Advice on Scheduling Courses for a Biology Major

Advice on Scheduling Courses for a Biology Major

The Biology Major requires that a student earn a C- or higher in 15 courses.  Many of these courses must be taken in a prescribed order.  For example, CH107 must be taken prior to BY131.  Thus, it is very important to plan out your Biology major early in your career, and try to take at least 4 courses each year that apply to the major. Students who want to study abroad have to plan carefully, as many study abroad programs do not enable students to earn Biology credit while studying abroad.  Study abroad is a valuable experience, so plan ahead:  you may have to take more than 4 required courses in the year before or after your study abroad experience.

It is also important to consider what extracurricular activities you will pursue in order to move toward gaining entrance to a post-graduate degree program (such as a Master’s in Teaching, N.P., Ph.D., or M.D.,), or toward employment following graduation.  In particular, you should work with the Career Center and your advisor to plan for summer activities that will enrich your academic experience and make you more eligible for post-graduate work or employment. Summer research experience is increasingly required for admission to graduate programs including medical school, and is essential to qualify for Ph.D. programs.  Furthermore, students earning high enough grades to qualify to graduate with distinction should plan to do undergraduate research during the summer between their junior and senior years, because a thesis (BY 499) is required to graduate with distinction and extensive research and writing time is required to complete a thesis.

The following are suggestions for the scheduling of courses for the Biology major.  Many variations on these suggestions are possible, but may not be optimal.  Talk with your advisor about your planned course of study.  Because many courses in the major must be taken in a particular sequence, and because these courses also are popular with many students outside the Biology major, we strongly advise AGAINST changing your entire schedule using drop-add opportunities without first consulting with your advisor.  We have also made some suggestions for first-years and sophomores who are deciding between being a Biology major (MCB track) or a Biochemistry major, because those majors have many first-year and sophomore courses in common. The Environmental Science major is very different from the Biology major and has no first-year or sophomore-level courses in common with it; we refer interested students to the Environmental Science Department.  The Neuroscience major has some overlap with the MCB track Biology major, but students majoring in Neuroscience must complete two two-block courses and PY100, all of which are often full, so we advise you to speak with a Neuroscience faculty member as soon as possible if you are thinking of majoring in Neuroscience.

---

Suggestions for students who are uncertain whether to major in the OEE track or the MCB track.

These suggestions are based on the principle that you should take courses that will count toward both majors and enable you to meet faculty and students who will help you decide which track is best for you.  See pages 7-8 of the Majors' Handbook if you are certain that you will major in the OEE or MCB track, respectively.

FIRST YEAR:

Two of the following introductory biology courses:

BY 105 (Biology of Plants)
BY 106 (Biology of Animals)
BY 107 (Biology of Microbes)
BY 131 (Introduction to Molecular and Cellular Biology)

and

CH 107 (General Chemistry I) and CH 108 (General Chemistry II)

Note: Taking MA 125-6 Pre-calculus and Calculus or MA 126 Calculus I could improve your grades in CH 107 and CH 108.  MA 125-6 will satisfy one math course requirement for either track of the biology major.

SECOND YEAR:

BY 208 Ecology
BY 231 Genetics
CH 250 (Organic Chemistry)
MA125-6 OR MA126 OR MA127 OR MA129 OR BY220 OR BY256/MA256 

By the end of your sophomore year, you should decide to commit either to the OEE track or the MCB track.  Talk to your Biology advisor and declare your major before the end of your sophomore year. While it is theoretically possible to declare later, planning your academic schedule and getting into courses may be challenging if you wait too long.

 

---

Suggestions for students who are certain they will choose the OEE track

(Download the checklist here.)

FIRST YEAR:

Two of the following introductory biology courses:

BY 105 (Biology of Plants) OR
BY 106 (Biology of Animals) OR
BY 107 (Biology of Microbes) (no credit if taken after BY 101)

and

BY 131 (Introduction to Molecular and Cellular Biology)

and

CH 107 (General Chemistry I) & CH 108 (General Chemistry II)

Note: Taking MA 125-6 Pre-calculus and Calculus or MA 126 Calculus I could improve your grades in CH 107 and CH 108.  MA 125-6 will satisfy one math course requirement for either track of the biology major. 

SECOND YEAR:

Four of the following:

One more block of BY 105, BY 106, or BY 107 if both blocks have not already been completed (should be completed before the junior year).
BY 220 Biostatistics (recommended before taking BY 208)
BY 208 Ecology
BY 131 Introduction to Molecular and Cellular Biology (should be completed before the junior year)
CH 250 (Organic Chemistry)
MA125-6 OR MA126 OR MA127 OR MA129 or MA256/BY256

Note: Only 1 course in organic chemistry is required for the OEE track of the biology major, but many graduate courses and virtually all health-professions require 2 courses in organic chemistry (e.g. CH250 and CH251).  Therefore, it may be advisable to also take CH 251 (Reactions of Organic Molecules).  This second course in organic chemistry could be taken any time during the four years, but keep in mind that it is a prerequisite for Biochemistry.

