Information for New
Students
Summer 2000
Information for New
Students
Summer 2000
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Welcome to the Biology Program at USF! This summer during the Early Advising and Registration (EAR) Program (June 28-29 or July 8-9) you will meet with Biology advisors and complete your pre-registration for fall 2000 semester courses. This page provides you with important information about the Biology Department, the advising process and the selection of your courses. During EAR, transfer students will be advised individually and freshmen will be advised as a group (since first year students take the same courses). In the future, all student advising is done individually with a faculty member. During the fall semester you will be assigned an advisor (not necessarily the person you met with in the summer). Please feel free to talk to any faculty members, in addition to your assigned advisor, for questions and advice; however, your designated advisor is the only person who can sign your forms. Attached is a list of specific instructions for the Fall 2001 registration process. Some comments and suggestions for helping you get the most out of your college career at USF: 1. You are ultimately responsible for completing all degree requirements. You should keep track of completed courses and plan ahead to be sure all requirements are met within the time that you plan to graduate. The enclosed worksheet is used by Biology advisors and will help you plan your curriculum. Keep this checklist up to date and in a place where you can find it when necessary. Biology majors have 45-58 General Education Curriculum (GEC) unit requirements and 65 additional units of science requirements. Total course units must be at least 128 to earn a degree from USF. GEC units vary depending on placement scores for Expository Writing, Math and foreign language. EW 215 or 235 satisfies the writing requirement. Some students will have to take two or three courses to attain the required writing level. Science majors are required to have the equivalent of two semesters of a language. If you are already proficient in reading, writing and speaking another language, one or both semesters can be waived by taking a placement exam. If you are a native speaker of a language other than English, contact the Modern Language Department (415 422-2802) for information. Note: Science majors do not have to take the Natural Science GEC courses. Planning ahead is very important for Biology majors. Many Biology courses are only taught once a year and some courses are only offered every other year. Successful completion of a Biology degree at USF takes four years (if all courses are completed successfully) and requires an overall GPA of 2.0, plus a 2.0 GPA in all required science courses (Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Math). 2. The University has an Online Student Information System that can be accessed from special kiosks on campus or on the Internet (http://spirit.usfca.edu/). Access requires a PIN and will allow you to view your records, including courses completed and grades earned. Learn how to use this resource. When it comes time for pre-registration for subsequent semesters you will need to know what requirements are completed and which ones are left. To insure accurate record keeping and correction of administrative mistakes (they don't happen a lot, but they can occur), you should keep a record of all your transactions with the University (including registration schedules and grade reports). A large envelope or a folder for filing all paperwork can be very useful. Course syllabi along with lecture and lab notes and textbooks should also be saved. Biology courses build on each other and you will be expected to know the information covered in the core courses. Notes from previous classes will be invaluable for reviewing material not only for upper division classes, but also for exams such as the GRE, MCAT and DAT. 3. Please note: Registration in upper division Biology courses (300 and 400-level course numbers) is restricted to students with science GPAs of 2.0 or higher. 4. If you are not already using e-mail, learn how to communicate electronically. The University gives you an e-mail account (xxxxxx@usfca.edu) or you may have an alternate provider that you prefer to use. Many classes are using e-mail as an additional means of distributing information; this is an important means of communication. The Biology Department maintains a list of student e-mail addresses. In the fall, please be sure that we have the correct contact information for you. Announcements about Departmental issues, job opportunities, changes in class schedules, etc. are e-mailed periodically. If you do not plan to use your USF account, arrange to have mail forwarded to your preferred address. The same advice applies to using the Internet. If you don't know how to access information on the web, learn how this works. The Biology Department home page is at http://www.usfca.edu/biology. This web site is primarily for student advising and provides information about the department and the curriculum for Biology majors. 5. The Biology Department provides many opportunities for students to do independent research for course credit (Biology 497/498). Students are usually in their Junior or Senior year and must have a GPA of 3.0 or higher. If this is of interest to you, talk to your advisor about research options. (A list of research opportunities can be found at the Biology Department website.) 6. For students interested in biotechnology and related fields, there is a Molecular Biology emphasis within the Biology major. See the 1998-2000 USF catalog (page 66) for details and talk to your advisor. 7. The Biology Department has an Honors Program. Students must have at least a 3.2 GPA starting their Junior year to qualify. See the 1998-2000 USF catalog (page 66) or the online catalog via http://www.usfca.edu for details. 8. The University has a Learning and Writing Center, click for information about resources, hours, etc. 9. For students planning on a health-related career (including medical, dental, veterinary, pharmacy, physical therapy, etc.), USF has several excellent resources. The Pre-Professional Health Committee can advise and assist students with all aspects of planning and applying to these types of professional schools. The Biology department website also has more information. In addition, we have a very active Health Professionals Society made up of USF alumni who are currently working in health-related fields. These alumni are on campus several times during the year and meet with students to discuss a whole range of topics from how to apply to professional schools to how to run a private practice. Announcements of these meetings are posted in the department and will be sent out by e-mail. 10. If you are interested in study abroad for a semester or a year, the University has an excellent program. 11. There is a chapter of Beta Beta Beta, a National Biological Honor Society at USF. See their web site for details. 12. You should be aware that the University does not allow students to take required courses (GEC and major) at other institutions unless there are compelling reasons to do so. Electives (e.g., calculus) can be transferred from other schools. (See Academic Regulations in University catalog.) Click here for information about Freshman Fall semester courses. |
Questions? Contact your advisor or one of the following:
John Sullivan, Department Chair, e-mail at
sullivan@usfca.edu
or phone 415 422-5975
Michael Bayon, Department Secretary, e-mail at bayon@usfca.edu
or phone 415 422-6755
Last update for this webpage was August 2, 2001