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.  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. 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 requires completion of two two-block courses and PY100, all of which are often full, so we advise you speak with a Neuroscience faculty member as soon as possible if you are thinking of majoring in Neuroscience.

 

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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:

BY105 (Biology of Plants)
BY106 (Biology of Animals)
BY107 (Biology of Microbes)
BY131 (Introduction to Molecular and Cellular Biology)

and

CH107 (General Chemistry I) and CH108 (General Chemistry II)

Note: Taking MA125-6 Pre-calculus and Calculus or MA126 Calculus I could improve your grades in CH107 and CH108 and will satisfy one math course requirement for either track of the biology major.

SECOND YEAR:

BY208 (Ecology)
BY231 (Genetics)
CH250 (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.

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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:

BY105 (Biology of Plants) OR
BY106 (Biology of Animals) OR
BY107 (Biology of Microbes) (no credit if taken after BY 101)
BY131 (Introduction to Molecular and Cellular Biology)

and

CH107 (General Chemistry I) and CH108 (General Chemistry II)

Note: Taking MA125-6 Pre-calculus and Calculus or MA126 Calculus I could improve your grades in CH107 and CH108 and will satisfy one math course requirement for either track of the biology major. 

SECOND YEAR:

Four of the following:

One more block of BY105, BY106, or BY107 if both blocks have not already been completed
BY220 Biostatistics (recommended before BY208)
BY208 Ecology
BY131 Introduction to Molecular and Cellular Biology
CH250 (Organic Chemistry)
MA125-6 OR MA126 OR MA127 OR MA129 or MA256/BY256

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.
BY280 Population Genetics or BY 231 Genetics
2-3 approved Biology electives

Talk with your advisor to find out if you might be eligible to graduate with distinction, so that you can complete those requirements.

FOURTH YEAR:

Complete the entire Senior Capstone Experience (includes seminars & abstracts; ETS or GRE exam, senior capstone course)
2-3 approved biology electives 

 

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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:

BY105 Biology of Plants
BY106 Biology of Animals
BY107 Biology of Microbes

and

CH107 (General Chemistry I)
CH108 (General Chemistry II)
BY131 Introduction to Molecular and Cellular Biology 

Note: Taking MA125-6 Pre-calculus and Calculus or MA126 Calculus I could improve your grades in CH107 and CH108 and will satisfy one math course requirement for either track of the biology major.

SECOND YEAR:

BY231 Genetics
CH250 Organic Chemistry I
CH251 Organic Chemistry II
MA125-6 OR MA126 OR MA127 OR MA129 or MA256/BY256 or BY220

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.
3 approved Biology electives, including one or two with a BY231 pre-requisite.

Talk with your advisor to find out if you might be eligible to graduate with distinction, so that you can complete those requirements.

FOURTH YEAR:

Complete the entire Senior Capstone Experience (includes seminars & abstracts; ETS or GRE exam, senior capstone course)
2-3 approved biology electives, most with a BY 231 pre-requisite

 

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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:

BY105 Biology of Plants
BY106 Biology of Animals
BY107 Biology of Microbes

and

CH107 General Chemistry I
CH108 General Chemistry II
BY131 Introduction to Molecular and Cellular Biology 

Note: Taking MA125-6 Pre-calculus and Calculus or MA126 Calculus I could improve your grades in CH107 and CH108.  MA125-6 will satisfy one math course requirement for either track of the biology major. 

SECOND YEAR:

BY231 Genetics
CH250 Organic Chemistry I
CH251 Organic Chemistry II
MA125-6 OR MA126 OR MA127 OR MA129 or MA256/BY256 or BY220
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.