Students enrolling in the bachelor of science degree programs on the St. Thomas campus of the University of the Virgin Islands presently may select as a major field of study one of the following:

Students enrolling in a bachelor of science degree program on the St. Croix campus may currently select Computer  Science as a major field of study under the Science and Mathematics Division.

Nursing Education Division

Nursing Major

The Bachelor of Science in Nursing program (B.S.N.) is designed to prepare professional nurses to assess, plan, implement and evaluate nursing care.  Graduates are prepared to utilize a variety of roles in a multiplicity of settings for clients with minimal deficits requiring health promotion and for those with maximal health deficits.  Graduates of the B.S.N. program are eligible to apply to take the NCLEX-RN examination for licensure as a registered nurses.  The program is accredited by the National League for Nursing  Accrediting Commision, 61 Broadway 33rd Floor, New York, New York 10006 (800-669-1656 ext. 153).

Applicants intending to study nursing are expected to have completed a college preparatory program in high school which includes four years of English or the equivalent, two years of algebra or one year of plane geometry and one year of algebra, one year of biology and one year of another science, preferably general chemistry.  A course in physics is desirable.
In order to enter the nursing clinical sequence, the student must have:  1) achieved sophomore standing, 2) a 2.0 cumulative grade point average, 3) achieved a C (2.0) in Principles of Chemistry for the Life Sciences I-II and, 4) completed “The Foundations of Nursing” course with a grade of at least C.

To progress the student must achieve a minimum grade of C in all nursing  and required science courses, and maintain at least a GPA of 2.0, and a satisfactory rating on all clinical evaluations.  A nursing student who earns less than a C in a biological science course or any nursing course attempted may not continue in the nursing sequence until the deficiency is corrected.

All nursing majors enrolled in clinical courses must submit documentation of physical examination and immunization status annually prior to the first day of class.  Forms can be requested from the Division of Nursing Education.
The major in nursing requires 63 semester credits of nursing courses.  A total of 127 credits is needed to obtain a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.) degree.  General education requirements are fulfilled by taking courses offered by the Divisions of Humanities, Science and Mathematics, and Social Sciences.  Other general education requirements include two credits of Physical Education or Personal Life Skills and  successful completion of the Computer Literacy Requirement and the English Proficiency Examination.

The following courses, which include the general education courses, are required for the B.S.N. degree.

A.  Required courses in the Freshmen Studies:                                                                            Credits
 

B.  Required courses in the Humanities Division:                                                                            Credits
 

C.  Required courses in the Science and Mathematics Division:
 

D.  Required courses in the Social Sciences Division:
 

E.  Required physical education courses                                                                                     2
      (May be met by Physical Education courses or Personal Life Skills course)

F.  Required courses in the Nursing Education Division:
 

G.  Free elective  1

Science and Mathematics Division

A Bachelor of science degree with majors in biology, chemistry, or marine biology, is offered for preprofessional students who intend to pursue graduate studies.  These degree programs are challenging and should be attempted only by students with special talents in science.

The biology major provides a firm foundation in biology and cognate sciences while allowing students to specialize within a field of interest (e.g., zoology).  The marine biology major requires that a broad base in the biological and physical sciences be acquired and applied in the study of marine environments.  The course of study results in a level of preparation difficult to obtain elsewhere at the bachelor’s level.

The chemistry program provides a strong background in chemistry with grounding in physics and mathematics.  With the proper choice of electives the student can design a curriculum with sub-specialization in biology, marine biology, computer science, engineering, mathematics or physics.  It is suitable for students wishing higher degrees in chemistry, biochemistry or related fields.

A computer science major is offered for students who plan on starting a professional career in computer science immediately after graduation or for students who intend to pursue graduate studies.  The program provides a strong professional foundation in computer science, mathematics and science, and includes electives which can be selected to provide exposure to an application area in science or computer information systems.  It is suitable for students seeking employment in the computing industry and for students seeking an understanding of how computers and their applications evolve.

The bachelor of science programs in biology, chemistry with physics or marine biology are good preparations for students interested in careers in the health sciences.  Interested students should seek details of a cooperative program with Boston University School of Medicine, together with other cooperative programs which may be available, from the Chair of the Division.

Prospective majors should consult their academic advisors and carefully evaluate the demands of these programs before deciding to pursue a B.S. degree.  The approximately 20 credit difference in general education requirements between B.S.  degrees and B.A.  degrees is more than compensated by increased requirements in science and mathematics in the B.S.  programs.  Not only are more science and mathematics credits required for the B.S. degrees, but the additional required courses are at more advanced and challenging levels.

Biology Major

In addition to fulfilling the general education requirements for a bachelor of science degree, students must pass a Science Comprehensive Examination following completion of formal academic coursework and prior to graduation.  Required courses are as follows:

A.  Required courses in Biology:  Credits
 

B.  Two courses from the following are required:
 

C.  Two semester courses from the following are required:
 

D.  The following courses in related fields are required:
 

* A student may be exempted from Mathematics 143-142 by a qualifying examination.

