Undergraduate Program
Advising
Department advisors can help students with a variety of tasks and questions including:
- How to declare a major or minor in biology
- Requesting an exception to major or minor requirements
- First Year Advising: Introductory Biology Courses and Registration Instructions for Lectures, Labs and Workshops
- Dual major and dual degree restrictions
- How AP and transfer credits are incorporated
- How to get involved in research
- How to become a teaching assistant
- How to get credit for teaching
- Preparing for medicine/health professions
If you are looking for first year advising please see: First Year Course Planning: First Two Years.
Biology Major, Minor, and Certificate Advisors
BA in Biology (Class of 2018, 2020) | Danielle Presgraves, PhD |
BA in Biology (Class of 2019) | Cheeptip Benyajati, PhD |
Biochemistry Major Track | Elizabeth Grayhack, PhD |
Cell and Developmental Biology Major Track | David Lambert, PhD |
Computational Biology Major Track | Amanda Larracuente, PhD |
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Major Track | Dr. James Fry, Ph.D. |
Microbiology Major Track | Dr. Jacques Robert, PhD |
Molecular Genetics Major Track | Dr. Elaine Sia, PhD |
In addition to their advisor, students also have access to the following resources:
How to Declare Your Major/Minor in Biology
Students intending to declare a major or minor in any biology program other than neuroscience should:
- Meet with the UPBM administrator to make a schedule for completing major or minor requirements and receive advisor assignment. Visit the UPBM Booking Site to select a time that meets your needs.
- Bring any transfer credit information on courses that may be applicable to the major/minor, if needed
- Meet with the appropriate advisor to review schedule for approval
- To set up an appointment, send an email to your advisor with a few dates/times of availability
- Submit signed paperwork to the UPBM administrator
- Submit the online major declaration form
After officially declaring your major, we recommend that you periodically visit with your advisor. This is particularly important if there are any changes from the curriculum proposed on the concentration form. Formal submission of another form is NOT required, but the changes should be made in writing and made part of your record in the track office.
Request an Exception to Major or Minor Requirements
To get an exception, students must consult with their advisor and submit a petition to the UPBM Committee of Track Coordinators.
Biology Courses for First Year Students
BIO 112L Perspectives in Biology I (CRN 14102 Instructor: Dr. David Goldfarb)
A first year course designed for confident students with strong biology backgrounds. This typically means a score of 4 or 5 on the AP Biology test, or an IB score of at least 6.
BIO 110L Principles of Biology I (CRN 13471 Instructor: Dr. Michael Clark)
A course designed for students who have some biology background. This typically means they took AP (IB) biology but did not score a 4 or 6 on the respective tests. However, a confident student who has taken multiple AP courses in other disciplines should also consider this course. This course is open to upper classmen.
BIO 110L Principles of Biology I (CRN 13485 Instructor: Dr. Thomas Eickbush)
A first year only course designed for students with little biology background. This typically means they last took Biology their freshmen or sophomore year of high school. All students will take part in a weekly study group run by a graduate student mentor. A permission code is required to register for this course and can be obtained from the student’s first year advisor. If students have questions they should contact Dr. Eickbush in person Friday morning at the “Open House”, or Friday afternoon at his office (HH334a).
KEY POINTS:
- All 3 courses are appropriate for pre-medical school tracks, and will prepare students for upper level biology courses. Non-premed students, who intend to major in the social sciences or humanities should register for BIO 101 Genes, Germs, and Genomics (Benyajati).
- All 3 courses require concurrent enrollment in Chemistry (e.g. CHM 131 or equivalent). Students with questions concerning this requirement should contact Drs. Goldfarb, Clark and Eickbush at the “Open House” on Friday Aug. 24th.
- All 3 courses have a required laboratory that is attended every other week. This lab is not a separate course, but is incorporated into the 4-credit lecture course.
All 3 courses have required workshops and labs.
