Specialty Support Requirements*

Specialty support courses are a portion of the ABT coursework that allows students to broaden their scientific knowledge outside the major requirements either to strengthen knowledge in biotechnology or to complement this knowledge to support training for various career paths.  Some students find it helpful to think of specialty support classes as targeted electives.

Since ABT is a science-based degree, it is expected that your specialty support courses will consist of coursework from sciencific disciplines or in clear support of a science-based career in a closely related field.  For that reason, the majority of specialty support courses listed in GPS are science courses. 

As new courses are developed, the specialty support list is expanded to include classes related to animal and plant research, human healthcare and courses that professional schools require for admittance (for example, ECO 201 is required for pharmacy school). 

When choosing your specialty support courses, you and your advisor should choose courses that build a theme of interest for you.  In this way, the specialty support portion of your program allows you to tailor your degree (and your knowledge base) to fit your particular career goals and interests. 

Occasionally, a student may indentify a course that fits their career goals but is not designated as ABT specialty support. The student may submit a request to the Director of the Ag and Medical Biotechnology program for approval as a specialty support course.  If the course is approved, it will be added to the student's list of specialty support courses in the GPS degree audit.  Please see specific directions below for the request process.  

Students must take a minimum of 21 credit hours of specialty support courses.  Students are also encouraged to select a majority of 300 level and above courses for specialty support courses in order to meet the degree requirement of 45 credit hours of 300 level and above coursework.

How to apply for a specialty support course designation 

1. Identify the specific course(s) you would like included in specialty support.
2. Draft an email request that explains: a) your career goals, b) the course (in one paragraph; you can copy and paste the course description or it can be your own summary).
3. A one paragraph explanation about how the course will specifically benefit you achieving your career goals.
4. Send that email request to the ABT Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUS), Dr. Lou Hirsch, robert.hirsch@uky.edu.  
5. The DUS will foward your request on to the specialty support committee of ABT faculty, who will discuss your request.
6. The DUS will report back to you the determination of the committee.
7. If the request is approved, the DUS will submit the approval to the college's Assistant Dean of Advising and Student Support for inclusion in the student's degree audit.

When drafting your request, please consider the following:

• The committee will only be discussing your submitted proposal, so ensure that it contians all pertinent information and is free of grammatical and spellings errors.
• Be specific when justifying why you think your chosen coure will benefit you in your future career.  If possible, include real-life examples and referenceable data to inform the committee in their decision making.
• The committee rarely grants new specialty support designation for introductory level classes.

Examples of ABT specialty support courses grouped by discipline.  Please note that the listing below is not comprehensive.  Students are advised to review the degree audit in myUK GPS for a current listing of specialty support courses. 

Anatomy

1. ANA 209 - Principles of Human Anatomy -3 hrs
2. ANA 309 - Anatomy - 5 hrs
3. ANA 305 - Introduction To Neuroscience Techniques - 4 hrs

Arts & Science

1. A&S 306 - Spirit Chemistry - 3 hrs

Animal Sciences

1. ASC 362 - Animal Genetics - 3 hrs
2. ASC 364 - Reproductive Physiology of Farm Animals - 3 hrs
3. ASC 378 - Animal Nutrition and Feeding- 3 hrs

Biochemistry

1. BCH 395 - Independent Work In Biochemistry - 3 hrs
2. BCH 419G - Molecular Basis Of Human Disease - 3 hrs

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Plant and Soil Sciences and Horticulture

1. PLS 404 - Integrated Weed Management- 3 hrs
2. PLS 502 - Ecology of Economic Plants - 3 hrs
3. PLS 566 - Soil Microbiology - 3 hrs
4. PLS 335 - Distillation, Wine & Brewing Science - 3 hrs
5. PLS 336 - Introduction to Viticulture - Grape Production - 3 hrs

6. PLS 337 - Introduction to Enology - 3 hrs
7. PLS 366 - Fundamentals of Soil Science - 3hrs
8. PLS 389 - Wine Appreciation - 3 hrs
9. PLS 390 - Agroecology - 3 hrs

Biology

1. BIO 303 - Evolution - 3 hrs
2. BIO 315 - Introduction to Cell Biology - 4 hrs
3. BIO 325 - Introductory Ecology - 4 hrs
4. BIO 350 - Animal Physiology - 4 hrs
5. BIO 375 - Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology - 3 hrs
6. BIO 425 - Biology Seminar - 1 hr
7. BIO 430G - Plant Physiology - 4 hrs
8. BIO 427 - Seminar in Microbiology (subtitle required) - 1 hr
9. BIO/MI 494G - Immunobiology - 3 hrs
10. BIO/MI 495G - Bacterial Pathogenesis - 3 hrs
11. BIO/PGY 502 - Principles of Systems, Cellular and Molecular Physiology - 5 hrs
12. BIO 507 - Biology of Sleep and Circadian Rhythms - 3hrs
13. BIO 530 - Biogeiography and Conservation - 3 hrs
14. BIO 535 - Comparative Neurobiology and Behavior - 3 hrs
15. BIO 542 - Histology - 5 hrs
16. BIO 550 - Comparative Physiology - 3 hrs
17. BIO/MI 582 - Virology - 3hrs

Behavioral Science

1. BSC 251 - Culture and Health Behavior - 3 hrs
2. BSC 301 - Shadowing and the Culture of Medicine - 3 hrs
3. BSC 331 - Behavioral Factors in Health and Disease - 3 hrs
4. BSC 425 - Intergrative and Alternative Medicine - 3 hrs

Chemistry

1. CHE 226 - Analytical Chemistry - 3-5 hrs
2. CHE 440G - Introduction to Physical Chemistry
3. CHE 532 - Spectrometric Identification of Organic Compounds - 2 hrs
4. CHE 533 - Qualitative Organic Analysis Laboratory - 2 hrs
5. CHE 550 - Biological Chemistry I- 4 hrs
6. CHE 552 - Biological Chemistry II- 4 hrs

Cognitive Science

1. CGS 500 - Cognitive Science In Theory And Practice - 3 hrs

Communication

1. COM 311 - Taking Control of Your Health: Patient/Provider Communication - 3 hrs
2. COM 315 - Understanding Workplace Communication - 3 hrs
3. COM 471 - Intro To Health Communication - 3 hrs

Computer Science

1. CS 215 - Introduction to Program Design Abstraction/Problem Solving - 4 hrs
2. CS 216 - Introduction to Software Engineering Techniques - 3 hrs
3. CS 275 - Discrete Mathematics - 4 hrs

Community and Leadership Development

1. CLD 302 - Leadership Studies - 3 hrs
2. CLD 320 - Community and Communication - 3 hrs
3. CLD 340 - Community Interaction - 3 hrs

Clinical Leadership and Management

1. CLM 241 - Health and Medical Care Delivery Systems - 3 hrs

College of Public Health

1. CPH 201 - Introduction to Public Health - 3 hrs
2. CPH 310 - Disease Detectives: Epidemiology In Action - 3 hrs
3. CPH 351 - Population Health And Crisis Management - 3 hrs
4. CPH 365 - Special Topics in Public Health - 3 hrs
5. CPH 410 - Epidemiology People, Place, And Politics - 3 hrs
6. CPH 601 - Environmental Health - 3 hrs

Dietitics/ Human Nutrition

1. DHN 212 - Introductory Nutrition - 3 hrs
2. DHN 241 - Food Service Sanitation - 3 hrs

Economics

1. ECO 201 - Principles of Economics - 3 hrs
2. ECO 202 - Principles of Economics - 3 hrs
3. ECO 401 - Intermediate Microeconomic Theory - 3 hrs
4. ECO 402 - Intermedicate Macroeconomic Theory - 3 hrs

Entomology

1. ENT 300 - General Entomology - 3 hrs
2. ENT 340 - Livestock Entomology - 2 hrs
3. ENT/FOR 402 - Forest Entomology - 3 hrs
4. ENT 561 - Insects affecting Human and Animal Health - 3 hrs
5. ENT 568 - Insect Behavior - 3 hrs

Food Science

1. FSC 434G - Food Chemistry - 4 hrs
2. FSC 530 - Food Microbiology - 5 hrs
3. FSC 536 - Advanced Food Technology - 4 hrs
4. FSC 538 - Food Fermentation and Thermal Processing - 4 hrs

Forestry

1. FOR 370 -  Wildlife Biology And Management - 4 hrs

Geography

1. Geo 261 - Global Dynamics of Health and Disease - 3 hrs

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Gerontology

1. GRN 250 - Aging In Today's World - 3 hrs

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History

1. HIS 584 - Health and Disease in the U.S. - 3 hrs

Honors Program

1. HON 301 - Proseminar:  Brain, Body and Mind - 3 hrs
2. HON 301 - Proseminar:  Genetic Engineering - 3 hrs
3. HON 301 - Proseminar:  Discoveries in Cancer Biology - 3 hrs
4. HON 301 - Proseminar:  Doctoring Undercover - 3 hrs
5. HON 301 - Proseminar:  Babies are not pizzas - 3 hrs

