2020-10-10
109
Major Electives
The list represents a sampling of currently available courses that may change or expand in the future depending on the stakeholders’ needs.
| No. | Course code | Course title | Requisites | ECTS |
| 1 | BIOL 301L | Molecular Cell Biology Laboratory | BIOL 301 | 2 |
| 2 | BIOL 331 | Human Anatomy and Physiology II | BIOL 230 | 6 |
| 3 | BIOL 331L | Human Anatomy and Physiology Laboratory II | BIOL 331 | 2 |
| 4 | BIOL 320 | Developmental Biology | BIOL 230 | 6 |
| 5 | BIOL 333 | Environmental Biology | BIOL 120 | 6 |
| 6 | BIOL 340 | Bioinformatics with Laboratory | BIOL 120, MATH 310 | 8 |
| 7 | BIOL 341L or CHEM 341L | Biochemistry I Lab | BIOL 341 or CHEM 341 | 2 |
| 8 | BIOL 352 | Biology of Cancer | BIOL 301 | 6 |
| 9 | BIOL 363 | Structural Bioinformatics with Laboratory | BIOL 341 or CHEM 341 or CSCI 235 | 8 |
| 10 | BIOL 378 | Molecular Evolution | BIOL 370 | 6 |
| 11 | BIOL 380 | The Biology of Behavior | BIOL 230 | 6 |
| 12 | BIOL 385 | Cell Signaling: principles and mechanisms | BIOL 120 | 6 |
| 13 | BIOL 418 | Molecular Biology of the Gene | BIOL 301 | 6 |
| 14 | BIOL 440 | Neuroscience | BIOL 230 | 6 |
| *15 | BIOL 456 | Biology Research Design | BIOL 355 | 6 |
| 16 | BIOL 425 | Biomedical Research Methods | BIOL 110, BIOL 301, BIOL 341 | 6 |
| 17 | BIOL 430 | Histology with Laboratory | BIOL 230 | 8 |
| 18 | BIOL 444 | Stem Cell Biology and Applications | BIOL 301 | 6 |
| 19 | BIOL 445 | Medical Microbiology | BIOL 305 | 6 |
| 20 | BIOL 450 | Food Microbiology | BIOL 305 | 6 |
| 21 | BIOL 450L | Food Microbiology Laboratory | BIOL 305 | 2 |
| 22 | BIOL 455 | Biotechnology | BIOL 301 | 6 |
| 23 | BIOL 468 | Integrated Cell Biology | BIOL 120 | 6 |
| 24 | BIOL 470 | Advanced Cell Biology | BIOL 301, (BIOL 341 OR CHEM 341) | 6 |
| 25 | BIOL 471 | Light and Electron Microscopy Concepts and Techniques | BIOL 120 or CHEM 101 or PHYS 161 | 6 |
| 26 | BIOL 471L | Light and Electron Microscopy Concepts and Techniques Laboratory | BIOL 471 | 2 |
| 27 | BIOL 480 | Molecular Immunology | (BIOL 341 or CHEM 341), BIOL 310 | 6 |
| 28 | BIOL 481 | Neuroimmunology | BIOL 410 | 6 |
| 29 | BIOL 488 | The Biology of Aging | BIOL 301 | 6 |
| 30 | BIOL 490 | Honors Thesis Research | BIOL 355 (B or above; CGPA 3.25 or above) | 0 |
| 31 | BIOL 491 | Honors Thesis | BIOL 490 | 18 |
| *32 | BIOL 492 | Directed Study in Biology | BIOL 456 | 6 |
* Fulfill the 12 ECTS research experience requirement.
Honors Thesis Research (0 ECTS, in-progress-satisfactory/in-progress-unsatisfactory) and Honor Thesis (18 ECTS) courses train students to perform independent research in biological sciences over a period of 11 months. Starting in the Summer term of the third academic year the students will develop under the guidance of their thesis supervisor a research plan and conduct research. In the Spring semester of the fourth academic year the student will complete an original research thesis (Honors Thesis 18 ECTS) to be recommended by the thesis supervisor and a NU faculty member of the supervisory committee for thesis defense in form of a formal, public oral seminar or poster presentation.
