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. 

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 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 must take two courses from this list. Other courses may be considered to fulfill this requirement; students should contact Biomedical Sciences advisors with questions. 

  • ANTH 242 Dealing with the Dead 

  • ANTH 270 Plagues and Peoples 

  • BIOL 412 Cross-Cultural Healing 

  • EDUC/GNDR 325 Sexuality Education 

  • GNDR 224 Global Advocacy for Women’s Sexual Reproductive Health & Rights 

  • GS 264 Global Public Health: Critical Approaches 

  • GS 268 Global Health and Justice 

  • GS 365 Rethinking Population, Health, and Environment 

  • HIST 294 Medicine & Empire 

  • PCA 335 Sex Talk 

  • PCA 370 Against Health: Rhetoric & the Health Humanities 

  • PHIL 347 Philosophy of Psychiatry 

  • PHIL 354 Biomedical Ethics 

  • SOC 225 Women’s Health & Aging 

  • SOC 246 What’s So Bad about Aging? with CBL 

  • SOC 275 Medical Sociology 

  • SOC 308 Death & Dying 

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 

Non-credit bearing options 

  • Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) training 

  • Certified Phlebotomy Assistant Training 

  • 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 and 382), or as seniors, by taking BIOL 468 and 469 (SYE: Tutorial Research) and BIOL 489 and 490 (SYE: Experimental Research). Students must discuss possible projects with members of the Biomedical Sciences faculty.  

The Biology department, which includes the Biomedical Sciences major, has formally adopted a Research Integrity Policy model based on the federal Public Health Service policy of the Office of Research Integrity (see www.ori.dhhs.gov ). All faculty and students are expected to adhere to this policy while engaged in their research. Any concerns or questions should be brought to the Biology department co-chairs. 

Honors in Biomedical Sciences 

To graduate with honors in Biomedical Sciences normally requires 1 unit of independent research and 1 unit of honors -research in different semesters, a 3.5 major GPA, submitting a signed honors nomination form, a thesis, a public presentation, and approval of the honors project committee. A student wishing to be considered for honors in Biomedical Sciences should enroll in SYE research (BIOL 468, 469, 489, or 490) during the first semester of research (usually, but not limited to, the fall semester of the senior year) for 1 unit of credit. The student, in consultation with the project advisor, should choose an honors project committee comprised of the project advisor and two other faculty members appropriate to the topic (one of these two may be from another department). This honors committee should be formed as soon as possible in the first semester of research. At the end of the first semester, the honors project advisor, in consultation with the other members of the honors committee, evaluates a formal research proposal and progress toward the completion of the project. If the project is deemed worthy of honors in Biomedical Sciences, the student is nominated as a candidate for honors and submits the honors nomination form to one of the department co-chairs. The student can then enroll in BIOL 499 (SYE: Honors Research) for the second (usually spring) semester for 1 unit of credit.