Entry to Biology 120 Organismal Biology

(required for Biology and Neuroscience Majors and Minors, and Pre-Health)

Entering first-year students interested in introductory biology (BIOL 120: Organismal Biology) must take an online science placement assessment to evaluate quantitative skills in June prior to registration. This test consists of 20 basic algebra problems and is an established measure of readiness and likelihood of success in introductory Biology and Chemistry courses. A score of 13/20 or better on the test is required for placement into BIOL 120 and CHEM 115: Chemistry I (see sequences below).

First-Year Students with scores of 13/20 or above on the science placement assessment may take BIOL 120, CHEM 115, or both in their first semester. We recommend that students who are planning for graduate or professional (e.g. medical) school take both BIOL 120 and CHEM 115 the first semester (see sequence below) to allow time for additional science courses require for these postgraduate programs (see pre-health web page). Students may, however, begin by taking BIOL 120 in the fall semester and delaying CHEM 115 to the following fall, or taking CHEM 115 in the fall semester, followed by BIOL 120 and CHEM 116 in spring.

Students with scores of 12/20 or lower on the science placement assessment will be placed into CHEM 114: Foundations of Chemistry in the Spring Semester of the first year (see sequences below), and are strongly encouraged to take additional courses in the first year that will strengthen quantitative skills. Students who begin with CHEM 114 in the spring of their first year will be able to complete the Biology major in their fourth year. However, both BIOL 120 and CHEM 115 must be completed no later than the fall semester of the sophomore year in order for a student to graduate with a Biology major in four years.

Consult your advisor or the chair of the Biology Department for further explanation.

Major and Minor in Biology

Although strongly discouraged, a course grade of “Pass” will be allowed for a maximum of one biology course towards the major or minor. A second “Pass” grade will be allowed for any non-biology course (in Math or Chemistry) that is required for the major. Any additional courses intended to count for the major or minor and listed with a grade of P on a student’s transcript must be reverted to their assigned grades prior to graduation.

To be counted toward the Biology major or minor, a course must carry an assigned grade of at least C-, even if it is listed as Pass on the transcript. In order to graduate with a Biology major or minor, a student must earn at least a cumulative C average (GPA 2.0) in all courses selected to fulfill the major or minor requirements, whether or not they are listed with a Pass on the transcript.

BIOL - BIOLOGY

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About the Program

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