Undergraduate Program

BS in Biological Sciences: General (BSG) Track

We require students to maintain a 2.0 grade point average (GPA) in the major, excluding allied field courses. See the advising page for information on how to declare your major, who your program advisor is, double majors, double degrees, petitioning for exceptions and more.

Information regarding preparing for a medical or health profession can be found on the advising page.

To begin the major declaration process for BS in Biological Sciences: General Track, please use this link to access our departmental form.

Major Requirements

Students planning to major in the biological sciences should take BIOL 110L and 111L (or 112L and 113L), and CHEM 131-132 in their first year, and BIOL 198 or 190 and CHEM 203/207 in the fall of their second year.

Introductory Courses (Three Courses)

Select one of the following:

• BIOL 110L: Principles of Biology I with Lab
• BIOL 110: Principles of Biology I
• BIOL 112L: Perspectives of Biology I with Lab (pre-requires AP biology exam score of 4 or 5)

Select one of the following:

• BIOL 111L: Principles of Biology II with Lab
• BIOL 113L: Perspectives of Biology II with Lab (pre-requires AP biology exam score of 4 or 5)

Select one of the following:

• BIOL 198/198P: Principles of Genetics with Lab
• BIOL 190/198P: The Human Genome with Lab

Laboratory Experience (Two Courses)

BIO 198P: Principles of Genetics Lab

Plus, one of the following:

• BIOL 225: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Lab
• MBI 221W: Microbiology Lab
• BIOL 268: Lab in Molecular, Cell & Developmental Biology
• BCH 308: Biochemistry Lab and Critical Analysis
• NSCI 203: Lab in Neurobiology
• #### 395: Independent Research (requires track coordinator approval)

Core Courses (Three Courses)

Select one of the following Biochemistry courses:

• BIOL 250: Introduction to Biochemistry without Lab
• BIOL 250 & 250P: Introduction to Biochemistry with Lab
• BIOL 252: Principles of Biochemistry (not offered Spring 2026)

Select one of the following:

• BIOL 205: Evolution
• BIOL 260: Animal Behavior
• BIOL 263: Ecology
• BIOL 267: Human Evolutionary Genetics (Will not be offered in spring 2026)

Select one of the following:

• BIOL 204: Principles of Physiology
• BIOL 210: Cell Biology
• BIOL 226: Developmental Biology

Advanced Electives (Three Courses)

Select three courses from the BSG advanced electives list. At least one of the advanced electives or core courses must have a strong emphasis on reading and analyzing articles from the primary literature, as determined by the track coordinator. Visit the Primary Research Literature-Based Course Website for current examples of such courses. This list is not exhaustive and will continue to be a work in progress due to new course offerings. Students are encouraged to ask the track coordinator about courses that are not on the list they are interested in taking.

Ancillary Requirements (Nine Courses with Indicated Labs)

The following general chemistry I course

• CHEM 131: Chemical Concepts I with Lab

One of the following general chemistry II courses:

• CHEM 132: Chemical Concepts II with Lab
• CHEM 171: First Year Organic Chemistry I

One of the following organic chemistry I courses:

• CHEM 171/173: First Year Organic Chemistry I with Lab
• CHEM 203/207: Organic Chemistry I with Lab

One of the following physics I or programming courses:

• PHYS 113: General Physics I with Lab
• PHYS 121: Mechanics
• PHYS 122: Electricity and Magnetism with Lab
• PHYS 141: Mechanics (Honors) with Lab
• PHYS 142: Electricity and Magnetism (Honors) with Lab
• CSC 161: Introduction to Programming
• CSC 171: Introduction to Computer Science
• BIOL 208: Intro to Programming for Bio
• BIOL 259L: Applied Population Bio with Lab

One of the following calculus I courses:

• MATH 141: Calculus I
• MATH 161: Calculus IA
• MATH 171: Honors Calculus I

One of the following calculus II courses:

• MATH 142: Calculus II
• MATH 162: Calculus IIA
• MATH 172: Honors Calculus I

One of the following statistics courses:

• BIOL 214: Biostatistics 
• STAT 180: (formerly STAT 212) Introduction to Applied Statistical Methodology
• STAT 190: (formerly STAT 213) Introduction to Statistical Methodology

Select two of the following ancillary electives:

• Math: MATH 150, 164, or 165
• Computer programming: BIOL 208, CSC 161, 170, or 171
• Organic chemistry: CHEM 204 with associated lab, 208, or 172/210
• Physics: PHYS 114, 122, or 142 or 113, 122, or 142 if not already taken)
• Statistics: STAT 201, 216, or 277
• Earth and environmental science: EESC 201