Microbiology- Bachelor of Arts

For information, contact the Department of Microbiology, 212 Pearson Hall, 513-529-5422.

The Bachelor of Arts degree is designed for students interested in careers in microbiology, life sciences, and environmental sciences, or who plan to pursue advanced degrees in medicine as well as other healthcare-related fields. Students who anticipate graduate study in microbiology should elect the B.S. in Microbiology program.

No course required for the major in microbiology may be taken on a credit/no-credit basis. Of the 100-level courses, only those that satisfy departmental degree requirements can be counted toward the GPA or the 32 hours required for the Bachelor of Arts major in microbiology.

Program Requirements

(32 MBI semester hours plus 19-25 related hours)

Core courses
BIO/MBI 116Biological Concepts: Structure, Function, Cellular, and Molecular Biology4
MBI 201General Microbiology4
MBI 255Modern Microbiology Applications4
MBI 365Molecular and Cell Biology3
MBI 490Undergraduate Seminar1
Focus Courses14
Breadth Requirement- select at least 1 course from each Focus Group
• Biomedical Focus Group - select at least one of the following:
MBI 361
Fundamentals of Epidemiology
MBI 405
Medical Bacteriology 2
MBI 415
Immunology Principles and Practice 1
or MBI 414
 Immunology Principles
MBI 435
Medical Mycology
MBI 464
Human Viruses
• Integrative Focus Group - select at least one of the following:
MBI 423
Synthetic and Systems Biology
MBI 465
Bacteriophage Gene Expression Laboratory
MBI 475
Microbial Ecology: Exploration of the Diverse Roles of Microorganisms in Earth's Ecology 2
MBI 485
Bioinformatics Principles
MBI 495
Bacterial Cellular and Developmental Biology
• Advanced Core Focus Group - select at least one of the following:
MBI 425
Microbial Physiology 2
MBI 445
Microbial Genetics
Depth Requirement- select at least 2 four-credit hour lab courses
Hours Requirement- select sufficient Focus Courses to total at least 14 credit hours
Elective Courses2
Select from additional Focus Courses, from the Elective Courses (below) or from Biology or Chemistry (at 300 - level or higher) to complete the 32 required hours.
Related Hours (19-25)
Select one of the following Chemistry options:7-10
Chemistry option one:
CHM 231
& CHM 332
Fundamentals of Organic Chemistry
and Outlines of Biochemistry
Chemistry option two:
CHM 241
& CHM 242
Organic Chemistry
and Organic Chemistry
CHM 244
& CHM 245
Organic Chemistry Laboratory
and Organic Chemistry Laboratory
Select one of the following Mathematics/Statistics courses:4
MTH 151
Calculus I
or STA 261
 Statistics
Select one of the following Physics options:8-10
Physics option one:
PHY 161
& PHY 162
Physics for the Life Sciences with Laboratory I
and Physics for the Life Sciences with Laboratory II
Physics option two (calculus-based):
PHY 191
& PHY 192
General Physics with Laboratory I
and General Physics with Laboratory II
Total Credit Hours51-56
1

Credit not given for both MBI 414 and MBI 415.

2

 Counts as a 4-credit hour lab course

Elective Courses

Select from additional Focus Courses, from the following Elective Courses (Microbiology at 200 - level or higher) or from Biology or Chemistry (at 300 - level or higher) to complete the 32 required hours. 

BIO/MBI 115Biological Concepts: Ecology, Evolution, Genetics, and Diversity4
MBI 224Bacteriophage Genomics1
MBI 223Bacteriophage Biology1
MBI 3501-6
or MBI 450 Topics in Microbiology
MBI 256Introduction to Programming for the Life Sciences3
MBI 410Senior Internship2
MBI 440Research Problems 11-4
MBI 466Bioinformatics Computing Skills3
MBI 477Independent Studies 10-5
MBI 480Departmental Honors 11-6
GLG 402Geomicrobiology3
1

MBI 440, MBI 477, and MBI 480 have a maximum of four credit hours that can receive a standard grade.

Students seeking the Bachelor of Arts in Microbiology meet the College of Arts and Science writing in the major requirement by completing the following course: MBI 255.