Requirements for the Biology Major

Students are encouraged to begin their major in the first year so that they can take maximum advantage of upper-level biology courses and research opportunities in later years. However, the major can certainly be successfully completed if begun during sophomore year, and many students are able to combine the biology major with a semester abroad.

A prospective biology major begins with a series of two core introductory courses. Students should begin the core series with BIOL181 and its associated laboratory course, BIOL191, which are offered in the fall semester. BIOL181 is offered in a number of small sections rather than a single large lecture class. These small sections allow for problem-based learning at a more individualized pace as students master the first semester of university-level biology. Students should enroll separately for the lab course, BIOL191. These courses do not have prerequisites or corequisites, but it is useful to have some chemistry background or to take chemistry concurrently. In the spring semester, the prospective major should take BIOL182 and its laboratory course, BIOL192. An optional spring course, BIOL194, is offered to students of BIOL182 who wish a challenging reading and discussion experience in addition to the lectures.

The biology majors program of study consists of the following:

  • The two introductory courses, BIOL181-BIOL182, with their labs, BIOL191-BIOL192
  • An optional spring course, BIOL194, is offered to students of BIOL182 who wish a challenging reading and discussion experience in addition to the lectures.

PLEASE NOTE : BIOL 181 and 182 can be taken with CR/U grading mode during the 2020-21 academic year, but note that medical schools might require these courses to be taken A-F.

 

At least six elective biology courses at the 200 and 300 levels including:

  • one mid-level cell/molecular course

         (either MB&B208, BIOL210, BIOL212, or BIOL218) AND

  • one mid-level organismic/population course

         (either NS&B//BIOL213, BIOL214, BIOL215 or BIOL216).

Among the 6 Biology elective courses, 3 must be used exclusively for the Biology major

Note: No more than three of these mid-level courses (listed above) may be counted towards the six advanced elective requirement.

Important Information for double majors: At least 3 electives (200-level and above) that are counted toward the Biology major cannot be simutaneously used to fulfill any other major.

In addition, double Bio/NS&B majors cannot count NS&B 213 toward the 6 electives but may count it to fulfill the Column 2 breadth requirement.

Courses outside the Biology Dept: 

 Two semesters of general chemistry (CHEM141-CHEM142 or CHEM143-CHEM144)

Any three additional semesters of related courses from at least two different departments

For Academic Year 2020-2021 only:

There will be no limit to the number of CR/U upper-level and cognate courses that can count toward the Biology major during this academic year.

However, it is recommended that upper-level and cognate courses be taken for a grade so that a student's transcript is more informative for graduate and medical schools. Such schools may or may not accept CR/U mode for required courses. 

 Note:

Two Statistics courses, even from different departments cannot both be counted as cognate.
Students cannot use E&ES280 if they use QAC231

Please note: Students planning to go on to medical, dental, or other health professions graduate school should note that a year each of introductory biology, physics, and math (such as calculus or statistics) and two years of chemistry (general and organic) are required for admission, including any laboratory components.

A strong chemistry background is especially recommended for students planning to enter graduate or medical school. Most medical and other health-related graduate schools require two years of college-level chemistry, including laboratory components, as well as a course in biochemistry.

  • See Wesmaps for most current offerings. [Note: the courses are grouped thematically for your convenience only.]

Capstone Experience will be required for Biology Majors Declaring in 2020
Students must complete at least one of the following:

  1. Lab research (preferably starting sophomore year) leading to a senior thesis (BIOL409, BIOL410)
  2. Participation in journal club junior or senior year (FALL BIOL505, 507 or 509), (SPRING BIOL506, 508 or 510
  3. Summer Research Internship
  4. Additional 300 level seminar
  5. Upper level lab or field course
  6. Attendance at weekly Biology and MB&B seminars (FALL BIOL338, SPRING BIOL339)

