Prospective Students
I am among those who think that science has great beauty. A scientist in his laboratory is not only a technician: he is also a child placed before natural phenomena which impress him like a fairy tale.
Marie Curie
Majors Offered
The Department of Biology offers four majors. Students begin with enrolling in Foundations of Biology in the first year and are provisionally designated as Biology Majors. During the fall term of the second year, students can remain a Biology major or apply to one of the other majors offered from the Department of Biology.
- The Major in Biology is designed to educate students in both the breadth of subject matter encompassed by the biological sciences and the rapidly advancing knowledge at the forefront of this discipline. Students can choose to concentrate their studies in Molecular&Cellular Biology or in Ecology, Evolution&Behavior.
- The Major in Environmental Biology is designed to provide students with a foundation in population, whole organism, evolutionary and environmental biology as well as in chemistry and mathematics.
- The Biology of Global Health Major is designed to educate students in basic sciences while also integrating perspectives from policy, economics, ethics, law and sociology.
- The Major in Neurobiology is designed to educate students in the foundations of biology and neurobiology while providing opportunities for advanced study on a range of disciplines ranging from cell and molecular neuroscience to cognitive science and psychology as well as the interfaces of these disciplines.
AP-credit
The Department of Biology accepts credit from one of the following: AP Biology Exam, AP Environmental Sciences Exam, or IB Higher-level Biology.
- Students who received a score of 5 on the AP Biology Exam or on the AP Environmental Sciences Exam (but not both) will receive 2 credits to count towards the major and a 4-credit non-majors course (this AP-credit is counted as a College elective course).
- Students who received a score of 4 on the AP Biology Exam or on the AP Environmental Sciences Exam (but not both) will receive 1 credit to count towards the major and a 3-credit non-majors course (this AP-credit is counted as a College elective course).
- Students with a score of 6 or 7 on the IB Higher-level Biology Exam (but not Standard-level Biology) will receive 2 credits of upper division elective that will count towards the 44 credits of biology courses and will receive the equivalent of a 4-credit nonmajors course (this is recorded as a College elective course).
Courses in the first year
Normally, the first year includes biology, chemistry, mathematics and one general education course (for example, a foreign language) in the fall term and two general education courses in the spring term.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
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