About the Program

Bachelor of Science - Biological Sciences

Mission Statement

The mission of the BS in Biological Sciences is to provide a high-quality student-centered bachelors program in the sciences to rural Nevada that 1) relates to the economic need within and outside our region for professionals in the biological sciences, 2) relates to the economic need within and outside our region for rural health and medical professionals through university transfer to medical and other professional programs, and 3) relates to the aspect of the GBC mission on university transfer by providing a biological sciences undergraduate degree for transfer to graduate school in biological sciences and related disciplines.

Program Information

The biology program at GBC is designed to be very general and allow students to meet professional goals in the biological sciences, such as

• fulfill graduate, medical, and other professional school entrance requirements including success on entrance exams


• obtain employment needed in the region (federal and state agencies, industry, education) and beyond


• obtain employment not linked to this degree or even science from analytical skills in this Bachelor of Science degree

Admission to Program

In order to be admitted to the program students must do both of the following:

• Complete an Associate of Science (AS) or Associate of Arts (AA) degree including the equivalent of ENG 102 from a regionally accredited institution.


• Complete the following courses (or their approved equivalents), most of which are prerequisites for upper division courses in the degree in a two-year rotation. BIOL 190, BIOL 191, CHEM 121, CHEM 122, CHEM 241, CHEM 241L, CHEM 242, CHEM 242L, MATH 181, STAT 152, or equivalent. Completion of these courses before entering the Biological Sciences Bachelor degree program facilitates completion of the BS in two years.

Biology Student Group (NIH – INBRE)

GBC hosts a biology student cohort group called Biological Sciences Student Support Network [B(S)3N]. Members of B(S)3N are eligible for paid employment as a lab aid, tutor, or in another science-related capacity and possible attendance at the UC Davis Pre-Health Conference or other travel/experiences. Membership in B(S)3N also affords students a comfortable study space, lockers, assistance with applications for graduate school and interviews, and access to contacts throughout the state to pursue research. We also host a free, one-week workshop each summer, which includes a trip to one or more of the professional schools at UNR. The student group, workshop, and related activities are made possible through an award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that was awarded to Great Basin College as part of a larger group of higher education institutions in Nevada. The award also allows us to support GBC Nursing faculty education.

INBRE-IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence – is a National institutes of Health (NIH) program designed to help traditionally underfunded states build the infrastructure they need to successfully compete for federal NIH funding.

For more information on the INBRE program, please contact Margo Teague: margo.teague(a)gbcnv.edu

Note: The use of (a) in email addresses is a spam prevention technique. Use the @ sign instead when addressing email.

Availability of Science Courses for the BS Biological Sciences

The following science courses have labs and are required to complete the BS in Biological Sciences: BIOL 190, BIOL 191, BIOL 251, CHEM 121, CHEM 122, CHEM 241/241L, CHEM 242/242L, BIOL 300, BIOL 305,BIOL 320, BIOL 331, BIOL 394, BIOL 400, BIOL 410, and BIOL 434. Each of these courses have required in-person labs. Depending on the course, the labs may occur weekly, on weekends, or at a time from Monday through Friday anytime from 8:00AM – 6:00PM. Due to GBC's personnel, equipment, and facilities, courses listed above which have the CHEM prefix, and some BIOL courses (BIOL 331, for example) have required labs that are only offered on the Elko and Pahrump campuses. This means that BS Biological Science students will be required to attend lab courses in Elko or Pahrump at least 1-2 days each week and that this is not an online degree. Please consult your advisor for the BS Biological Sciences for the availability details of each individual science course.

Please see the current GBC catalog, BS in Biological Sciences Section for more information and a list of courses included in the degree.