Students with a CGPA of at least 3.25 at the end of the sixth semester of the third academic year and a B or above in BIOL 355 Critical Research Reasoning and who have secured a project and supervisor are eligible to enroll by permission of the course coordinator.
Technical Electives
Technical electives are any letter-grade (A-F) undergraduate courses outside Biological Sciences (BIOL), typically in sciences, engineering, mathematics or some selective courses from other schools or departments, provided that their course contents and course learning outcomes do not mostly overlap with those of major (biology) courses. For courses offered by SOM the student is required to use the Add Course Form. It is the responsibility of the academic advisor to ensure that the course conforms with the aforementioned expectations of a technical elective. One technical electives must be taken at course code level of 300 or higher. At total of three technical electives (minimum 18 ECTS) are required. For illustration purposes how the technical elective requirement can be fulfilled three examples for courses offered by Mathematics, Economy, and Chemistry Departments are given below. Any other combinations of courses offered for example by the Departments of Sociology and Anthropology or Computer Science can be built using NU’s public course catalog and consultation with the course instructor or Vice Dean of Academic Affairs to find out registration priorities.
Example 1.
| No. | Course code | Course title | Requisites | ECTS |
| 1 | MATH 273 | Linear Algebra with Applications | MATH 161, MATH 162 | 8 |
| 2 | MATH 274 | Introduction to Differential Equations | MATH 162 MATH 273 | 6 |
| 3 | MATH 371 Or | Introduction to Mathematical Biology | MATH 273, MATH 274 | 6 |
| ROBT 310 | Image Processing | MATH 162 MATH 273 |
Example 2.
| No. | Course code | Course title | Requisites | ECTS |
| 1 | ECON 201 | Intermediate Microeconomics | ECON 101, MATH 161 or MATH 162 | 6 |
| 2 | ECON 211 | Economic Statistics | ECON 101 or ECON 102 | 6 |
| 3 | ECON 302 | Game Theory and Economic Analysis | ECON 201 | 6 |
Example 3.
| No. | Course code | Course title | Requisites | ECTS |
| 1 | CHEM 220 | Quantitative Chemical Analysis | CHEM 102 | 6 |
| 2 | CHEM 320 | Instrumental Analysis | CHEM 220, | 6 |
| 3 | CHEM 447 | Environmental Chemistry | CHEM 320, CHEM 212 | 6 |
| CHEM 442 |
| CHEM 212, CHEM 341 | 6 |
Unrestricted Electives
Any undergraduate courses offered by NU can be taken by students to fulfill the distribution requirement for unrestricted electives. The Department of Biology offers Biology Internship and Directed Studies in Biology as unrestricted electives. Other available courses are listed in the NU’s public course catalog.
| No. | Course code | Course title | Requisites | ECTS |
| 1 | BIOL 392 | Directed Study in Biology | 1* | 6 |
| 2 | BIOL 399 | Biology Internship | 1* | 6 |
*1120 ECTS earned by the end of the fourth semester of the second academic year, no outstanding
incompletes, and being in good academic standing
Minor in Biological Sciences
Non-major students who wish to declare a Minor in Biological Sciences are required to complete eight minor-required courses (36 ECTS) and two Minor-elective courses (at least 12 ECTS).
