BS in Biotechnology & Bioentrepreneurship Program

Biotechnology & Bioentrepreneurship Academic Advising

All students are assigned a full time BTEC/BIOE faculty as their academic adviser. Your adviser is listed in your MyUSF account. You can also contact the BTEC/BIOE Program Assistant who can help identify your adviser. 

An academic adviser is a faculty member within a student's major who can help with questions related to academics while at USF, such as planning course schedules and completing all core and major requirements. Academic advisers are not the same as the Academic Success Coaches available through CASA.    

Pre-registration advising appointments are held once each semester. All freshmen, sophomores, students on probation, undeclared and new transfer students advised in BTEC/BIOE, and junior and senior BTEC/BIOE majors with science GPA < 2.0 have an automatic hold on their registration, and must meet with their assigned adviser before the hold will be cleared. Juniors and seniors with science GPA > 2.0 are not required to meet with their advisor during pre-registration advising but are encouraged to do so.

Students can seek advice from any BTEC/BIOE faculty member at any time; however, only the assigned adviser can clear an advising hold during the pre-registration advising period.


Check your USF email account regularly

  • Important information about classes, advising, & university events is sent by email, so you should check your USF email regularly or have USF email forwarded to your preferred email account.
  • It is preferred to use your USF email account when conducting university or class business. If you must use an alternate account, use an account that has your name in the address field (i.e., not a nickname or phrase).

Use appropriate etiquette when making appointments

  • Use an online scheduling tool or email to schedule an appointment.
  • Professors typically have office hours for drop in visits, and ordinarily appointments should be scheduled for visits outside of office hours. 
  • Keep the appointment.
  • Call or email to cancel the appointment if you cannot keep it.

Biotechnology & Bioentrepreneurship Program Policies

Minimum Grade Requirements

Students must earn a minimum grade of C or higher in the following courses required for the Biology major:

  • General Biology - Molec of Life (BIOL 105)
  • General Biology - Diversity of Life (BIOL 106)
  • Cell Physiology (BIOL 212)
  • Genetics (BIOL 310/311)
  • General Chemistry I (CHEM 111/112)
  • General Chemistry II (CHEM 113/114)

Required courses for the BS in BTEC/BIOE major can only be taken twice. If the minimum grade is not achieved on the second attempt, you will be disqualified from the major. A withdrawal (W) is considered an unsuccessful attempt at a course.

Organic Chemistry:
  • You should enroll in Fundamentals of Organic Chemistry (CHEM 236) in the Spring semester.
  • You must complete Fundamentals of Organic Chemistry (CHEM 236) with at least a D- to satisfy BTEC/BIOE major requirements (this does not override Chemistry Department prerequisite requirements).
  • All BTEC/BIOE majors must take the Organic Chemistry I lab (CHEM 232), but this does not have to be completed in the same semester as Fundamentals of Organic Chemistry (CHEM 236) lecture.
Biochemistry: 
  • Up to 4 units of Biochemistry courses can be applied to the BTEC/BIOE major as upper division elective credit.  However, Biochemistry classes cannot satisfy both Chemistry/Biochemistry minor AND BTEC/BIOE major requirements.
    • Students who plan to apply Fundamentals of Biochemistry as an upper division elective for the BTEC/BIOE  major should register for BIOL 357
    • Students who plan to apply Fundamentals of Biochemistry as an upper division elective for the Chemistry minor should register for CHEM 356
  • If you are a Chemistry minor, you may NOT apply CHEM 350 or CHEM 356 as an upper division elective course for the BTEC/BIOE major.  However, CHEM 351 could apply as an upper division BTEC/BIOE elective. 
  • If you are a Biochemistry minor, you may NOT substitute any Biochemistry class for upper division BTEC/BIOE credit.  

Prerequisites and Corequisites for Biology Courses

  • Students cannot enroll in a Biology course unless they meet ALL of the course and grade prerequisites and/or corequisites.

Taking Courses at Another University

  • The College of Arts and Sciences requires that all courses for the major, minor and core curriculum be taken at USF in order to fulfill graduation requirements.
  • Exceptions for students to take courses at another University
    • Students may receive credit for courses taken at another university before enrolling at USF.
    • Students completing an approved USF study abroad program may be able to transfer units for the core or major if courses are approved in advance by the Biology department chair.
  • Continuing students must complete a Petition to Enroll at Another Institution (PEAI) prior to taking a course at another university as part of an approved study abroad program.

Advanced Placement Credit

  • Students who score 4 or 5 on the Advanced Placement Test in Biology receive 8 units of credit for BIOL 100 and BIOL 103. 
    • Students who score 5 on the test can petition the BTEC/BIOE Program Director to receive credit for BIOL 105-General Biology Molecules of Life and BIOL 106-General Biology - Diversity of Life.  
    • Some medical schools or other graduate professional programs do not accept Advanced Placement credit for General Biology.  
  • Students who complete International Baccalaureate Higher Level (IBHL) examinations in Biology with a score of 4 or higher receive 8 units of credit for BIOL 105 and BIOL 106.  

Biotechnology & Bioentrepreneurship Program

Department Office
Harney Science Center, room HR256B

Hours:
M-F 8:30am-5pm

Main Department Line: 415-422-6755