Introductory Biology Courses

WOW there are a lot of Biology courses you offer. Where do I start?

Actually, this is a common question among students. Because everyone has different expectations for what they want to get out of their education in the Biological Sciences, we offer several different flavors of Introductory Biology courses; one of them will be right for you. For the best advise, speak with one of our crack team of Bioscience advisors, but consult the course description below to get a feel as to which course might be right for you.

BIOSC 0805/0815/0835 - Biology for non-majors

Three courses, BIOSC 0805 The Human Body, BIOSC 0815 Genes and Diseases, and BIOSC 0835 Our Changing World, are designed with the non-major in mind. Students will cover a breadth of topics in the Biological Sciences, but not get bogged down with technical issues that are needed for majors. These courses are perfect for students who want their interests in the study of life to be satisfied, but whose primary educational interests lie elsewhere. All three courses can be used to fulfill the School of Arts and Sciences Natural Science Requirements.

BIOSC 0100 - Preparation for Biology

The BIOSC 0100 course is NOT for non-majors. Rather, this course is designed for students who are planning on a major in some field of Biological Sciences, but perhaps never had a high-school course in the topic, or for some other reason feel un-prepared for our standard Introductory Course. Students who place into Math 0010 (Algebra) and want to be Biology majors are encouraged to take this course. If this sounds like you, then this preparatory course can help you maximize your experience in our Introductory courses. Rather than presented all topics equally, this course is designed to strengthen students' backgrounds so that they can succeed. Class size is limited (36 students) to maximize the efficacy of the class.

BIOSC 0150/0160 - Foundations of Biology 1 and 2

The two-course sequence of BIOSC 0150 and BIOSC 0160 is designed for typical students who want to major in the Biological Sciences or who need two semesters of biology for professional health programs or who have an interest in Biology and want the full experience. The companion laboratory courses are BIOSC 005x and BIOSC 006x. Even if you don't plan on pursuing one of our majors, this may be the best course for you if you are scientifically inclined.

BIOSC 0155/0165 - Honors Foundations of Biology 1 and 2

The two-course sequence of BIOSC 0155 and BIOSC 0165 is designed for students who want to major in the Biological Sciences, or have an interest in biology and enjoy inquiry-based learning, and would like a bit more of a challenge.