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.  All 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 apply to 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

• Students who received a score of 5 on the AP Biology Exam will receive 2 credits to count towards the major as well as the equivalent of 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 will receive 1 credit to count towards the major as well as the equivalent of a 3-credit non-majors course (this AP-credit is counted as a College elective course).
  
• The Department of Biology does not accept the Environmental Sciences AP exam. 
  

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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