Biology and Public Health Frequently Asked Questions

Below are answers to the Biology and Public Health Department's most commonly asked questions.

FAQ Questions

General

Yes! The names and course prefixes have changed, but the content is the same and the courses still transfer. The name change will be official on July 1, 2023.

Yes, just the prefix and numbers have changed.

  • CHS 101 = PBH 101 (Introduction to Public Health)
  • CHS 102 = PBH 120 (Foundations of Personal Health and Wellness)
  • CHS 200 = PBH 220 (Introduction to Public Health Biology)
  • CHS 230 = PBH 234 (Introduction to Environmental Health)
  • CHS 280 = PBH 281 (Introduction to Biostatistics in Public Health)

If your instructor is not listed on the Faculty and Staff Web page, it is because they are a part-time instructor. Unfortunately, because part-time instructors can vary from semester to semester, they may not be listed on the Faculty and Staff page.

Generally, TMCC email addresses are the first initial and last name "@tmcc.edu" (e.g., instructor John Smith = jsmith@tmcc.edu). Try contacting them at this email address and if unsuccessful, contact the Biology and Public Health Department.

Go to MyTMCC and look at “My Schedule” for the list of your classes, dates and times, locations, and instructors.

For a syllabus request, contact the Biology and Public Health Department with full name, student ID number, course, and semester the course was taken.

The Department is located on the Dandini Campus, on the 3rd floor near the south end of the Red Mountain Building, room 334. Many, but not all, of the full-time faculty have their offices in this suite.

The Biology and Public Health Department website provides the office locations of full-time Biology faculty.

Students should take BIOL 100 to satisfy a science general education requirement. BIOL 100 is not a requirement to take BIOL 190A/L and it will not satisfy the prerequisites for BIOL 223, 224, 251. Some students take BIOL 100 as refresher before taking BIOL 190A, but it is not required.

Students first need to consult with their instructor and then they need to fill out a grade appeal form.

Prerequisites for Biology Courses

BIOL 190A and BIOL 190L are prerequisites to BIOL 251 (General Microbiology).

BIOL 190A is a prerequisite for BIOL 223 and 224 and BIOL 190L is a pre- or co-requisite for BIOL 223 and 224.

BIOL 190L is a pre- or co-requisite for BIOL 223 (Anatomy & Physiology I) and BIOL 224 (Anatomy and Physiology II) and a pre-requisite to BIOL 251 (General Microbiology) at TMCC; however, the Department will accept BIOL 192 or an upper division lab in Biology or Biochemistry in place of BIOL 190L.

If you do not have comparable lab experience, you will have to take BIOL 190L prior to taking BIOL 251.

No, students must complete BIOL 223 with a C or better to move forward to BIOL 224.

While BIOL 223 is a prerequisite for BIOL 224, it is possible to take them in the same semester by enrolling in our fast-track/dynamic sections which allow students to take BIOL 223 in the first 8 weeks of the semester and BIOL 224 in the last 8 weeks of the semester. Please note: students need to pass BIOL 223 with a C or better in order to enroll in BIOL 224.

TMCC offers classes towards an Associates of Science, Community Health Science Emphasis degree, managed through the Biology Department. This degree is designed to matriculate into the Bachelors of Science in Community Health Science at the University of Nevada, Reno.

Required courses include: CHS 101, CHS 102, CHS 200, and CHS 230. Additional degree requirements and a suggested course sequence is available in the TMCC College Catalog.

Please contact the Biology Department for advisement.

The field of Community Health Science is broad, and a degree will afford you opportunities in personal health and wellness, mental health, social and behavioral aspects of health, epidemiology, health care administration, exercise physiology, or environmental health among many others. Many students obtain a degree in Community Health Science before applying to allied health programs such as nursing, medical, physical therapy, or dental school.

Community Health Science is a field of public health that is concerned with protecting and improving the health of communities through education, promotion of healthy lifestyles, and research for disease and injury prevention.

See Also: UNR's School of Community Health Sciences web page.

Enrollment

Most allied health programs are no longer accepting 100% online anatomy and physiology courses as prerequisites. We require students to contact the Biology Department through email to acknowledge that they are taking a fully online course that might not be accepted by other programs.

This is a fast-paced course that requires a significant time commitment. We require students to contact the Biology Department through email to acknowledge that they are taking a fast-paced course.

No, in all sections of BIOL 223, 224, 251, both lecture and lab are tied together and students need to participate in both lecture and lab to complete the course.

There is no way for the department to add you back into a full course. Due to fire code, we cannot add students above the enrollment cap. You can check for openings in a class on MyTMCC up until the last day of the first week of class.

Bring in or email an unofficial copy of your transcripts with your student ID number and name and the official catalog course descriptions of all Biology classes to the Biology Department for evaluation. (If emailing, please state the nature of your request, i.e. which courses need to be evaluated, which courses are you trying to enroll in at TMCC, and for which semester.)

If the course(s) you took at another institution are equivalent to pre-requisites, we can remove the block on your registration for other Biology classes. In the meantime, you should send your official transcripts to TMCC’s Admissions and Records Office.

Otherwise, you will need to submit unofficial transcripts to the Biology Department each semester.

Unfortunately no, we do not currently have the capacity to maintain electronic waitlists at this time. You can check for openings in a class on MyTMCC up until the last day of the first week of class.

The Biology and Public Health Department will not increase enrollment beyond the published maximum.

DYN stands for "Dynamic Dated" classes. These are classes that either progress at a "fast track" pace, where two classes are taken in 8-week sessions back-to-back (e.g., BIOL 223/224 or BIOL 190/190L/251); or, when a class begins after the semester's regular start date.

Keep checking MyTMCC online. Students often change their schedules prior to the start of the semester. Also, check with Accounting Services to find out when the purge for non-payment date is. Students who do not pay their course fees on time may be dropped prior to the start of classes, which can open up spots in a course.

It is a mistake not to attend the first meeting of any class. Most science instructors will present material during the first day of class, and they will expect you to be there and be prepared. If you know ahead of time that you will not be able to attend class for legitimate reasons, you should contact the instructor prior to the start date. The instructor may or may not administratively withdraw you from the course on the first day of classes for a no show. If your intent is to drop the course, it is your responsibility to do so.

Opportunities in Biology and Public Health

Yes, the Biology Department routinely hires students as Instructor's Aides (IAs) for General Microbiology (BIOL 251), as Peer Tutors in the Fine Focus lab, or to assist the Prep Lab in preparing materials for the Biology Department's many teaching laboratories.

Yes. The Biology Department offers BIOL 273: Research Experience, and BIOL 298: Independent Study in Biology, where students conduct a semester-long research project. For current research opportunities, please contact us.