REGISTRATION INSTRUCTIONS
STEP 1: 8/25 REGISTER FOR LECTURE through regular College On-line Registration during pre-assigned time: https://webreg.its.rochester.edu/prod/web/RchRegDefault.jsp
- CAN’T GET IN? Students who cannot get in need to visit the following link and let us know which lecture you need to get into ASAP: https://form.jotform.com/72284930681158
STEP 2: 8/25 at 10pm, CHECK UR MAILBOX FOR NOTIFICATION TO SIGN-UP FOR MANDATORY LAB AND WORKSHOP ASAP
The Biology department will send email notification to all enrolled in BIO 110L and 112L lecture a link to an online application to pick their labs and workshops. Therefore, it is essential you register for the course and respond immediately, or risk being shut out of the section that meets your needs.
Email confirmation will be sent immediately after lab and workshop selections are made. Students who need to change their selections may do so by visiting the link labeled “edit submission” that will be provided in the email confirmation. Students will have until Friday 8/31 to make any changes.
Students with questions or who need to make changes to their workshop and lab times after 8/31 will need to send an email to: BioDeptUgOffice@ur.rochester.edu.
Dual Major and Dual Degree Restrictions
Dual Degrees (Both a BA and BS)
Students seeking approval to earn dual degrees will need to petition the Administrative Committee of the College before the double degree program can be implemented. No student may declare a BA in biology and a BS in biological sciences in any track. See the sophomore page for more information.
Dual Majors (Two BA or Two BS Degrees)
Dual majors involving one UPBM track major and a major in an area outside UPBM are allowed as long as there is no more than a two-course overlap (allied fields do not apply.) No student may declare two BS degrees within the UPBM tracks. See the sophomore page for more information.
How AP and Transfer Credits are Incorporated
AP Biology Credit Policy: Students who scored a 4 or 5 on Advanced Placement biology exams receive four general college credits; however, it cannot be used to satisfy any of the requirements for the biology major or minor.
IB Biology Credit Policy: Students who scored a 6 or 7 on the International Baccalaureate exam receive four general college credits; however, it cannot be used to satisfy any of the requirements for the biology major or minor.
AP and IB Students Eligible to Take Concentrated Introductory Course Series: Students who received credit for AP or IB biology scores are eligible to take BIO 112/113: Perspectives in Biology I and II.
Note: The biology department does not approve AP or IB biology credit for use toward major requirements.
Transfer Credit Restrictions
Students wishing to apply coursework completed at institutions outside of the University of Rochester* toward their biology degree must provide evidence of the following:
- Courses were not “pre-professional” in nature (i.e., nutrition, nursing, or technical training, such as EMT training)
- Courses were offered in the biology department or equivalent
- Courses counted toward a biology degree at the institution that offered them
- Courses overlapped in content with biology courses offered at the University of Rochester
Before undertaking coursework elsewhere, students should fill out the “Course Approval Form” to ensure that the course can count toward their undergraduate degree. See the advisor handbook for more information.
*With the exception of the courses specified in the master list of transferable courses at MCC.
How to Get Involved in Research
Our department has many great ways to get involved in research including:
- Independent research: Students work with a faculty research mentor during the semester for credit.
- The de Kiewiet Research Fellowship: Students work with a faculty research mentor over the summer.
- Honors research: Students develop a novel body of work that includes publication-quality data, and create and defend a senior thesis.
The Office of Undergraduate Research is another useful resource for getting research funding, learning about undergraduate research conferences, and more.
How to Become a Teaching Assistant
The department recruits undergraduates to lead workshops, recitations, or laboratory sections associated with many of the courses offered. See the teaching assistant page for list of current opportunities and how to apply.
How to Get Credit for Teaching
Students must first apply and be accepted into a teaching assistant position and then sign up for BIO 390. For more information see the supervised teaching page.
Preparing for Medicine/Health Professions
Graduate and medical degree programs in the health professions frequently have admissions requirements that include two semesters in general chemistry, organic chemistry, general physics, and calculus. Some programs may have additional requirements such as biochemistry and/or microbiology.
For detailed information on premed course requirements, academic planning, and the MCAT, visit the Health Professions Advising website.