Talk with your advisor and the Career Center about possible summer activities between your second and third years at the college.  Talk to your Biology advisor and declare your major before the end of your sophomore year.

THIRD YEAR:

Finish your mathematics requirement.
BY 280 Population Genetics or BY 231 Genetics (if you have not already completed one of these courses)
Two-three approved Biology electives

Talk with your advisor and the Career Center about possible summer activities between your third and fourth years at the college.  Talk with your advisor to find out if you might be eligible to graduate with distinction, so that you can complete the senior requirements for distinction.

FOURTH YEAR:

Complete a senior capstone course in the last two semesters prior to graduation (options vary from year to year, but will always include BY499, Senior Thesis) (list of eligible courses depends on the year; consult your advisor)

Complete the entire Senior Capstone Experience (includes seminars & abstracts; ETS or GRE exam)

Two or three approved biology electives (a total of 5 approved electives are required to complete the major, at least 3 of which must be at the 300 or 400 level)

 

---

Suggestions for students who are certain they will choose the MCB track

(Download the checklist here.) 

FIRST YEAR:

One of the following introductory biology courses:

BY 105 Biology of Plants
BY 106 Biology of Animals
BY 107 Biology of Microbes (no credit if taken after BY 101)

and

CH 107 General Chemistry I
CH 108 General Chemistry II
BY 131 Introduction to Molecular and Cellular Biology 

Note: Taking MA 125-6 Pre-calculus and Calculus or MA 126 Calculus I could improve your grades in CH 107 and CH 108.  MA 125-6 will satisfy one math course requirement for either track of the biology major.

SECOND YEAR:

BY 231 Genetics
CH 250 Organic Chemistry I
CH 251 Organic Chemistry II
MA 125-6 OR MA 126 OR MA 127 OR MA 129 or MA 256/BY 256 or BY 220

Talk with your advisor and the Career Center about possible summer activities between your second and third years at the college.  Talk to your Biology advisor and declare your major before the end of your sophomore year.

THIRD YEAR:

Finish your mathematics requirement.
Three approved Biology electives, including one or two with a BY 231 pre-requisite.

Talk with your advisor and the Career Center about possible summer activities between your third and fourth years at the college.  Talk with your advisor to find out if you might be eligible to graduate with distinction, so that you can complete the senior requirements for distinction.

FOURTH YEAR:

Complete a senior capstone course in the last two semesters prior to graduation (options vary from year to year, but will always include BY499, Senior Thesis) (list of eligible courses depends on the year; consult your advisor)

Complete the entire Senior Capstone Experience (includes seminars & abstracts; ETS or GRE exam; senior capstone course)

Two or three approved biology electives, including two or three with a BY 231 pre-requisite (a total of 6 approved electives are required to complete the major)

 

---

Suggestions for students who are uncertain whether to major in Biology (MCB track) or Biochemistry

The table below summarizes some of the differences between Biochemistry and Biology (MCB track). 

The guiding principle for the advice below is to take first-year and sophomore-level courses that count toward both MCB Biology and Biochemistry, to buy yourself time to decide which major is best for you.  Note that the BY courses that are required by Biochemistry and/or allowed as electives for Biochemistry have not been finalized as of the printing of the Biology Majors' Handbook, so it is best to check with a Biochemistry advisor.

FIRST YEAR:

One of the following introductory biology courses (Only ONE of these courses counts toward the Biochemistry major.):

BY 105 Biology of Plants
BY 106 Biology of Animals
BY 107 Biology of Microbes (no credit if taken after BY 101)

and

CH 107 General Chemistry I
CH 108 General Chemistry II
BY 131 Introduction to Molecular and Cellular Biology 

Note: Taking MA 125-6 Pre-calculus and Calculus or MA 126 Calculus I could improve your grades in CH 107 and CH 108.  MA 125-6 will satisfy one math course requirement for either track of the biology major. 

SECOND YEAR:

BY 231 Genetics
CH 250 Organic Chemistry I
CH 251 Organic Chemistry II
MA 125-6 OR MA 126 OR MA 127 OR MA 129 or MA 256/BY 256 or BY 220
The Biochemistry major strongly recommends completing MA128 and PC241 and PC242 before the end of the second year (but these courses are not required for the MCB Biology Major). 

By the end of your sophomore year, you should decide to complete the MCB Biology Major or the Biochemistry Major. 

Talk to your advisor and declare your major before the end of your sophomore year.