Pre-Science
The Pre-Science program offered by the College of Arts and Sciences is a one-year program that provides an opportunity for students to work towards acceptance into one the College’s science majors (Biology, Chemistry, Forensic Biology, Forensic Chemistry, Health Sciences) offered by the Department of Physical and Biological Sciences.
Qualified students can be admitted into the Pre-Science program as freshmen by WNE Admissions for the fall semester of a given year.
The program is designed to prepare students for the rigor of major-level science courses while at same time working on completing courses that will fulfill major and/or general university requirements.
The course sequence of the Pre-Science program is outlined below:
1. The lab science courses, PHYS 103 and CHEM 103, are specifically designed to introduce students to basic concepts in physics and chemistry with an emphasis on quantitative methods and laboratory investigations.
2. The choice of the English and Math courses in the fall semester will be determined by the student’s prior education and the student’s performance on the WNE Math and English placement tests.
3. The courses in the spring semester will be determined in conference with the pre-science advisor and will depend on the science major the student is interested in pursuing and on which Math and English courses were completed during the fall semester.
During the spring semester, students interested in:
• Biology should consider taking a PHYS 15X course which (together with PHYS 103) will complete their physics requirements.
• Forensic Biology or Forensic Chemistry should consider taking CJ 101 which is a required course for these majors.
• Health Sciences should consider taking PSY 101 which is a required course for the major.
Students wishing to petition for a change of major to a science major after completing the Pre-Science program have to:
1. Complete the Pre-Science course sequence as listed below.
2. Consult with their Pre-Science advisor with regards to their spring semester and sophomore year course choices.
3. Maintain an Overall GPA of 2.5 and a Science GPA of 3.0.
4. Apply to their Pre-Science advisor at the end of the freshman year for acceptance into the desired science major.
After successfully completing the Pre-science program, students should expect to spend at the minimum an additional:
• Three years of courses to obtain a B.S. in Biology or a B.S. in Health Sciences
• Four years of courses to obtain a B.S. in Chemistry, B.S. in Forensic Biology, or a B.S. in Forensic Chemistry.
The suggested sequence of courses:
Freshman Year
Fall Semester - 14 crs
PHYS 103 Elementary Physics 3
CHEM 103 Elementary Chemistry 3
LA 100 First Year Seminar 2
ENGL 132 English Composition I 3
MATH 109 Pre-Calculus 3
or
MATH 123 Calculus I 3
Freshman Year
Spring Semester - 16-17 crs
PHYS 15X Natural Science Persp. 3
or
CHEM 105 General Chemistry I 4
or
GEN XXX General Elective 3
ENGL 133 English Composition II 3
MATH 121 Stats & Probability 3
or
MATH 123 Calculus I 3
or
MATH 124 Calculus II 3
PSY 101 Introduction to Psychology 3
or
CJ 101 Introduction to Crim. Justice 3
GEN XXX General Elective 3