Associate of Science in Natural History
Program Overview
The Natural History program at SBCC provides a comprehensive overview of Earth's diverse life forms, their evolutionary relationships, and ecological principles. Students can specialize in areas such as aquatic biology, zoology, botany, ecology, and environmental biology through elective choices. The program prepares students for transfer to four-year institutions or careers in related fields.
Program Outline
Degree Overview:
Overview:
The Natural History major is designed to provide a broad survey of the diversity of Earth’s life forms and their evolutionary and environmental relationships. By carefully choosing electives, a student may emphasize specialized areas for transfer, including aquatic biology, zoology, botany, ecology, and environmental biology.
Objectives:
- Articulate the principles of evolutionary theory, the history of its development, and the role that evolution plays in the continuity and diversity of life.
- Compare, contrast and illustrate the life histories of a wide variety of life forms representing the diversity of life.
- Examine the techniques for organizing biodiversity through nomenclature, taxonomy, systematics, and biological and ecological hierarchies.
- Evaluate the various fundamental ecological principles, from populations to communities and ecosystems, that determine the geographical distribution of life on Earth.
- Describe fundamental metabolic pathways, explain bioenergetics, and relate the interdependence of these pathways within an organism and between an organism and its environment.
- Collect data to test hypotheses using basic methods, instrumentation, and quantitative analytical skills used to conduct biological research and analyze, graphically present, and interpret these data.
- Produce original research reports and review papers in a standard scientific format based on laboratory, field experiments, and literature searches that include critical quantitative and qualitative evaluation of data to effectively communicate results, interpretations, and concepts.
Program Description:
To achieve an Associate in Arts Degree, a student must complete a minimum of sixty (60) units of work, which must fulfill General Education, SBCC, and department requirements. For complete information on General Education and SBCC requirements, see “General Education” and “Graduation and Transfer Requirements” in the Catalog Index.
Outline:
Course List:
| Code | Title | Units | |---|---|---| | BIOL 112 | Evolution and Adaptation | 3 | | BIOL 120 | Natural History | 4 | | BIOL 122 | Ecology | 3 | | BIOL 123 | Ecology Laboratory | 1 | | BIOL 140 | Principles of Biology | 3 | | BOT 121 | Plant Diversity 1 | 4 | | ZOOL 122 | Animal Diversity 2,3 | 3 |
Electives (6 units):
Students must complete 6 units of electives selected from the following:
- BIOL 110: Natural Science
- BIOL 126: Aquatic Ecosystems
- BIOL 141: Biology Laboratory
- BIOL 144: Biogeography
- BIOL 150: Biodiversity
- BIOL 172: Symbiosis
- CHEM 110: Survey of Chemistry
- ZOOL 110: Animal Physiology
- ZOOL 124: Insect Biology
- ZOOL 137: Ornithology
- ZOOL 140: Animal Behavior
