How to get started in Biology

There are many different ways of getting started in Biology.

Students interested in potentially majoring in biology can begin with either BISC110/110P/112/112Y/116 (Introductory Cellular and Molecular Biology) or BISC111/111T*/113/113Y (Introductory Organismal Biology), and there are multiple versions of those courses. Students with Biology AP or IB credit should consider starting with BISC112, BISC112Y, BISC113 or BISC113Y (AP score 4 or 5 but please check with us if you took AP Bio in 2019-2020). BISC110P is a version of BISC110 that is intended for students who do not meet the prerequisites for BISC 110 and/or require additional academic support. BISC112Y and 113Y are introductory bio courses and first year seminars. BISC116 is an innovative combined introductory biology and chemistry course, please see the catalog for more details about this course. This year we are offering on-campus versions of BISC110P and BISC112Y and remote versions of BISC110 during term 1, and on-campus and remote versions of BISC 111 and 113/113Y plus on campus lecture and labs for 116 in Term 2 .  

Students who are interested in biology and/or meeting the natural and physical sciences distribution requirement (NPS) and the Lab sciences requirement can take BISC108 (Environmental Horticulture with Laboratory) offered on campus, using the fabulous Global Flora facility, also in Term 1 or BISC109 (Human Biology with Laboratory) offered remotely in Term 2. We also have some other exciting options such as BISC105Y (Life on the edge: the ecophysiology of extremes) offered on-campus in Term 2, BISC104 (Science or Science Fiction?) a summer class, and BISC150H (Climate change and Global Agriculture) offered in Term 3; any of these courses may later count towards the Biology major as an elective “9th course”. For more details please follow this link.

*BISC 111T will not be offered in the 2020-2021 Academic Year