Looking for a gentler semester? Start with courses where students have earned higher grades.
Highest historical GPA first. At least 100 letter grades over the five years through the selected term. Grades reflect past outcomes, not workload or a guaranteed result.
15 courses
Ranked courses have at least 100 recorded letter grades.
Critical Analyses in Microbiology trains students to be scientific problem-solvers who critically analyze data and comprehend microbiological research principles through active discussion of scholarly papers and contemporary topics.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026A seminar course involving reviews of microbiological subjects and reports on research work.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Seminars on current topics in agricultural, medical, and industrial biotechnology including genetic engineering, continuous fermentation, bioconversion, plant biotechnology, and transgenic animals.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Spring 2026Introduction to sequence-based bioinformatics for microbial systems, covering BLAST, RNA-seq, genome assembly, annotation, and comparative genomics.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Spring 2026Introduction to Disease Biology covers the biology of infectious disease, its impact on humans and other organisms, and social factors shaping disease spread through a global health lens.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Spring 2026Capstone course providing hands-on microbiology research in a lab, covering experimental design, troubleshooting, communication, and ethics.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Spring 2026Introductory course on microbial roles in nature, health, and ecology; covers disease principles, body defenses, and biotechnology.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Timothy Paustian
Past students reported that Timothy Paustian required them to buy his own textbook; one called his exams extremely hard, while another called quizzes a guessing game with deliberately vague wording.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2023–Spring 2026Covers phylogenetic diversity, ecology, and evolution of microbes using active learning methods to deepen microbiology understanding.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Charlie Mo
The course was heavily focused on memorization with very few assignments beyond review quizzes. Exams consisted of short-answer and essay questions along with one or two multiple-choice items, requiring retention of many random concepts.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Examines modern microbial genetics and molecular processes, emphasizing eubacterial and eukaryotic microbes to elucidate cellular function and discussing experimental applications in biotechnology, bioremediation, and medicine.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Katrina Forest
A past student reported that exam averages were around 60%, stating the exams expected too much from students and lacked clear indications of what to study.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Examines the structure and function of microbial communities living inside and on plants, animals, and humans, focusing on their relationship to nutrition, health, and disease.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Jean-Michel Ane
Exams were challenging due to numerous multiple-answer questions, while the research project was described as easy, with most students receiving full points.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Spring 2026General Microbiology Laboratory covers techniques and procedures in general microbiology, including cultivation, enumeration, aseptic techniques, physiology, and selected applications.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Michelle Rondon
Quizzes were worth five points each, and students advised aiming for a perfect score to help their grade. Exams focused on listing characteristics and grouping, with study guide questions appearing directly on tests.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Laboratory course introducing modern techniques for studying microorganism distribution and properties, including microscopy, media prep, and isolation.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Betty Slinger
Exams were hard and required extensive knowledge of the material, with grading criteria sometimes unclear and points deducted for items not in the rubric.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Introductory survey of microorganisms covering structure, function, ecology, nutrition, physiology, and genetics, plus applied areas including medical, agricultural, food, and industrial microbiology.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Michelle Rondon, Katrina Forest
Assessment structures ranged from noncumulative exams without a textbook to challenging tests that required heavy textbook reading and covered material not discussed in lecture.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Explores the biochemistry of microbial processes, focusing on the chemical logic, regulatory principles, and interconnected nature of central metabolism and energy generation.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Microbiology course covering basic biology of microorganisms, including structure, function, physiology, genetics, ecology, diversity, and evolution.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Timothy Paustian
Lectures moved extremely fast, making it hard to take notes while comprehending the material. Exams were described as hyperspecific, while lecture slides were often vague and unhelpful for understanding.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026