Genetics (BS)
The Genetics program offers undergraduate majors classroom training in fundamentals of genetics and other sciences, as well as opportunities for meaningful research experience. The degree in genetics is the only genetics major offered in the UNC system.
The genetics major complements other degree programs in the biological and life sciences at N.C. State, as it prepares students for further graduate study, professional schools (such as medical, dental, veterinary, genetic counseling) or careers in industries whose products are based on biological and agricultural research, including biopharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Building on the strength of NC State as a leader in science and technology, students in the program can easily earn a concurrent minor in any of the other life sciences curricula, as well as other programs such as statistics or biotechnology.
Responsible conduct as a scientist and citizen are emphasized in the genetics coursework, and students will also have opportunities for public service and engagement through participation in the genetics outreach program. Students will be challenged to master their coursework while practicing hands-on problem-solving in both the classroom and active research settings. Genetics students also will be required to read the primary literature and present papers and their research findings, thus gaining valuable experience in scientific communication.
Contact Person
Dr. Whitney Jones
2526B Thomas Hall
wmjones4@ncsu.edu
Plan Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Orientation | ||
| Select one of the following courses: 1 | 1 | |
| Freshmen in LSFY should select LSC 103. Freshmen in ENVFY should select ENV 100. Transfer students should select BSC 303. | ||
| Exploring Opportunities in the Life Sciences | ||
| Student Success in Environmental First Year | ||
| Transfer Student Transitions | ||
| Advanced Writing/Communication | ||
| Select one of the following courses: 1 | 3 | |
| Communication for Science and Research | ||
| Research in the Life Sciences I: Research Skills | ||
| Mathematical Sciences & Physics | ||
| MA 131 | Calculus for Life and Management Sciences A 1 | 3 |
| or MA 141 | Calculus I | |
| MA 231 | Calculus for Life and Management Sciences B 1 | 3 |
| or MA 241 | Calculus II | |
| ST 311 | Introduction to Statistics 1 | 3 |
| or ST 371 | Introduction to Probability and Distribution Theory | |
| PY 211 | College Physics I 1,2,3 | 4 |
| PY 212 | College Physics II 1,2,3 | 4 |
| Chemistry | ||
| CH 101 | Chemistry - A Molecular Science 1 | 3 |
| CH 102 | General Chemistry Laboratory 1 | 1 |
| CH 201 | Chemistry - A Quantitative Science 1,2 | 3 |
| CH 202 | Quantitative Chemistry Laboratory 1 | 1 |
| CH 221 | Organic Chemistry I 1 | 3 |
| CH 222 | Organic Chemistry I Lab 1 | 1 |
| CH 223 | Organic Chemistry II 1,2 | 3 |
| CH 224 | Organic Chemistry II Lab 1 | 1 |
| Required Life Sciences | ||
| LSC 101 | Critical and Creative Thinking in the Life Sciences 1 | 2 |
| or ENV 101 | Exploring the Environment | |
| BIO 181 | Introductory Biology: Ecology, Evolution, and Biodiversity 1 | 4 |
| BIO 183 | Introductory Biology: Cellular and Molecular Biology 1 | 4 |
| GN 311 | Principles of Genetics 1 | 4 |
| GN 312 | Elementary Genetics Laboratory 1 | 1 |
| GN 421 | Molecular Genetics 1 | 3 |
| GN 423 | Population, Quantitative and Evolutionary Genetics 1 | 3 |
| GN 425 | Advanced Genetics Laboratory 1 | 2 |
| BCH 351 | General Biochemistry 1,2 | 3 |
| or BCH 451 | Principles of Biochemistry | |
| Select one of the following Cell Biology/Physiology courses: 1 | 3 | |
| Physiology of Domestic Animals | ||
| Cellular and Molecular Biology | ||
| Principles of Human Anatomy & Physiology (A): Nervous, Skeletal, Muscular, & Digestive Systems | ||
| Principles of Human Anatomy & Physiology (B): Endocrine, Cardiovascular, Respiratory & Renal Systems | ||
| Cancer Cell Biology | ||
| Plant Physiology | ||
| Animal Anatomy and Physiology | ||
| Genetics Electives 1 | ||
| Select 9 credit hours from the following courses: At least 6 credit hours must be GN prefix courses 1 | 9 | |
| Introductory Bioinformatics | ||
| Introduction to Machine Learning in Biology | ||
| Genes and Development | ||
| Human and Biomedical Genetics | ||
| Conservation Genetics | ||
| Genome Science | ||
| Personal Genomics | ||
| Epigenetics, Development, and Disease | ||
| Genetics Colloquium | ||
| Genetics Research Experience (S allowed) | ||
| Genetics Teaching Experience (S allowed) | ||
| Genes and Development | ||
| Human and Biomedical Genetics | ||
| Conservation Genetics | ||
| Animal Genetic Improvement | ||
| Animal Genetic Improvement | ||
| Plant Breeding | ||
| Developmental Biology | ||
| Evolutionary Medicine | ||
| Fundamentals of Bioinformatics | ||
| Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) for Conservation and Society | ||
| Forest Genetics | ||
| Plant Micropropagation and Tissue Culture | ||
| Plant Micropropagation and Tissue Culture | ||
| Microbial Biotechnology | ||
| Microbial Biotechnology | ||
| Genetics in Marine Science | ||
| Genetics in Marine Science | ||
| Methods in Plant Molecular Biology and Physiology | ||
| Introduction to Plant Biotechnology | ||
| Methods in Plant Molecular Biology and Physiology | ||
| Introduction to Plant Biotechnology | ||
| High Impact Learning Experience | ||
| High Impact Learning Experience 1 | ||
| Select 3 credit hours from the following list of courses 1 | 3 | |
| Research in the Life Sciences II: Guided Research | ||
| Cell Biology Research Lab | ||
| Phage Hunters | ||
| Phage Genomics | ||
| Biotechnology and Sustainability | ||
| Cancer Drug Discovery and Development | ||
| Directed Evolution | ||
| Portable Genome Sequencing | ||
| Fermentation of Recombinant Microorganisms | ||
| Protein Purification | ||
| RNA Interference and Model Organisms | ||
| Protein Interactions | ||
| Metagenomics | ||
| Virus Biotechnology: Pathogens to Therapeutics | ||
| Professional Experience (S allowed) | ||
| Research Experience (S allowed) | ||
| Teaching Experience (S allowed) | ||
| Biological Sciences Honors Project Part 1 (S allowed) | ||
| Biological Sciences Honors Project Part 2 (S allowed) | ||
| Genetics Research Experience (S allowed) | ||
| Genetics Teaching Experience (S allowed) | ||
| Phage Hunters | ||
| Phage Genomics | ||
| Restricted Electives | ||
| Select 9 credit hours from the following list of courses. Courses must come from two or more prefixes with a maximum of 3 credit hours at the 200 level. 1 | 9 | |
| Restricted Electives 1 | ||
| GEP Courses | ||
| ENG 101 | Academic Writing and Research 1 | 4 |
| GEP Humanities | 6 | |
| GEP Social Sciences | 6 | |
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 2 | |
| GEP Interdisciplinary Perspectives | 3 | |
| GEP Elective | 3 | |
| GEP Foundations of American Democracy (verify requirement) | ||
| GEP Global Knowledge (verify requirement) | ||
| World Language Proficiency (verify requirement) | ||
| Free Electives | ||
| Free Electives (12 Hr S/U Lmt) | 9 | |
| Total Hours | 120 | |
- 1
A grade of C- or higher is required.
- 2
At most, one passing grade lower than C- is allowed for these science courses (CH 201, CH 223, BCH 351, BCH 451, PY 211, PY 212).
- 3
PY 201 or PY 205 and PY 206 may be substituted for PY 211. PY 202 or PY 208 and PY 209 may be substituted for PY 212
Restricted Electives
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Any course at the 200 level and higher from the following prefixes: BIO, BSC, DSA, GGA, GN, MB, TOX, ZO | ||
| ANT 370 | Introduction to Forensic Anthropology | 3 |
| ANT 371 | Human Variation | 3 |
| BEC 425 | Molecular Biology for Biomanufacturing | 2 |
| BEC 445 | Cell Line Development for Biomanufacturing | 2 |
| BEC 545 | Cell Line Development for Biomanufacturing | 2 |
| BIT 410 | Manipulation of Recombinant DNA | 4 |
| BIT 510 | Core Technologies in Molecular and Cellular Biology | 4 |
| ENT 425 | General Entomology | 3 |
| FW 333 | Conservation Biology in Practice | 3 |
| MA 331 | Differential Equations for the Life Sciences | 3 |
| MA 341 | Applied Differential Equations I | 3 |
| MEA 220 | Marine Biology | 3 |
| MEA 252 | Biology of Marine Mammals | 3 |
| MEA 350 | Marine Conservation Biology | 3 |
| MEA 449 | Principles of Biological Oceanography | 3 |
| MEA 454 | Marine Physical-Biological Interactions | 3 |
| MEA 468 | Aquatic Microbiology | 3 |
| PB 400 | Plant Diversity and Evolution | 4 |
| PSY 430 | Biological Psychology | 3 |
| ST 312 | Introduction to Statistics II | 3 |
Semester Sequence
This is a sample.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | Hours | |
| LSC 101 or ENV 101 | Critical and Creative Thinking in the Life Sciences 1 or Exploring the Environment | 2 |
| BIO 181 | Introductory Biology: Ecology, Evolution, and Biodiversity 1 | 4 |
| CH 101 | Chemistry - A Molecular Science 1 | 3 |
| CH 102 | General Chemistry Laboratory 1 | 1 |
| MA 131 | Calculus for Life and Management Sciences A 1 | 3 |
| LSC 103 or ENV 100 | Exploring Opportunities in the Life Sciences 1 or Student Success in Environmental First Year | 1 |
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 1 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| BIO 183 | Introductory Biology: Cellular and Molecular Biology 1 | 4 |