| No. | Course code | Course title | Requisites | ECTS |
| Minor required courses | ||||
| 1 | BIOL 110 | Modern Biology I | N/A | 6 |
| 2 | BIOL 110L | Modern Biology I Laboratory | BIOL 110 | 2 |
| 3 | BIOL 120 | Modern Biology II | BIOL 110 | 6 |
| 4 | BIOL 120L | Modern Biology II Laboratory | BIOL 120 | 2 |
| 5 | BIOL 230 | Human Anatomy and Physiology I | BIOL 110 | 6 |
| 6 | BIOL 331 | Human Anatomy and Physiology II | BIOL 230 | 6 |
| 7 | BIOL 331L | Human Anatomy and Physiology II Laboratory | BIOL 331 | 2 |
| 8 | BIOL 301 | Molecular Cell Biology or | BIOL 120 | 6 |
| BIOL 305 | Introduction to Microbiology | BIOL 120 | ||
| Subtotal | 36 | |||
| Minor elective courses - any 2 courses | ||||
| 1 | BIOL 320 | Developmental Biology | BIOL 230 | 6 |
| 2 | BIOL 301L | Molecular Cell Biology Laboratory | BIOL 301 | 2 |
| 4 | BIOL 333 | Environmental Biology | BIOL 120 | 6 |
| 5 | BIOL 340 | Bioinformatics with Laboratory | BIOL 120, MATH 310 | 8 |
| 6 | BIOL 341 or CHEM 341 | Biochemistry I | CHEM 211, BIOL 120 | 6 |
| 7 | BIOL 341L or CHEM 341L | Biochemistry I | BIOL 341, CHEM 341 | 2 |
| 8 | BIOL 352 | Biology of Cancer | BIOL 301 | 6 |
| 9 | BIOL 363 | Structural Bioinformatics with Laboratory | BIOL 341 or CHEM 341 or CSCI 235 | 8 |
| 10 | BIOL 380 | The Biology of Behavior | BIOL 230 | 6 |
| 11 | BIOL 385 | Cell Signaling: principles and mechanisms | BIOL 120 | 6 |
| 12 | BIOL 418 | Molecular Biology of the Gene | BIOL 301 | 6 |
| 13 | BIOL 440 | Neuroscience | BIOL 230 | 6 |
| 14 | BIOL 430 | Histology with Laboratory | BIOL 230 | 8 |
| 15 | BIOL 445 | Medical Microbiology | BIOL 305 | 6 |
| 16 | BIOL 450 | Food Microbiology | BIOL 305 | 6 |
| 17 | BIOL 468 | Integrated Cell Biology | BIOL 120 | 6 |
| 18 | BIOL 470 | Advanced Cell Biology | BIOL 301, (BIOL 341 OR CHEM 341) | 6 |
| 19 | BIOL 471 | Light and Electron Microscopy Concepts and Techniques | BIOL 120 or CHEM 101 or PHYS 161 | 6 |
| 20 | BIOL 471L | Light and Electron Microscopy Concepts and Techniques Laboratory | BIOL 471 | 2 |
| 21 | BIOL 480 | Molecular Immunology | (BIOL 341 or CHEM 341), BIOL 310 | 6 |
| 22 | BIOL 488 | The Biology of Aging | BIOL 301 | 6 |
| Minimum number of credits (ECTS) for a Minor in Biological Sciences | 48 | |||
Sample Schedule
| Year 1: Fall Semester (1st Semester) | |||||
| Course | Academic Unit | ECTS Credits | Workload | ||
| Class Hours | Self-study Hours/ Directed Learning/Preparation for Assessment | ||||
| Discipline Core | General Biology(BIOL 105) | BIOL | 6 | 42 | 126 |
| General Chemistry I (CHEM 101) | CHEM | 6 | 42 | 126 | |
| UCCF | Programming Fundamentals (CSCI 115) | CSCI | 8 | 56 | 168 |
| Calculus I(MATH 161) | MATH | 8 | 56 | 168 | |
| History of Kazakhstan(HIST 100) | HIST | 6 | 42 | 126 | |
| SEMESTER SUBTOTAL: | 34 | 238 | 714 | ||
| Year 1: Spring Semester (2nd Semester) | |||||
| Course | Academic Unit | ECTS Credits | Workload | ||
| Class Hours | Self-study Hours/ Directed Learning/Preparation for Assessment | ||||
| Discipline Core | General Chemistry II(CHEM 102) | CHEM | 6 | 42 | 126 |
| General Chemistry II Laboratory (CHEM 102L) | CHEM | 2 | 30 | 20 | |
| Modern Biology I (BIOL 110) | BIOL | 6 | 42 | 126 | |
