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Advising Toolkit for Microbiology Majors


Due to overwhelming demand for advising appointments, we at the CORE have created this guide for students to follow.

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Toolkit Items:

  1. Blank copy of a degree plan that can be saved and filled-in.
  2. List of example courses a student can take that apply to Section E (Free Upper Division Electives) of the degree plan.
  3. Sample four-year plan:
    1. If you started with Pre-Calculus (MATH 1508 or MATH 1310)
    2. If you started with Calculus (MATH 1411)
  4. Instructions on how to register for College of Science linked lectures and labs.

Advising Tips:

  • Download the blank degree plan (Item #1) and keep track of your completed courses by updating the "Has" Column with earned credit hours, and updating the "Needs" column to reflect how many credit hours you have left in a particular section.
  • The bottom right-hand corner of the degree plan keeps track of your overall progress toward degree completion
animated GIF of how to fill in degree plan

The right-most column of the degree plan keeps track of the courses required for your major (Sections B and C) and your Electives (Section E).

Section B:

Lists all required courses in BIOL and MICR as required by the degree:

  1. BIOL 1305-1107
  2. BIOL 1306-1108
  3. BIOL 3314-3115
  4. MICR 2340-2141
  5. MICR 3343-3144
  6. MICR 3345-3146
  7. MICR 3449
  8. MICR 4353-4154
  9. BIOL 3192

The section also indicates you have 9 hours of Major Electives you must complete in addition to the courses listed.

 screenshot of Section B of the Micro degree plan

All 9 major electives must be chosen from the list provided on the degree plan itself. If you would like to take a course that is not listed in the area, you must obtain permission to take the course BEFORE you take it. For more information on how to do this please email our office: core@utep.edu or contact your advisor.

Special Rules on courses in this area:

BIOL 4398 can only be taken ONCE unless prior approval is obtained to take it more than once.

Section C

Lists all the required Chemistry courses for your major.

Image of Section C on Biology Biomedical degree plan

Section E

The first portion of electives can be filled with 4 hours of Upper Division (3000 or 4000 level) courses in any subject.

Examples of courses to take in this area are listed under item #3 of your toolkit.

The second portion of free electives can be filled with any course at any level for a total of 7 hours.

Usually, if you started with Pre-Calculus (MATH 1508 or MATH 1309 and MATH 1310 sequence) these courses will be applied in this area.

screenshot of Section E of the Micro degree plan

More Tips:

Item #4 of the Advising Toolkit is a guide on what order you can take your courses. It does not list the only order you can take them in.

Pay close attention to item #2 for information on the pre-requisite coursework needed to take a particular course. If you have not completed the pre-requisite coursework, you won't be able to take the course.

You can check pre-requisites for the courses in Section B of your degree plan here.

Animated GIF of where prereqs are listed for item 3 of toolkit

Advising Tips Continued:

Advisors at the CORE recommend taking a balanced set of courses during the first semester of university study. This is for first-time freshmen AND transfer students!
  • Balanced schedules are typically made up of two Math/Science courses and two Non-Math/Non-Science courses.
  • An incoming freshman will be advised to take Math, the introductory science course for their major, UNIV 1301 or SCI 1301, and something else from the core curriculum (First column on the degree plan, Item #1 of toolkit). For example:
    • MATH 1411*
    • BIOL 1305 w/ lab BIOL 1107*
    • UNIV 1301 or SCI 1301
    • MUSL 1327
  • An incoming transfer student who may have their core completed by the time they arrive at UTEP would be advised to take Math, a science course, and two upper division free electives. For example:
    • STAT 2480*
    • CHEM 2324 w/ lab CHEM 2124*
    • RWS 3359**
    • CHIC 3302**
  • *These courses are chosen based on completion of prerequisite courses and/or test scores.
  • **These courses are chose by the student based on their interests and goals.

After their first semester, freshmen can continue this pattern until their core curriculum is complete and then balance their science and math coursework with free electives.

Transfer students will more than likely complete their free electives after the first semester.


 

 

Connect With Us

The University of Texas at El Paso
Central Office for Readiness and Engagement (CORE)
Carl Hertzog Building, Room 170
500 W. University Ave.
El Paso, Texas 79968

E: core@utep.edu
P: (915) 747-8027