Getting Started in Biology

There are many different ways of getting started in Biology.

Here's an Introductory Biology Class Section Tool that may be helpful in getting started.

For more details on the Major Requirements, please follow this link.

Students interested in potentially majoring in biology can begin with either BISC110/110P/112/112Y/116 (Introductory Cellular and Molecular Biology) or BISC111/111T*/113/113Y (Introductory Organismal Biology), and there are multiple versions of those courses. Students with Biology AP or IB credit should consider starting with BISC112, BISC112Y, BISC113 or BISC113Y (AP score 4 or 5 but please check with us if you took AP Bio in 2019-2020). BISC110P is a version of BISC110 that is intended for students who do not meet the prerequisites for BISC 110 and/or require additional academic support. BISC112Y and 113Y are introductory bio courses and first year seminars. BISC116 is an innovative combined introductory biology and chemistry course, please see the catalog for more details about this course.

Students who are interested in biology and/or meeting the natural and physical sciences distribution requirement (NPS) and the Lab sciences requirement can take BISC107 (Stem Cells in Regenerative Medicine), BISC 108 (Environmental Horticulture with Laboratory), or BISC 109 (Human Biology with Laboratory). We also have some other exciting options such as BISC 104 (Science or Science Fiction?) that is offered as a summer class; any of these courses may later count towards the Biology major as an elective "9th course".

*BISC 111T is typically offered every other year.