| Modern Biology I Laboratory (BIOL 110L) | BIOL | 2 | 30 | 20 | |
| UCCF | Physics I for Scientists and Engineers with Lab(PHYS 161) | PHYS | 8 | 56 | 168 |
| Academic Kazakh I(KAZ 201) | KAZ | 6 | 42 | 126 | |
| SEMESTER SUBTOTAL: | 30 | 242 | 586 | ||
| Year 2: Fall (3rd Semester) | |||||
| Course | Academic Unit | ECTS Credits | Workload | ||
| Class Hours | Self-study Hours/ Directed Learning/Preparation for Assessment | ||||
| Discipline Core | Organic Chemistry I (CHEM 211) | CHEM | 6 | 42 | 126 |
| Organic Chemistry I Laboratory (CHEM 211L) | CHEM | 2 | 30 | 20 | |
| Applied Statistical Methods (MATH 310) | MATH | 6 | 42 | 126 | |
| Modern Biology II (BIOL 120) | BIOL | 6 | 42 | 126 | |
| Modern Biology II Laboratory (BIOL 120L) | BIOL | 2 | 30 | 20 | |
| UCCF | Rhetoric and Composition(WSC 150) | WSC | 6 | 42 | 126 |
| Academic Kazakh II(KAZ 202), Academic Speaking in Kazakh(KAZ 211),or Abai's World(KAZ 365) | KAZ | 6 | 42 | 126 | |
| SEMESTER SUBTOTAL: | 34 | 270 | 670 | ||
| Year 2: Spring (4th Semester) | |||||
| CHEM Course | Academic Unit | ECTS Credits | Workload | ||
| Class Hours | Self-study Hours/ Directed Learning/Preparation for Assessment | ||||
| Discipline Core | Biochemistry I (BIOL 341 or CHEM 341) | BIOL, | 6 | 42 | 126 |
| Human Anatomy and Physiology I(BIOL 230) | BIOL | 6 | 42 | 126 | |
| Physics II for Scientist and Engineers with Laboratory (PHYS 162) or Organic Chemistry II(CHEM 211)and Organic Chemistry II Laboratory(CHEM 211L) or MATH 162 Calculus II | PHYS, CHEM, or MATH | 8 | 56 | 168 | |
| UCCF | Introduction to Public Speaking (WSC 202) or Say What you Mean: Clarity, Precision, and Style in Academic Writing (WCS 230) or Science Writing for Popular Media (COMM 225) | WSC, COMM | 6 | 42 | 126 |
| SEMESTER SUBTOTAL: | 26 | 182 | 546 | ||
| Year 3: Fall (5th Semester) | |||||
| Course | Academic Unit | ECTS Credits | Workload | ||
| Class Hours | Self-study Hours/ Directed Learning/Preparation for Assessment | ||||
| Discipline Core | Genetics (BIOL 370) | BIOL | 6 | 42 | 126 |
| Introduction to Microbiology (BIOL 305) | BIOL | 6 | 42 | 126 | |
| Introduction to Microbiology Laboratory (BIOL 305L) | BIOL | 2 | 30 | 20 | |
| UCCF | Business Fundamentals and Entrepreneurship(SSH XXX) | SSH | 6 | 42 | 126 |
| Critical Research Reasoning(BIOL 355) | BIOL | 6 | 42 | 126 | |
| Electives | Major Elective 1 | BIOL | 6 | 42 | 126 |
| SEMESTER SUBTOTAL: | 32 | 240 | 650 | ||
| Year 3: Spring (6th Semester) | |||||
| Course | Academic Unit | ECTS Credits | Workload | ||
| Class Hours | Self-study Hours/ Directed Learning/Preparation for Assessment | ||||
| Discipline Core | Molecular Cell Biology(BIOL 301) | BIOL | 6 | 42 | 126 |
| Immunology(BIOL 310) | BIOL | 6 | 42 | 126 | |
| UCCF | Bioethics (BIOL 321) | BIOL | 6 | 42 | 126 |
| any SOC, PLS, ANT, or ECON course | SOC, PLS, ANT, or ECON | 6 | 42 | 126 | |
| Electives | Major Elective 2 | BIOL | 6 | 42 | 126 |
| SEMESTER SUBTOTAL: | 30 | 240 | 650 | ||
| Year 3: Summer Term - not considered in minimum required 240 ECTS count | |||||
| Course | Academic Unit | ECTS Credits | Workload | ||
| Class Hours | Self-study Hours/ Directed Learning/Preparation for Assessment | ||||
