedical Sciences web page at https://www.stlawu.edu/offices/biology/biomedical-sciences. 

Advanced Placement Exams 

Students scoring a 4 or 5 on the AP biology exam or a 5, 6 or 7 on the IB exam should enroll in the first semester of General Biology (BIOL 101) for 1.25 units of credit toward the major and graduation. Students who do well in 101 may be permitted to bypass the second semester of General Biology course (BIOL 102), receiving the 1.25 units of credit for this course as well as the right to take courses that require BIOL 102. Approval of this option to bypass the BIOL 102 course is determined by the General Biology course instructors.  

Although AP or IB scores noted above automatically nominate students for this bypass option, students may voluntarily choose to stay in the General Biology course-sequence and enroll in BIOL 102. Further, some professional schools (particularly health professional schools) do not accept AP credit for BIOL 101 and 102, which students should take into consideration when making this decision. 

Major Requirements 

Students entering St. Lawrence with an interest in Biomedical Sciences should enroll in General Biology (BIOL 101 and 102) during their first year. They should also seek early advisement by a Biomedical Sciences faculty or staff member. Biomedical Sciences majors must complete a predetermined set of courses (outlined below). Continuation in upper-level biology electives courses requires a grade of 2.0 or higher in BIOL101 and 102. Biomedical Sciences majors may only fulfill two required courses using transfer or abroad credit.

Required Courses 

Full course descriptions can be found by visiting the Catalog section for the sponsoring department. 

I. Core courses 

Students must take all of the following courses: 

  • BIOL 101 and 102 General Biology with Lab  

  • CHEM 103 and 104 General Chemistry with Lab 

  • BIOL 245 Genetics OR BIOL 250 Introduction to Cell Biology 

  • STAT113 Applied Statistics  

Students must take TWO of the following courses: 

  • BIOL 231 Microbiology with Lab 

  • BIOL 315 Human Nutrition 

  • BIOL 341 Anatomy & Physiology I with Lab 

  • BIOL 351 Anatomy & Physiology II with Lab 

  • CHEM 221 Organic Chemistry I with Lab  

  • CHEM 222 Organic Chemistry II with Lab  

II. Electives 

Students must take four additional courses from this list, three of which must include a lab.  

  • BIOL 227 Mammalogy with Lab

  • BIOL 231 Microbiology with Lab*

  • BIOL 245 Genetics*

  • BIOL 250 Introduction to Cell Biology*

  • BIOL 252 Research Methods in Cell Biology w/Lab

  • BIOL 258 Ethnobotany with Lab

  • BIOL/NRSCI 288 Introduction to Neuroscience with Lab

  • BIOL/CHEM/BIOCH 309 Biochemistry

  • BIOL/PHYS 314 Physical Biology & Medicine

  • BIOL 315 Human Nutrition*

  • BIOL 333 Immunology with Lab

  • BIOL 341 Anatomy & Physiology I with Lab*

  • BIOL 350 Cancer Biology

  • BIOL 351 Anatomy & Physiology II with Lab*

  • BIOL 353 Human Embryology

  • BIOL 370 Hormones, Disease, and Development

  • BIOL/NRSCI 387 Cellular Mechanisms of Memory

  • BIOL/NRSCI 388 Drugs & the Brain with Lab

  • BIOL/NRSCI 389 Advanced Neuroscience

  • BIOL 392 Research Methods in Fluorescence & Confocal Microscopy (Lab)

  • BIOL 394 Research Methods in Biochemistry (lab)

  • BIOL 395 Research Methods in Molecular Biology (Lab)

  • BIOL/NRSCI 399 Current Topics in Neuroscience

* if not taken to fulfill a Core requirement 

III. Biomedical Contexts courses 

Students are required to take two biomedical context courses. A list of frequently offered biomedical context courses (both on campus and abroad) are listed on the Biomedical Sciences web page. Other courses that may fulfill this requirement (e.g., special topics courses and courses offered abroad) which are not currently on the list will be reviewed by the Biomedical Sciences Advisors on request. Students can submit requests to either the Biomedical Sciences Advisors or the Biology Department Co-Chairs.

IV. Experiential Learning Component 

Students must complete one of the options listed here and complete an accompanying Reflection Statement. Experiences may or may not be credit-bearing but should be selected in consultation with a Biomedical Sciences advisor. Non-credit bearing options can be completed inside or outside of St. Lawrence University but must be approved by the Biomedical Sciences advisors. Please see the BMS major website for how to document this experience and prepare the Reflection Statement at this link: https://www.stlawu.edu/offices/biology/biomedical-sciences.  

Credit bearing options 

  • BIOL 304 & 305 Health Coaches I and II  

  • BIOL 489 OR 490 SYE Research (1 unit total) in one of these departments: Biology, Biochemistry, Biology/Physics, Chemistry, Neuroscience, or Psychology (1 unit total) – Note: Students who plan to graduate with honors in Biomedical Sciences must take BIOL 489.

Non-credit bearing options 

  • Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) training 

  • Certified Phlebotomy Assistant Training 

  • Dental Assistant Certification or Licensure

  • Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) training 

  • Hospice training and volunteering 

  • Approved external internship 

  • Approved external research opportunity 

  • St. Lawrence University Fellowship 

  • McNair Fellowship  

  • CSTEP Internship/Fellowship 

Independent Research and Senior Year Experience 

Students who wish to conduct independent research may do so by taking customized research methods
courses (BIOL 381 Research Methods Training I (0.5 or 1 unit) ), or as seniors, by taking BIOL 468 SYE: Biology Capstone I or BIOL 489 SYE: Biology Capstone Original Research I. Students must discuss possible projects with members of the Biomedical Sciences faculty. These Research Methods Training and SYE courses cannot be used to fulfill Biology Elective courses for the biomedical sciences major.

Honors in Biomedical Sciences 

Under the direction of a biology faculty mentor, students conduct their honors projects following the honors guidelines listed under the biology major and on the biology department webpage. To graduate with honors in biomedical sciences, students must have a major GPA of 3.5. Students working toward graduating with honors normally take BIOL 468 or 489 in the fall semester and BIOL 499 in the spring semester.