BIOLOGY MAJOR INFORMATION
Biology has never been more exciting or more important. Virtually every
day brings news of major advances in understanding in all fields of
biology, from evolutionary ecology and conservation biology to genetics,
development, cell biology, and neuroscience. New and more threatening
infectious diseases, emergence of major new economies and global warming,
and an aging population all add significance to basic research in
biology. The Biology Department at Wesleyan is fully committed to and
engaged in active research and learning. We welcome students of all
backgrounds and interests to participate in this biological revolution.
The Biology Department offers
three programs:
- non-majors
- pre-majors
- majors
The non-majors program consists of a series of specially designated
General
Education courses. No co-requisites or prerequisites are needed to
take the courses.
The pre-majors program is designed for students who are interested in
biology but are not prepared to start their studies with a full year of
intensive courses in both biology and chemistry. Their route of entry
should be
BIOL170.
This course is a) one semester only, at a less intensive level than
BIOL181
(or
BIOL 195), b) is limited to first-year students, and c) does not have
an accompanying laboratory; it emphasizes areas in biology of human
concern. Students who take this course are advised to
take chemistry in their first year, and then continue with the
BIOL181(or
195),182
series in their sophomore year.
Credit for non-major and pre-major courses may not be applied toward the
biology major. In addition, the introductory core courses for the major,
BIOL181
(or
195),
182
(and their respective laboratory courses BIOL191,192)
may be taken by non-majors and can be used to satisfy General Education
NSM expectations.
The Biology majors program consists of the introductory courses
BIOL181
(or
BIOL 195) and
BIOL182;
and the associated lab courses
BIOL191 and
BIOL192, as well as a minimum of six upper-level courses in the
200, 300, and 500 series (500 level being graduate courses). In addition, one year of
physics (PHYS 111,112 or 113,116), one year of
organic chemistry (CHEM251, 252) and one semester of
mathematics
(any course numbered 117 or higher) are required. It should be noted
that two years of college-level chemistry are required by most medical
and other health-related graduate schools. A strong chemistry background
is especially recommended for students planning to enter graduate or
medical school.
It is advisable to begin the major by taking Introductory Biology [BIOL181
(or
BIOL 195)/BIOL182] in the freshman year to take
maximum advantage of the upper-level courses and research opportunities
of the Biology Department in later years. A prospective Biology major
begins with the two core introductory courses and labs. These courses do not have prerequisites, but
it is useful to have had some chemistry background or to take chemistry
concurrently. For advanced elective requirements see
Requirements for the class of
2008 and beyond.
Several faculty members in the
biology
and psychology
departments participate in a
neuroscience & behavior program, which at the undergraduate level constitutes a
separate major. Information about that program can be found under the
heading Neuroscience and Behavior.
Faculty members in biology also participate in two
Certificate Programs: (1) Informatics and Modeling and (2) Environmental
Studies. These certificate programs are excellent options for
Biology Majors.
The graduate program is an integral part of the Biology Department's
offerings. Not only are graduate students active participants in the
undergraduate courses, but upper-level undergraduates are encouraged to
take graduate-level courses and
seminars.
Research opportunities are also available for undergraduates; and, frequently, these involve close interaction with graduate students.
The seminar series introduces distinguished
scientists from other institutions who present lectures on their current
research work. These seminars are usually held on Thursdays at 12:00 NOON
(see Biology seminar series web page for location) and are open to all members of the university community.
One objective of these seminars is to relate material studied in
courses, tutorials, and research to current scientific concerns.
HONORS IN BIOLOGY
In order to be considered for departmental honors, a
student must:
- Be a biology major and be recommended to the department by a
faculty member. It is expected that the student will have at least a B
average (grade-point average 85) in courses credited to the major.
- Submit a thesis based on laboratory research, computational
research, or mathematical modeling. The thesis is carried out under
the supervision of a faculty member of the department.
Wesleyan's Online
Thesis Guide
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GENERAL EDUCATION
General education courses are specifically designed for non-majors with
an interest in Biology (BIOL
103, 107, 111, 112, 118, 150, 197). These courses have no
prerequisites. Students may elect to take any or all of
these courses. The pre-majors' course,
BIOL170, the
introductory courses for the major (BIOL181(or
BIOL 195),182 and their respective laboratory courses
BIOL191,192),
E&ES/BIOL197
(Introduction to Environmental Studies),
NS&B/BIOL 213
(Behavioral Neurobiology) may be taken by non-majors and can be used to satisfy
general education NSM general education expectations.
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