| Electives | Biology Internship (BIOL 399) or Directed Study in Biology (BIOL 392) (or Honors Thesis Research (BIOL 490*)) | BIOL | 6 (0)* | 42 | 126 |
| TERM SUBTOTAL: | 6(0)* | 42 | 126 | ||
| Year 4: Fall (7th Semester) | |||||
| Course | Academic Unit | ECTS Credits | Workload | ||
| Class Hours | Self-study Hours/ Directed Learning/Preparation for Assessment | ||||
| Electives | Major Elective 3 (Biology Research Design (BIOL 456)) or Honors Thesis Research (BIOL 490)) | BIOL | 6 (0) | 42 | 126 |
| Major Elective 4 | BIOL | 6 | 42 | 126 | |
| Major Elective 5 | BIOL | 6 | 42 | 126 | |
| Technical Elective 1 | SSH, SEDS, SOM, SMG | 6 | 42 | 126 | |
| Technical Elective 2 | SSH, SEDS, SOM, SMG | 6 | 42 | 126 | |
| SEMESTER SUBTOTAL: | 30 (24) | 210 | 630 | ||
| Year 4: Spring (8th Semester) | |||||
| Course | Academic Unit | ECTS Credits | Workload | ||
| Class Hours | Self-study Hours/ Directed Learning/Preparation for Assessment | ||||
| Electives | Major Elective 6 (Directed Study in Biology (BIOL 492)) or Honors Thesis (BIOL 491)) | BIOL | 6 (18) | 42 | 126 |
| Technical Elective 3 | SSH, SEDS, SOM, SMG | 6 | 42 | 126 | |
| Unrestricted Elective 1 | SSH, SEDS, SOM, SMG | 6 | 42 | 126 | |
| Unrestricted Elective 2 | SSH, SEDS, SOM, SMG | 6 | 42 | 126 | |
| SEMESTER SUBTOTAL: | 24 (36) | 168 | 504 | ||
Courses
UCCF Courses
These courses aim to broaden the academic experience of NU undergraduate students and encourage the development of the NU Graduate Attributes and interdisciplinary thinking and skills through shared experiences.
Summarized information on courses that deliver UCCF learning outcomes for students of the B.Sc. in Biological Sciences program.
| UCCF Courses | UCCF Learning Outcomes |
| 1. WCS 150 Rhetoric and Composition. 2. WCS 202 Introduction to Public Speaking, or WCS 230Say What you Mean: Clarity, Precision, and Style or COMM 225 Academic Writing or COMM 225 Science Writing for Popular Media. | 1. Communicate fluently in the English Language. |
| 3. Two KAZ courses as appropriate by level: KAZ 150 Basic Kazakh (basic) and/or KAZ 201 Academic Kazakh I (intermediate) and/or KAZ 202 Academic Kazakh II (upper-intermediate), and/or KAZ 211 Academic Speaking in Kazakh (upper-intermediate or advanced), and/or KAZ 365 Abai's World (advanced). | 2. Demonstrate competence in the Kazakh Language. |
| 4. HST 100 History of Kazakhstan. | 3. Describe and interpret major events in Kazakh and Kazakhstani history. |
| 5. PHYS 161 Physics I for Scientists and Engineers with Laboratory and any SOC, PLS, ANT, or ECON course. | 4. Demonstrate knowledge of the natural and social sciences |
| 6. MATH 161Calculus Iand CSCI 115 Programming Fundamentals. | 5. Apply numerical and digital literacy skills. |
| 7. XXXBusiness Fundamentals and Entrepreneurship. | 6. Apply skills in business, design and entrepreneurial thinking. |
| 8. BIOL 355 Critical Research Reasoning. | 7. Use research skills and methods to complete projects. |
| 9. BIOL 321 Bioethics. | 8. Identify ethical and leadership issues and take appropriate leadership actions. |
For UCCF courses taught by the Biology Department the course content, aims and learning outcomes are shown in detail.