GENETICS, GENOMICS & BIOINFORMATICS

PHYSIOLOGY, NEUROBIOLOGY and BEHAVIOR

 
BIOL/COMP 265/266 Bioinformatics Programming
BIOL 310 Genomic Analysis
BIOL 327/527 Evolutionary & Ecological Bioinformatics
BIOL/NS&B257 Neurogenetics

MB&B 231 Microbiology
MB&B 306 Epigenetics
MB&B333 Gene Regulation
MB&B 394 Lab in Molecular Biology & Genetics

 


BIOL/NS&B 224 Hormones, Brain and Behavior
BIOL 239 Brain Anatomy
NS&B/BIOL 243 Neurohistology
BIOL/NS&B244 Neuropharmacology
BIOL 245 Cellular Neurophysiology
BIOL 247 Lab in Neurophysiology
BIOL/NS&B 250 Lab in Cell/Mol Neurobiology
NS&B/BIOL 252 Cell Biology of the Neuron
NS&B/BIOL254 Comparative Animal Behavior
BIOL/NS&B299 Waves, Brains and Music
NS&B/BIOL328 Chemical Senses
BIOL/NS&B345 Developmental Neurobiology
NS&B/BIOL 347 Mammalian Cortical Circuits
BIOL/NS&B 351 Neurobiology of Learning and Memory
NS&B/BIOL353 Neurobiology of Neurological Disorders
NS&B356 Neurodevelopmental Disorders
BIOL/NS&B357 Sex&Gender:From Synapse to Society
BIOL/NS&B358 Motor Systems Beyond Movement
NS&B/BIOL360 Calderwood Seminar in Public Writing: Neuroplasticity and the Brain

CELL BIOLOGY & DEVELOPMENT

EVOLUTION, ECOLOGY and CONSERVATION  BIOLOGY


BIOL241 Cell-Cell Interactions in Development
BIOL295 Phsysiology and Cell BIology of Cancer
BIOL 334 Shaping the Organism
BIOL332 Genomics Era Cell and Development
BIOL 340/540 Issues in Development & Evolution
BIOL 343/543 Muscle and Nerve Development
BIOL/NS&B 325 Stem Cells: Basic Biology to Clinical Applications
BIOL/NS&B 345/545 Developmental Neurobiology

MB&B 232 Immunology
MBB/BIOL 237 Signal Transduction

 

 


BIOL 220 Conservation Biology
BIOL226 Invasive Species:Biology, Policy & Mgmt
BIOL235 Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy
BIOL256 Quantifying Evol.:The Genetics of Populations|
BIOL259 Genes to Greens: The Biology of Food Production
BIOL 290 Plant Form and Diversity
BIOL 316/516 Plant-Animal Interactions
BIOL 318/518 Nature and Nurture
BIOL327/527 Evolutionary and Ecological Bioinformatics
BIOL337/537 Origins of Bacterial Diversity
BIOL 346 The Forest Ecosystems
BIOL365 Calderwood Seminar in Public Writing: 21st Century Biology

ENVS353 Agricultural Food Webs
ENVS369 Ecological Resilience: The Good, the Bad and the Mindful

ADDITIONAL COURSES WHICH MAY BE CREDITED TO THE MAJOR:

ANTH 202 Paleoanthropology: The Study of Human Evolution
ANTH 349 The Human Skeleton
E&ES 234 Geobiology
MB&B 228 Introductory Medical Biochemistry*
CHEM323 Biochemistry of Neurodegenerative Disorders
CHEM383 Biochemistry
CHEM325 Biomolecular Structure

*MB&B 228 Intro Medical Biochem may be counted as long as neither MB&B208 nor MB&B383 is counted toward the major.

Additional information:

  • 400 level courses (research tutorials) are not creditable toward the major, but do receive university credit. 

  • With prior permission of the departmental undergraduate liaison (2019-2020 Prof Mike Singer (msinger@wesleyan.edu), up to two life science courses from outside the department or from another institution may be counted toward the major.  See courses listed above.

  • Research done with non-Wesleyan faculty at other institutions does not receive Wesleyan credit.

See Wesmaps for more information regarding the courses .