Sample Curriculum
The curriculum for Biological Sciences majors is intended to be flexible so that you can tailor course selections to the topics that interest you most. Thus, the sample curriculum below is not intended to be prescriptive and is only one example of how you can complete the course requirements.
| First Year | |||
| Fall Semester | Spring Semester | ||
| BIOS 10171 Biology I: Big Questions | 3 | BIOS 10172 Biology II: Molecules to Ecosystems | 3 |
| BIOS 11173: Biological Investigations Laboratory (Required Lab #1) | 1 | BIOS 11174: Research Experience in Biology Laboratory (Required Lab #2) | 1 |
| MATH 10350 or 10550 Calculus I | 4 | MATH 10360 or 10560 Calculus II | 4 |
| CHEM 10171 (or 10181) (1) | 4 | CHEM 10172 (or 10182) (1) Organic Chem I | 4 |
| University Requirement (2) | 3 | University Requirement | 3 |
| University Requirement | 3 | University Requirement | 3 |
| First Year Experience | 1 | First Year Experience | 1 |
| Total: | 19 | Total: | 19 |
| Sophomore Year | |||
| Fall Semester | Spring Semester | ||
| Genetics (Core I) | 3/4 | Cell Biology & Physiology (Core III) | 3 |
| Elective BIO Lab #1 | 1 | Elective BIO Lab #2 | 1 |
| CHEM 20273 Organic Chemistry II | 4 | CHEM 20274 Chemical Principles II | 4 |
| University Requirement | 3 | University Requirement (3) | 3 |
| Language | 4 | Language | 4 |
| Total: | 15/16 | Total: | 15 |
| Junior Year | |||
| Fall Semester | Spring Semester | ||
| PHYS 20210 Physics for Life Sciences I | 4 | PHYS 20220 Physics for Life Sciences II | 4 |
| BIOS Elective | 3 | Evolution (Core II) | 3 |
| Free Elective | 3 | BIOS Elective | 4 |
| University Requirement | 3 | University Requirement | 3 |
| Language | 3 | ||
| Elective BIO Lab #3 | 1 | ||
| Total: | 17 | Total: | 14 |
| Senior Year | |||
| Fall Semester | Spring Semester | ||
| Ecology & Environment (Core IV) | 3 | BIOS Elective | 3 |
| BIOS or Science Elective (4) | 3 | BIOS Elective | 3 |
| BIOS Elective | 3 | Science Elective | 3 |
| Free Electives | 6 | Free Elective | 3 |
| Total: | 15 | Total: | 12 |
| Total: 124 credits minimum | |||
1 Students who begin with the CHEM 10181–10182 sequence and select BIOS as their major would complete the four-semester sequence with CHEM 20273–20274.
2 One of these courses must be a University seminar.
3 For premedical students, it is strongly recommended that the student take a 20000-level English literature course. This ensures that the student will be able to meet the standard medical-school admission requirement of two English courses. Medical ethics, biostatistics, and biochemistry are also generally required or highly recommended.
4 While not required, many students choose to take a supporting 3-credit non-BIOS science course that counts toward the required 41 credits in their major.