| Course Code and Title | BIOL 355 Critical Research Reasoning | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Course Description | Students will learn to analyze and communicate scientific hypotheses and interpret, critique, and publicly present original scientific articles. The emphasis will be on the scientific content of current original primary research literature. Students will learn how a research study is designed and communicated effectively. Students will learn to make posters, presentations, analyze, discuss, and criticize scientific papers, consider the interplay between science and society, good laboratory practices and other critical issues. Therefore, it is assumed that the students will possess sufficient knowledge of biology, as well as, experience in laboratory techniques to achieve the course objectives effectively.
Throughout the semester students learn how to:
1. analyze research articles and summarize the essence of each section of an article;
2. analyze and critique research questions, study design and methods used;
3. understand the basics of sample and data collection, and data analysis;
4. compare different qualitative and quantitative study designs and analyze the validity and reliability of measures and bias in interpreting findings;
5. plan and write summary sections, results, discussion and interpretation of findings and communicate these findings in the form of seminars, poster presentations, and a manuscript;
6. present research findings in the laboratory environment and at conferences.
Prerequisite: BIOL 120 Modern Biology II (C or above).
Course size and learning time.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Course LOs | By the end of the course students will be expected to be able to:
1. evaluate with an advanced knowledge of structures of various types of research articles;
2. apply principles and methodologies to a research paper of choice and write a complete report;
3. present research papers and critically interpret results in a format of poster or speedy talks;
4. critically interpret and review primary research articles within the field of biology.
Tabulated CLOs and PLOs.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Course Code and Title | BIOL 321 Bioethics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Course Description | This course covers the values and principles relevant to ethics of biological sciences and biomedicine by addressing the following questions.
1. How do you recognize ethical or moral problems in science and medicine?
2. When something does not feel right (whether cloning or failing to clone) - what exactly is the nature of the discomfort?
3. What kind of tensions and conflicts exist within biomedicine?
4. How can you think productively about ethical and moral problems and what processes create them?
5. Why do people disagree about them?
6. How can an understanding of philosophy or history help resolve them?
7. What kind of standardized trainings allows participation in a research involving human subjects?
8. How to complete online CITI training to receive an official certificate for participation in a research involving human subjects.
Throughout the semester students learn:
1. to identify ethical issues in research and biomedical sciences;
2. to provide rational justifications for ethical decisions; and formulate the elements of an ethical dilemma;
3. to apply the ethical principles of the Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights;
4. internationally accepted standards for responsible conduct of research in life science;
5. bioethical concepts and regulations which prepare students for individual completion of online CITI training.
Prerequisites: BIOL 120 Modern Biology II (C or above)
Course size and learning time.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Course LOs | By the end of the course students will be expected to be able to:
1. identify ethical issues in research and biomedical sciences;
2. construct rational justifications for ethical decisions and formulate the elements of an ethical dilemma;
3. apply the ethical principles of the Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights;
4. adhere to the internationally accepted standards for responsible conduct of research in life science;
5. complete online CITI training and receive certificate valid for 3 years, which allows to participate in a research involving human subjects.
Tabulated CLOs and PLOs.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
