The interdisciplinary major in biological sciences, offered by the Biology Department, consists of courses in biology, chemistry, mathematics, and computer science. Students may choose the general track or may customize the major by selecting a concentration either in ecology or in cellular and molecular biology.
Requirements
The major consists of fourteen courses: five core courses, two quantitative and physical science courses, one capstone course, and six electives dependent on the track or concentration. One of the electives must be a course with an organismal focus. The Advanced Placement examination in biology may not be counted toward the major.
Core courses
All biological sciences majors must take the following courses:
One Course with an Organismal Focus
All majors must take one course with an organismal focus from the following list of courses
Quantitative and physical science courses
All majors must take two of the following courses:
For students concentrating in ecology, one of these courses must be in statistics (MAT 107, MAT 206, MAT 207, MAT 208, or PSY 201). Students considering graduate school or a career in the health professions are strongly encouraged to take organic chemistry, physics, and calculus or statistics, and so should complete more than the minimum number of required courses.
Capstone course
All majors must take one of the following Capstone courses during their senior year
Electives:
General Biological Sciences Major Elective Requirements
Students may take any five courses chosen from additional offerings in biology (excluding BIO 201) or botany, or in organic chemistry (CHM 223, CHM 224) or biochemistry (CHM 303). Science-based Environmental Studies courses may be selected with approval of the major adviser. All of these courses must be at the 200 level or higher, with at least one at the 300 or 400 level; at least two of the courses must include a laboratory component.
Advisers: P. Barnes, A. Bernhard, D. Eastman, M. Grossel, K. Hardeman, P. Hine, C. Jones, M. Lizarralde, P. Owen, P. Siver, S. Suriyapperuma.
Ecology Concentration
Students will take three courses from the two areas listed below, one from the Ecology area, one from the Biological Diversity area, and one additional course from either area.
Students must take one of the following Ecology courses:
Students must take one of the following Biological Diversity courses
Students must take two of the following additional electives
Science-based Environmental Studies courses and other biology or botany courses may be selected with approval of the major adviser.
Cellular and Molecular Biology Concentration
Students must take two of the following foundational courses
Students must take three of the following Additional electives
One course from additional offerings in biology or botany may be selected with approval of the major adviser.
Students may not count both BIO 322 and BIO 409 toward this concentration.