This is the preliminary (or launch) version of the 2026-2027 VCU Bulletin. Courses that expose students to cutting-edge content and transformative learning may be added and notification of additional program approvals may be received prior to finalization. General education program content is also subject to change. The final edition and full PDF version will include these updates and will be available in August prior to the beginning of the fall semester.

LFSC 101. Academic and Career Options in Life Sciences. 1 Hour.

Semester course; 1 lecture hour. 1 credit. Students interested in the life sciences at VCU are faced with an enormous variety of academic options from bioinformatics and biomedical engineering to exercise science and nursing. Students outside of these programs have post-graduate opportunities in the life sciences, such as health care administration and government policy. This course will introduce students to an overview of all of the academic programs in life sciences available at VCU and their associated potential career options. Graded as pass/fail.

LFSC 191. Special Topics in Integrative Life Sciences. 1-4 Hours.

Semester course; 1-4 lecture hours. 1-4 credits. May be repeated for credit with different topics. A 100-level study of a selected topic in integrative life sciences. Students will find specific topics and prerequisites for each special topics course listed in the Schedule of Classes. If multiple topics are offered, students may elect to take more than one.

LFSC 201. Sustaining Life: ____. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours (delivered online, face-to-face or hybrid). 3 credits. The course explores how scientists investigate and address complex problems across the scales of life from molecules to ecosystems. Through project-based learning, students examine current and historical research in biology, bioinformatics, environmental studies and sustainability to understand how data and evidence inform scientific reasoning. Emphasis is placed on interdisciplinary collaboration, problem-solving frameworks and clear communication of scientific ideas. Topics will vary by section.

LFSC 301. Integrative Life Sciences Research. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 2 lecture and 1 recitation hour. 3 credits. Concurrent prerequisite: UNIV 200 or HONR 200. Students will leave this course knowing enough about science and the process of science to feel confident in critically evaluating scientific information and/or embarking on their own process of discovery with a faculty mentor. They will gain an appreciation of the interdisciplinary and complex nature of life sciences and will hone their critical thinking about how science interacts with and informs society.

LFSC 307. Community Solutions: Multiple Perspectives. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisite: PSYC 101. Explores possibilities for addressing social concerns of the Richmond community by understanding the complex nature of social issues as essential to their successful amelioration via perspectives of life and social sciences. Toward this end, expertise from the social sciences, the life sciences and the community are integrated. Includes a service-learning experience (a 20-hour volunteer requirement). Crosslisted as: PSYC 307.

LFSC 391. Special Topics in Integrative Life Sciences. 1-4 Hours.

Semester course; 1-4 lecture hours. 1-4 credits. May be repeated for credit with different topics. A 300-level study of a selected topic in integrative life sciences. Students will find specific topics and prerequisites for each special topics course listed in the Schedule of Classes. If multiple topics are offered, students may elect to take more than one.

LFSC 401. Faith and Life Sciences. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisite: UNIV 200 or HONR 200. Open to students of any school or program. Explores the complex relationships between faith traditions and the life sciences. Topics include epistemology, impact of life sciences on ideas of fate and responsibility, limits of science and technology, and scientific and religious perspectives on human origins, consciousness, aggression, forgiveness, health, illness and death. Crosslisted as: RELS 401.

LFSC 491. Special Topics in Integrative Life Sciences. 1-4 Hours.

Semester course; 1-4 lecture hours. 1-4 credits. May be repeated for credit with different topics. A 400-level study of a selected topic in integrative life sciences. Students will find specific topics and prerequisites for each special topics course listed in the Schedule of Classes. If multiple topics are offered, students may elect to take more than one.

LFSC 501. AI in Life Sciences: ____. 1-3 Hours.

Semester course; 1-3 seminar hours. 1-3 credits. Topics course addressing cutting edge issues related to the intersection of AI and the life sciences. See the Schedule of Classes for specific topics offered each semester.

LFSC 591. Special Topics in Integrative Life Sciences. 1-4 Hours.

Semester course; variable hours. 1-4 credits. A 500-level study of a selected topic in integrative life sciences. Students will find specific topics and prerequisites for each Special Topics course listed in the Schedule of Classes. If multiple topics are offered, students may elect to take more than one.

LFSC 630. Integrative Life Sciences Research. 2 Hours.

Semester course; 2 lecture hours. 2 credits. Restricted to integrative life sciences doctoral students. An introduction to integrative research in the life sciences from the molecular to ecosystem level. The course will include presentations on ongoing interdisciplinary and systems-oriented life sciences research by faculty members and discussion and analysis of classic interdisciplinary research projects.

LFSC 631. Student Seminar in Integrative Life Sciences. 1 Hour.

Semester course; 1 seminar hour. 1 credit. May be repeated for credit. The ability to present and evaluate independent research across diverse disciplines is imperative to scientists in the life sciences, where collaboration and integrated thinking is essential. This seminar will provide this opportunity from both perspectives with oral informal presentations to a peer graduate student audience, who will provide peer evaluations and critical feedback. Graded as S/U.

LFSC 690. Research Seminar in Integrative Life Sciences. 1 Hour.

Semester course; 1 lecture hour. 1 credit. May be repeated for credit. Presentation and discussion of research topics of current interest in the life sciences. Graded as "S," "U" or "F.".

LFSC 691. Special Topics in Integrative Life Sciences. 1-4 Hours.

Semester course; variable hours. 1-4 credits. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor required. Advanced graduate study of a selected topic in integrative life sciences. Students will find specific topics and prerequisites for each Special Topics course listed in the Schedule of Classes. If multiple topics are offered, students may elect to take more than one.

LFSC 697. Directed Research in Integrative Life Sciences. 1-15 Hours.

Semester course; 1-15 research hours. 1-15 credits. May be repeated for credit. Directed research in interdisciplinary and integrative life sciences. Graded as S/U.

LFSC 701. Post-candidacy Doctoral Research. 9 Hours.

Semester course; 9 research hours. 9 credits. May be repeated for credit. Enrollment is restricted to students who have been admitted to doctoral candidacy in the integrative life sciences doctoral program. Registration requires approval from the integrative life sciences program director. Students will participate in supervised, discipline-specific research related to their dissertation topic. This course can be approved as a substitution for any post-candidacy degree requirement. Graded as Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory.