Course Requirements
As of Block 1, 2011, there are two ways to complete the new Biology Major; students enrolled prior to fall 2011 may also still utilize the requirement for the former Biology major (See below). All students enrolling for the first time as of fall 2011 must follow the requirements for the new major and declare one of the two tracks. The first option is the Organisms, Ecology, and Evolution (OEE) track, and the second option is the Molecular and Cellular Biology (MCB) track. Both tracks are appropriate for students considering a variety of careers from education to medicine; talk to your advisor to sort out which track will work best for you. Some “old” courses will no longer be offered, however, and the new substitutes for those courses are clearly indicated in the appendix of the Majors' Handbook. For example, BY210 will no longer be offered, so students completing the old major must A) have completed BY210 with a C- or higher before the Fall of 2011 or B) earn a C- or higher in BY131. Similarly, BY361 has been replaced with BY231
The two Biology Major tracks share many courses in common. A first-year student embarking upon a Biology major is advised to enroll in courses that are common to both tracks. Taking courses intended for entry-level students in both tracks will help you meet faculty and students who will help you decide which track is best for you.
|
Required by OEE? |
Required by MCB? |
1 unit from BY101, BY105, 106 (108/109), 107 |
yes |
yes |
A second unit from BY101, BY105, 106 (108/109), 107 |
yes |
no |
BY131 |
yes |
yes |
BY231 |
yes (or BY280) |
yes |
BY208 |
yes |
yes |
CH107 |
yes |
yes |
CH108 |
yes |
yes |
CH250 |
yes |
yes |
CH251 |
no |
yes |
2 units of math |
yes (must include 1 calculus and 1 statistics or mathematical modeling) |
yes |
Biology electives, some of which may be satisfied by courses outside Biology (see details for each track) |
yes (five) |
yes (six) |
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The Organisms, Ecology, and Evolution Track
1. Two introductory units from:
- BY 105 (Biology of Plants)
- BY 106 (Biology of Animals)-no credit after BY108 or BY109
- BY 107 (Biology of Microbes)
- BY 108 (Biology of Invertebrates)-no longer offered, but students who took it prior to fall 2011 may count it.
- BY 109 (Biology of Vertebrates)-no longer offered, but students who took it prior to fall 2011 may count it.
Check the AP/IB section of the Majors' Handbook to determine if your AP or IB credit might fulfill the requirement for one of these courses. Application of AP or IB credit to a specific organismic course will require you to successfully pass a departmental bypass exam for that course; these are offered in blocks 1,3, and 5 only.
2. BY 208 (Ecology)
3. BY 131 (Introduction to Molecular and Cellular Biology)
Check the AP/IB section of the Majors' Handbook to determine if your AP or IB credit might fulfill this requirement.
4. BY 280 (Population Genetics) OR BY 231 (Genetics)
5. Five approved Biology electives
- Three must be Biology (BY) courses at the 300 level or higher
- One unit of elective credit may be CH251, CH382, GY205, GY300, SC206, or SC301
- One unit must be an approved senior capstone course
- Any BY course except BY100 and BY104 may count as an elective
- BY101 (FYE) counts as one unit of lower-level elective
- It is possible to petition the department to ask for other courses to count as electives.
6. Three units in Chemistry
- CH 107 (General Chemistry)
- CH 108 (General Chemistry II)
- CH 250 (Structures of Organic Molecules)
Check with your advisor to find out if AP or IB credit can fulfill CH 107/108 requirement.
NOTE: Graduate schools often require BOTH CH 250 (Structure of Organic Molecules) AND CH 251 (Reactions of Organic Molecules).
7. One unit of calculus from:
- MA 125-6 (Pre-Calculus and Calculus)
- MA 126 (Calculus I)
- MA 127 (Calculus I and II, accelerated)
- MA 129 (Calculus II)
Check with your advisor to find out if AP or IB credit can fulfill the calculus requirement.
8. One unit of statistics or mathematical modeling from:
- BY 220 (Biostatistics and Experimental Design)
- MA 256/BY 256 (Mathematical modeling in Biology)
Check with your advisor to find out if AP or IB credit can fulfill the statistics requirement. Check with your advisor to find out if MA117 or MA217 can be used to fulfill the statistics requirement.
9. Senior Capstone Experiences…During your last two semesters, you must ….
- Complete attendance at five Biology seminars, and summarize each in an abstract, and submit each abstract to your advisor no later than the first Monday of the block following the block in which the seminar occurred. After declaring the Biology Major, students can turn in abstracts during their junior or senior years.
- Successfully pass the Biology ETS exam or the Biology GRE exam.
- Register to take the ETS for Block 3 or early in Block 6, the only two times Biology offers the exam
- To take the Biology GRE in time to fulfill this requirement, you must take it in November or December and you must list Colorado College as a recipient of the GRE scores.
- Complete an approved Senior Capstone Course as one of your electives (requirement #5 above), in one of the following ways:
- BY 499 (Senior Thesis; required to graduate with distinction)
- BY 409 (Advanced Research in Biology)-IF it meets the requirements described in the section on “Senior Capstone, Part 3” in the Majors' Handbook.
- An approved Senior Capstone course. The current list is: BY308 Advanced Ecology, BY365 Plant Physiology, BY366 Comparative Animal Physiology, BY378 Laboratory Investigation in Molecular Microbiology, BY410 Ornithology, BY412 Entomology, BY415 Evolution, BY421 Conservation Biology, BY443 Techniques in Molecular Ecology, BY463 Senior Seminar in Bacterial Pathogenesis, BY466 Developmental Biology, BY450 Seminar in Molecular Biology.
Students interested in careers in health care or research should note that 2 units of organic chemistry, 1 unit of biochemistry, 2 units of calculus, and 2 units of physics may be required for admission to medical, dental, nursing, veterinary, and graduate schools. However, admission requirements are variable so students should check the programs to which they intend to apply. Students interested in K-12 classroom teaching, community education (wilderness education, camp counseling, etc.), or volunteering in an educational setting (Peace Corps, etc.) should meet with Professor Mike Taber in Education to discuss how to best prepare for those activities.
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The Molecular and Cellular Biology Track
1. One introductory unit from:
- BY 105 (Biology of Plants)
- BY 106 (Biology of Animals)-no credit after BY108 or BY109
- BY 107 (Biology of Microbes)
- BY 108 (Biology of Invertebrates)-no longer offered, but students who took it prior to fall 2011 may count it.
- BY 109 (Biology of Animals)-no longer offered, but those students who took the course prior to fall 2011 may count that unit.
Check the AP/IB section of the Majors' Handbook to determine if your AP or IB credit might fulfill the requirement for one of these courses. Application of AP or IB credit to a specific organismic course will require you to successfully pass a departmental bypass exam for that course; these are offered in blocks 1,3, and 5 only.
2. BY 131 (Introduction to Molecular and Cellular Biology)
Check the AP/IB section of the Majors' Handbook to determine if your AP or IB credit might fulfill this requirement.
3. BY 231 (Genetics)
4. Six approved Biology electives
- Three must be Biology (BY) courses with BY231 (OR BY361) as a pre-requisite
- One unit of elective credit may be CH241 or CH382
- One unit of elective credit may be GY300, PY299, or SC301
- One unit must be an approved senior capstone course
- Any BY course except BY100 and BY104 may count as an elective
- BY101 (FYE) counts as one unit of lower-level elective
- It is possible to petition the department to ask for other courses to count as electives.
5. Four units in Chemistry
- CH 107 (General Chemistry)
- CH 108 (General Chemistry II)
- CH 250 (Structures of Organic Molecules)
- CH 251 (Reactions of Organic Molecules)
Check with your advisor to find out if AP or IB credit can fulfill the CH 107/108 requirement.
6. Two unit of math from:
- MA 125-6 (Pre-Calculus and Calculus)
- MA 126 (Calculus I)
- MA 127 (Calculus I and II, Accelerated)
- MA 129 (Calculus II)
- BY 220 (Biostatistics and Experimental Design)
- MA 256/BY 256 (Mathematical Modeling in Biology)
- EV 228 (Analysis of Environmental Data)
Check with your advisor to find out if AP or IB credit can fulfill the mathematics requirement.
7. Senior Capstone Experiences…During your last two semesters, you must …..
- Complete attendance at five Biology seminars, and summarize each in an abstract, and submit each abstract to your advisor no later than the first Monday of the block following the block in which the seminar occurred. After declaring the Biology Major, students can turn in abstracts during their junior or senior years.
- Successfully pass the Biology ETS exam or the Biology GRE exam.
- Register to take the ETS offered in Block 3 or early in Block 6, the only two times Biology offers the exam
- To take the Biology GRE in time to fulfill this requirement, you must take it in November or December and you must list Colorado College as a recipient of the GRE scores.
- Complete an approved Senior Capstone Course as one of your electives (requirement #4 above), in one of the following ways:
- BY 499 (Senior Thesis; required to graduate with distinction)
- BY 409 (Advanced Research in Biology) -IF it meets the requirements described in the section on “Senior Capstone, Part 3” in the Majors' Handbook.
- An approved Senior Capstone course. The current list is: BY308 Advanced Ecology, BY365 Plant Physiology, BY366 Comparative Animal Physiology, BY378 Laboratory Investigation in Molecular Microbiology, BY410 Ornithology, BY412 Entomology, BY415 Evolution, BY421 Conservation Biology, BY443 Techniques in Molecular Ecology, BY463 Senior Seminar in Bacterial Pathogenesis, BY466 Developmental Biology, BY450 Seminar in Molecular Biology.
Students interested in careers in health care or research should note that 2 units of organic chemistry, 1 unit of biochemistry, 2 units of calculus, and 2 units of physics may be required for admission to medical, dental, nursing, veterinary, and graduate schools. However, admission requirements are variable so students should check the programs to which they intend to apply. Students interested in K-12 classroom teaching, community education (wilderness education, camp counseling, etc.), or volunteering in an educational setting (Peace Corps, etc.) should meet with Professor Mike Taber in Education to discuss how to best prepare for those activities.
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Important Dates, Events and Announcements
-
Students should declare the Biology major before the end of the sophomore year (but there are no restrictions on declaring earlier) To declare the major, you need a faculty advisor in the Biology department with whom you confer before declaring. See checklist of important items, Appendix I in the Majors' Handbook.
-
Each Fall, a REQUIRED meeting of all prospective and declared majors will be announced
in Block 1 or 2. The senior class photograph is taken at this meeting. Topics will
include:
-
Discussion of graduation requirements including the required seminar abstracts, senior exams, and optional graduation with distinction or senior thesis.
-
Discussion of graduate school applications and employment opportunities in biology.
-
Other important announcements
-
Students enrolled at CC prior to Fall 2011 may choose either the old Biology major or the new tracks in the Biology major.
-
Students enrolling at CC in Block 1 of 2011-12 or later
MUST choose the new Biology major with one of two tracks: Organisms, Ecology, and Evolution (OEE) or Molecular and Cellular Biology (MCB). The tracks have many courses in common, so first-year and sophomore students who have not decided on one track or the other should enroll in courses that count toward both tracks. Use the checklists in Appendix I of the
Majors' Handbook to track your progress in the major.
Ultimately, it is your responsibility to know all departmental and college requirements and regulations.
-
Students who declared the Biology major prior to Block 1 of 2011-12 may complete the “old” Biology major rather than specializing in one track or the other. See checklist, Appendix I in the
Majors' Handbook.
-
Biology majors must complete senior capstone experiences. The senior capstone experiences have several components including attendance at departmental seminars, written abstracts describing seminars attended, and successfully passing the Biology ETS or GRE subject exam (see details in the “Senior Capstone Experience” section of the
Major's Handbook). The GRE exam must be taken in November or December, while the ETS exam is offered early in Blocks 3 and 6. Note that the senior capstone requirements apply to
All Biology majors, not just those declaring the new tracked major.
-
Biology majors have the option of writing a senior thesis and attempting to graduate with distinction. Read the
handbook in detail to make sure that you complete all requirements on time if you are attempting to graduate with distinction. There are many assignments that students pursuing distinction must complete on time, such as registering for a senior thesis by the end of Block 2 of the senior year. Appendix VIII in the
Majors' Handbook contains a checklist for those attempting to graduate with distinction.
-
Majors should also attend Biology Day each spring (see Biology Day section).
"Old" Biology Major Requirements
Available only to students enrolled prior to fall 2011
1. Two introductory units from:
- BY 105 (Biology of Plants)
- BY 106 (Biology of Animals)-no credit after BY108 or BY109
- BY 107 (Biology of Microbes)
- BY 108 (Biology of Invertebrates)-no longer offered, but students who took it prior to fall 2011 may count it.
- BY 109 (Biology of Vertebrates)-no longer offered, but students who took it prior to fall 2011 may count it.
Check the AP/IB section of the Majors' Handbook to determine if your AP or IB credit might fulfill the requirement for one of these courses. Application of AP or IB credit to a specific organismic course will require you to successfully pass a departmental bypass exam for that course; these are offered in blocks 1,3, and 5 only.
2. One of the folloiwng field courses:
- BY 108 (Biology of Invertebrates) when taught by Prof. Hathaway - no longer offered, but students who took it prior to fall 2011 may count it.
- BY 202 (Field Botany)
- BY 203 (Field Zoology)
- BY 208 (Ecology)
- BY 410 (Ornithology)
- BY 412 (Entomology)
- certain courses taught on an occasional basis as Special Topics courses
3. BY 210 (Cell Biology) OR BY131 (Introduction to Molecular and Cellular Biology)
Check the AP/IB section of the Majors' Handbook to determine if your AP or IB credit might fulfill the BY131 requirement.
4. BY 361 (Molecular and Classical Genetics) OR BY 231 (Genetics)
5. Four approved Biology electives
A total of 9 units in Biology must be taken (or 8 units Biology and 1
elective from another department)
6. Three units in Chemistry
- CH 107 (General Chemistry)
- CH 108 (General Chemistry II)
- CH 250 (Structures of Organic Molecules)
Check with your advisor to find out if AP or IB credit can fulfill CH 107/108 requirement.
NOTE: Graduate schools often require BOTH CH 250 (Structure of Organic Molecules) AND CH 251 (Reactions of Organic Molecules).
7. One unit of mathematics from:
- MA 125 (Pre-Calculus and Calculus)
- MA 126 (Calculus 1)
- BY 220 (Biostatistics and Experimental Design)
- MA 117 (Probability and Statistics)
- MA 217 (Probability and Statistical Modeling)
- MA 256 (Mathematical Biology)
Check with your advisor to find out if AP or IB credit can fulfill the mathematics requirement.
Biology majors are strongly urged to take BY220 Biostatistics &
Experimental Design to meet a statistics requirement. In exceptional cases
with scheduling conflicts MA117 may serve as a substitute but we recommend BY220
as the most appropriate preparation for Biology majors.
Students who take both BY 220 and Calculus (MA 125 or 126) may count BY 220
as a lower level biology elective.
8. Two Units from one of the following groups:
- Chemistry 251, and one of 345, 351, or 382
- Geology: 130, or 140 and any Geology course requiring 140 as a
prerequisite
- Mathematics: 128, 203, 217, 220, 221, 222, 315, 340, 417
- Computer Science: 121 or 222
- Physics: 141 and 142 OR 241 and 242
9. Senior Capstone Experiences…During your last two semesters, you must ….
- Complete attendance at five Biology seminars, and summarize each in an abstract, and submit each abstract to your advisor no later than the first Monday of the block following the block in which the seminar occurred. After declaring the Biology Major, students can turn in abstracts during their junior or senior years.
- Successfully pass the Biology ETS exam or the Biology GRE exam.
- Register to take the ETS for Block 3 or early in Block 6, the only two times Biology offers the exam
- To take the Biology GRE in time to fulfill this requirement, you must take it in November or December and you must list Colorado College as a recipient of the GRE scores.
- Complete an approved Senior Capstone Course as one of your electives (requirement #5 above), in one of the following ways:
- BY 499 (Senior Thesis; required to graduate with distinction)
- BY 409 (Advanced Research in Biology)-IF it meets the requirements described in the section on “Senior Capstone, Part 3” in the Majors' Handbook.
- An approved Senior Capstone course. The current list is: BY308 Advanced Ecology, BY365 Plant Physiology, BY366 Comparative Animal Physiology, BY378 Laboratory Investigation in Molecular Microbiology, BY410 Ornithology, BY412 Entomology, BY415 Evolution, BY421 Conservation Biology, BY443 Techniques in Molecular Ecology, BY463 Senior Seminar in Bacterial Pathogenesis, BY466 Developmental Biology, BY450 Seminar in Molecular Biology.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
- Courses that appear in one or more categories will not count for more than
a single requirement (e.g. a course may not count as both an elective
and an area requirement).
- Some science courses taught at other institutions, especially those on the
quarter system, may NOT transfer as one entire unit of CC credit. Before
taking science courses elsewhere, students are cautioned to check with their
academic advisor, and the Department Chair concerning transfer
credit toward the major.
Students interested in careers in health care or research should note that 2 units of organic chemistry, 1 unit of biochemistry, 2 units of calculus, and 2 units of physics may be required for admission to medical, dental, nursing, veterinary, and graduate schools. However, admission requirements are variable so students should check the programs to which they intend to apply. Students interested in K-12 classroom teaching, community education (wilderness education, camp counseling, etc.), or volunteering in an educational setting (Peace Corps, etc.) should meet with Professor Mike Taber in Education to discuss how to best prepare for those activities.
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