E.  An additional 20 credits are required from the following:

300 and 400 level Biology courses
          (Biology 495, Directed Independent Research, encouraged)
200, 300 and 400 level Chemistry courses
Any courses in Marine Biology or Marine Science
200, 300 and 400 level Mathematics courses
300 level Physics courses

Chemistry Major

A.  Required courses in Chemistry:                                                                                   Credits
 

B.  Required courses in Mathematics:
 

* A student may be exempted from Mathematics 143-142 by a qualifying examination.

C.  Required courses in Physics:
 

D.  Science Electives:  An additional 21 credits in science, mathematics, engineering or computer science are required from the following:

Any Biology course
300 or 400 level Chemistry courses
200, 300 or 400 level Mathematics courses
Any Computer Science course except CSC 111
Any 200 level engineering courses
300 level physics courses

The following courses are strongly recommended in partial fulfillment of the requirements in Section D:
 

Pre-medical students are advised to take:
 

Computer Science Major

In addition to fulfilling the general education requirements for a bachelor of science degree, the following courses are required:

A.  Required courses in Computer Science and CIS: Credits
 

A minimum of 2 credits in either:
 

B. An additional 6 credits in 300 or 400 level courses in Computer Science are required.  MAT 465-Selected Topics: Numerical Analysis, may also be used in satisfaction of this requirement.

C. Required courses in Mathematics:
 

One of the following courses is required:
 

**Can not be used to satisfy Both sections B and C.

(It is recommended that students wishing to prepare for careers with an emphasis on mathematical and scientific applications take all of the MAT courses listed above as electives under section B and E).

D. One of the following Science sequences is required*
 

*Partially satisfies the general education requirement in Mathematics and Science.
(It is recommended that students with an interest in computer engineering or robotics take the Physics 241/242 sequence, and that students with an interest in medical technology and computing take the Biology 141/142 sequence).

E. An additional 9 credits are required in a supporting discipline area.  Courses taken in satisfaction of this requirement may be selected from 300 level or above courses in Mathematics, Computer Science or CIS, or 200 level and above courses within the division of Science and Mathematics in an area other than Computer Science or Mathematics.  Course combinations must be approved by the Computer Science Area Coordinator.

Marine Biology Major

To qualify for a bachelor of science degree with a major in marine biology, students must successfully complete 91 to 94 semester credits in biology, marine biology and cognate courses (which will include 16 credits attributable to the bachelor of science general education requirements in science and mathematics), plus 32 additional semester credits of general education requirements.  Students must pass a Science Comprehensive Examination following completion of formal academic coursework and prior to graduation and must also successfully complete the English Proficiency Examination.

A.  Required courses in Biology and Marine Biology:            Credits
 

B.  Three courses from the following are required:
 

C.  The following courses in related fields are required:
 

*A student may be exempted from Mathematics 143-142 by a qualifying examination.

D.  The following are strongly recommended:
 

Mathematics Major

In addition to fulfilling the general education requirements for the Bachelor of Science, the following courses are required:

A. Required courses in Mathematics                                                                                Credits
 

B. Six elective courses from the following are required; a cluster of four courses must be approved by the advisor (see F,         Suggested tracks):
 

One approved upper level course in another discipline (See E)

C. Required Courses in Related Fields:

Computer Science 117 Introduction to Programming                         4
Physics 241-242 General Physics I, II*                                             5,5

* Partially satisfies the general education requirement in mathematics and science

D. An additional 9 credits in science and mathematics are required from the following:

200 level or above Biology courses
Any Chemistry course except CHE 111-112
200 level or above Marine Biology or Marine Science courses
300 or 400 level Mathematics courses
Any Computer Science course except CSC  111
300 or 400 level Physics courses

E. The following are strongly recommended:
 
 

F. Suggested Tracks:

Applied: for majors interested in applied mathematics in the physical and engineering sciences, actuarial sciences, or business

Mathematics 332     Mathematical Statistics
Mathematics 344     Probability
Mathematics 346     Differential Equations
Mathematics 352     Mathematical Modeling
Mathematics 325     Numerical Analysis
Mathematics 348     Complex Variables
One approved upper level course in another discipline (See E)

Teaching: for majors considering a career in secondary education

Mathematics 233     Discrete Mathematics
Mathematics 310     Modern Geometry
Mathematics 332     Mathematical Statistics
Mathematics 344     Probability
Mathematics 386     History and Philosophy of Mathematics
Mathematics 352     Mathematical Modeling

Graduate: for majors considering graduate study in mathematics

Mathematics 442     Introductory Analysis II
Mathematics 458     Topology
Mathematics 461     Abstract Algebra II
Mathematics 348     Complex Variables
 

G. Concentration in Computer Science:
The following Computer Science courses are required. Nine of these credits will fulfill the required 9 additional credits in science and mathematics (see D).
 
 

The following courses are required. They serve as partial fulfillment of the six elective courses in mathematics (see B):

Mathematics 233          Discrete Mathematics

Mathematics 325          Numerical Analysis Analysis of Algorithms (Approved upper level course in another discipline)
CSC 352

either:
Mathematics 332          Mathematical Statistics
or
Mathematics 348          Probabability