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Human Health Sciences

1. HHS 402G - Muscle Biology - 3hrs
2. HHS 443 - Health Information Management -3 hrs

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Microbiology and Immunology

1. MI/BIO 494G - Immunobiology - 3 hrs
2. MI/BIO 495G - Bacterial Pathogenesis - 3 hrs
3. MI/BIO 582 - Virology - 3hrs

Natural Resources and Environmental Science

1. NRE 201 - Natural Resources And Environmental Science - 3 hrs
2. NRE 381 - Natural Resourcse And Environmental Policy Analysis - 3hrs

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Physiology

1. PGY 206 - Elementary Physiology - 3 hrs
2. PGY 312 - Cell Physiology And Pathophysiology - 3 hrs
3. PGY 401G - Human Reproduction, Technology, And Society - 3 hrs
4. PGY 412G - Principles of Human Physiology Lectures- 4 hrs
5. PGY 413G - Critical Thinking In Physiology - 1 hr

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Pharmacology

1. PHA 200 - Pharmacology: Drugs And Human Health - 3 hrs
2. PHA 421G - Pharmacology:  Principles of Durg Action - 3 hrs
3. PHA 422G - Pharmacology of Treating Human Disease - 3 hrs
4. PHA 423G - Exploring the Dark Side of Medicine - 3 hrs
5. PHA 424G - Pharmacology:  Endocrine and Reproduction - 3 hrs
6. PHA 425G - Neuropharmacology:  Drugs and the Brain - 3 hrs

Philosophy

1. PHI 305 - Health Care Ethics - 3 hrs
2. PHI 335 - The Individual and Society - 3 hrs
3. PHI 336 -Environmental Ethics - 3 hrs
4. PHI 361 - Biology and Society - 3 hrs
5. PHI 380 - Death/Dying/Quality of Life - 3 hrs

Plant and Soil Sciences and Horticulture

1. PLS 404 - Integrated Weed Management- 3 hrs
2. PLS 502 - Ecology of Economic Plants - 3 hrs
3. PLS 566 - Soil Microbiology - 3 hrs
4. PLS 567 - Methods in Soil Microbiology - 1 hrs

Plant Pathology

1. PPA 400G - Principles of Plant Pathology - 3 hrs
2. PPA 500 - Physiology of Plant Health and Disease - 3 hrs

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Psychology

1. PSY 215 - Experimental Psychology - 3 hrs
2. PSY 223 - Developmental Psychology - 3 hrs
3. PSY 311 - Learning and Cognition - 3 hrs
4. PSY 312 - Brain and Behavior - 3 hrs
5. PSY 313 - Personality and Individual Differences - 3 hrs
6. PSY 314 - Social Psychology and Cultural Processes - 3 hrs
7. PSY 459 - Neuropharmcology:  Drugs and Behavior - 3 hrs
8. PSY 456 - Behavioral Neuroscience - 4 hrs

Statistics

1. STA 570 - Basic Statisticial Analysis - 4 hrs
2. STA 580 - Biostatistics I - 3 hrs
   

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Rehabilitation Counseling

1. RC 515 - Medical and Psychosocial Aspects of Disabilities I - 3hrs

Sociology

1. SOC 255 - Medicine, Health, And Society - 3 hrs
2. SOC 335 - Sociology of Gender - 3 hrs
3. SOC 339 - Introduction to Crime, Law and Deviance - 3 hrs
4. SOC 350 - Topics in Sociology - 3 hrs
5. SOC 360 - Environmental Sociology - 3 hrs

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Sustainable Agriculture

1. SAG 201 -  Cultural Perspectives On Sustainability - 3 hrs
2. SAG 390 - Agroecology - 3 hrs

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Veterinary Science

1. VS 307 - Genetics of Horses - 3 hrs
2. VS 350 - Introduction to Anatomy/Physiology and Animal Hygiene- 3 hrs
3. VS 351 - Principles of Animal Hygiene and Disease Control - 3 hrs

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*NOTICE:   Although every effort is made to ensure that this list of Specialty support requirements is accurate and up to date, it is provided for the convenience of the user and should not be considered the official version. The official version of this material is available in the University of Kentucky Bulletin. The user is advised to refer to and rely upon the official version of this material when making significant decisions or judgments.