| CH 221 | Organic Chemistry I 1 | 3 |
| CH 222 | Organic Chemistry I Lab 1 | 1 |
| MA 231 | Calculus for Life and Management Sciences B 1 | 3 |
| ENG 101 | Academic Writing and Research 1 | 4 |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| CH 223 | Organic Chemistry II 1,2 | 3 |
| CH 224 | Organic Chemistry II Lab 1 | 1 |
| ST 311 | Introduction to Statistics 1 | 3 |
| Cell Biology/Physiology 1 | 3 | |
| GEP Interdisciplinary Perspectives | 3 | |
| Free Electives | 3 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| GN 311 | Principles of Genetics 1 | 4 |
| GN 312 | Elementary Genetics Laboratory 1 | 1 |
| CH 201 | Chemistry - A Quantitative Science 1,2 | 3 |
| CH 202 | Quantitative Chemistry Laboratory 1 | 1 |
| Restricted Elective 1 | 3 | |
| GEP Humanities | 3 | |
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 1 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| GN 421 | Molecular Genetics 1 | 3 |
| GN 423 | Population, Quantitative and Evolutionary Genetics 1 | 3 |
| High Impact Learning Experience 1 | 3 | |
| Advanced Writing/Communication 1 | 3 | |
| GEP Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| GN 425 | Advanced Genetics Laboratory 1 | 2 |
| Genetics Elective 1 | 3 | |
| Biochemistry 1,2 | 3 | |
| PY 211 | College Physics I 1,2,3 | 4 |
| GEP Social Sciences | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| PY 212 | College Physics II 1,2,3 | 4 |
| Genetics Elective 1 | 3 | |
| Restricted Elective 1 | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 13 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| Genetics Elective 1 | 3 | |
| Restricted Elective 1 | 3 | |
| GEP Social Sciences | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 6 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Total Hours | 120 | |
- 1
A grade of C- or higher is required.
- 2
At most, one passing grade lower than C- is allowed for these science courses (CH 201, CH 223, BCH 351, BCH 451, PY 211, PY 212).
- 3
PY 201 or PY 205 and PY 206 may be substituted for PY 211. PY 202 or PY 208 and PY 209 may be substituted for PY 212.
Career Opportunities
Many students majoring in the Department of Biological Sciences take advantage of scholarship and honors programs available at NC State, including the University Honors Program and the University Scholars Program. In addition, we offer a discipline-based Undergraduate Honors Program in Biological Sciences (DBS Honors Program). The DBS Honors Program requires students to design a challenging program of advanced study, including eight credits of honors coursework in biology and at least two semesters of research or teaching scholarship. Participants write an honors thesis and are required to present their scholarly work at a local, regional, or national meeting. Invitations to join the DBS Honors Program are sent in the first three weeks of the Fall and Spring semesters. Students in any major in the Department of Biological Sciences who have earned an overall GPA of 3.60 after completing 30-65 credit hours at NC State will receive an invitation to join the DBS Honors Program; transfer students in any of our majors who have earned an overall GPA of 3.60 in 15 credit hours at NC State also will receive an invitation.
Students who graduate from the Department of Biological Sciences are well prepared for employment in various government agencies and private industries. Graduates may continue their education with studies leading to advanced degrees in many areas of the biological sciences, including cell biology, ecology, microbiology, genetics, zoology, neurobiology, and biomedical disciplines. Many choose to seek advanced degrees in medicine, dentistry, optometry, veterinary medicine, public health, and other health-related fields. Students who plan to seek certification for pre-college teaching may want to pursue a second major in the Department of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics Education.
Career Titles
- Agricultural Sciences Professor
- Biochemist
- Biologist
- Biology Professor
- Botanist
- Cardiologist (MD)
- Environmental Research Analyst
- Family Practitioner (MD)
- Food & Drug Inspector
- Forensic Science Technicians
- General Internists (MD)
- Genetic Counselors
- Geneticist
- Greenhouse and Nursery Manager
- Marine and Aquatic Biologist
- Medical and Health Services Managers
- Microbiologist
- Molecular and Cellular Biologists
- Pathologist (MD)
- Pharmacologist
- Public Health Service Officer
- Sales Representative (Chemicals & Drugs)
- Zoologist
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