Undergraduate Program Description

The Biology Department considers a basic understanding of biological systems to be an essential skill in our increasingly technological society and offers a range of courses for both biology majors and non-majors. Courses are designed to promote scientific literacy and a sophisticated understanding of complex biological systems. Our courses introduce students to life at various levels of organization, with topics ranging from the molecular basis of cellular function, to the coordination of organ systems in the physiology of organisms, to the interactions of organisms with each other and the environment. The importance of research and experimentation in biology is stressed throughout the curriculum, which includes both lab courses and research experiences.

The Biology Department offers the following degrees:

Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Biology is a structured program for biology majors who are interested in pursuing those aspects of the field that require a strong background knowledge in physics, chemistry, and mathematics and for students who want to fulfill premedical/predental requirements.

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Biology is a flexible program that can prepare students for graduate school in the life sciences or can be integrated with other areas, including law, ethics, history, sociology, computer science, and management. The B.A. provides a solid foundation in biology, but allows more flexibility in course selection by removing some of the chemistry and quantitative requirements that characterize the B.S. program. Thus, students in the B.A. program can either add more depth and focus around a sub discipline or have more breadth, either within the biology curriculum or by taking advantage of the B.A. elective options. Students should note that, unlike the B.S. program, the B.A. program does not fulfill medical school admission requirements’.

The Biology Department also co-sponsors a B.S. degree in Biochemistry together with the Chemistry Department. The Biochemistry degree is described separately in this Catalog.

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Bachelor of Science (B.S.) and Bachelor of Arts (B.A) Program Requirements

• BI 200 Molecules and Cells (3 credits)
• BI 201 Ecology and Evolution (3 credits)
• BI 204 Investigations in Molecular Cell Biology (3 credits)
• One course from Category A: Genes and Genomes (3 Credits)

                BI 315 Introduction to Genomics
                BI 319 Genetics and Genomics
                BI 417 Microbial Genetics

• One course from Category B: Organismal and Systems Biology (3-4 credits)

                BI 303 Introduction to Physiology
                BI 321 Plant Biology
                BI 432 Developmental Biology
                BI 433 Human Physiology with lab
                BI 481 Introduction to Neuroscience

• One course from the “Advanced Experience” list—a minimum of 2 credits
• For the B.S.: Additional electives numbered 300 and above to reach a minimum of 30 Biology credits for ALL Biology courses. A complete listing of Biology courses is available on the departmental website.
• For the B.A.: Additional electives numbered 300 and above to reach a minimum of 33 credits for ALL Biology courses. (Nine credits can be from the B.A. elective list available on the departmental website.)

Advance Experience courses include undergraduate research, research lab courses, and smaller classes involving the primary literature and data analysis. Courses fulfilling this requirement are available on the Biology Department website. Note: While independent undergraduate research courses can be taken over several semesters for credit, only 3 of these credits can be applied toward the 30 required credits for the Biology major (B.A. or B.S.). Students using undergraduate research to fulfill the Advanced Experience requirement and/or to have the 3 credits applied to the Biology major must complete at least two semesters.

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Co-requisite Courses for the Bachelor of Science (B.S.) Program

Chemistry (15-16 credits)

General Chemistry I and II with Labs (CH 109-110, CH 111-112)
Organic Chemistry I with Lab (CH 231-232)
Organic Chemistry II with Lab (CH 233-234) OR Biological Chemistry (BI 435) OR Biochemistry I (CH 561)*

*Premedical students should check medical school programs and/or the premedical office for specific requirements regarding organic chemistry and biochemistry.

Quantitative Requirements: Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science (four course equivalent 6-18 credits)

• Calculus I (MT 100)
• Calculus II (MT 101) OR Biostatistics (BI 230 or equivalent)
• Two additional courses from the following list:

                PH 211-Physics I (calculus) with Lab
                PH 212-Physics II (calculus) with Lab+
                BI 230 Biostatistics (or another department-approved                                                         course in statistics)
                BI 508 Algorithms in Computational Biology*
                BI 524 Computational Foundations of Bioinformatics*+
                BI 529 Biomolecules: Driving Molecular Forces*
                CS 102 Computer Science II **
                MT 101 Calculus II
                MT courses numbered 200 or higher+

*BI 435, CH 561, BI 508, BI 524, and BI 529 cannot be used to satisfy both a corequisite and a biology elective.
+Requires Calculus II

Note: Biology majors in the Premedical Program take Physics I and II with Labs and should consider adding a statistics course.

Calculus Placement and Course Sequencing

• Calculus I requirement is satisfied by completing MT 100 or with an AP score of 4 or 5 on the AB exam or a score of 3 on the BC exam
• Calculus I and II can be satisfied by completing MT 101 or with an AP score of 4 or 5 on the BC exam
• Calculus II (or the AP option) and Biostatistics can both be applied to the four course requirement, but each course can only be applied once.

Note: Biology majors typically begin and/or complete calculus courses during the freshman year.

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Co-requisite Courses for the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) Program (8-12 credits)

• General Chemistry I and II with Labs (CH 109-110, CH 111-112)
• Calculus I (MT 100)

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Course Sequencing

All students should complete BI 200 Molecules and Cells as soon as possible. A generalized course sequence is shown below. Because there are several possible progressions through the major, depending on long-term goals, students are strongly urged to consult with their academic advisor.

Freshman/Sophomore Courses

        BI 200 Molecules and Cells
        BI 201 Ecology and Evolution
        BI 204 Investigations in Molecular Cell Biology (prerequisite CH 109-111)*
        BI 303 Introduction to Physiology
        BI 304 Cell Biology**
        BI 321 Plant Biology

Sophomore/Junior Courses

        BI 315 Introduction to Genomics (prerequisite or concurrently BI 204)
        BI 319 Genetics and Genomics (prerequisite or concurrently BI 204)
        BI 401 Environmental Biology
        BI 414 Microbiology
        BI 417 Microbial Genetics (prerequisite BI 204)
        BI 435 Biological Chemistry (prerequisite Organic Chemistry I)
        BI 440 Molecular Biology
        BI 445 Animal Behavior

Junior/Senior Courses

        BI 420 Introduction to Bioinformatics
        BI 426 Human Anatomy with lab
        BI 432 Developmental Biology (prerequisite BI 304 and BI 440 or equivalent)
        BI 433 Human Physiology (prerequisite BI 304)
        BI 457 Principles of Immunology (requires course work in cell or molecular                            biology beyond BI 200)***
        BI 481 Introduction to Neuroscience (prerequisite BI 304)
        All other 400 level biology courses (some carry prerequisite course work beyond BI             200)

Senior Courses

           500 level courses. Most of these courses have multiple prerequisites.

Prerequisites
*BI 204 Investigations in Molecular Cell Biology is a prerequisite (or concurrent enrollment) for all of the genetics and genomics courses, and for many of the upper level electives.
**BI 304 Cell Biology is a prerequisite for the following popular courses; list is not exhaustive. Students are advised to check the course descriptions:

        BI 432 Developmental Biology
        BI 433 Human Physiology with Lab
        BI 481 Introduction to Neuroscience

***Many 400 and 500 level biology courses require additional course work beyond BI 200 in areas of cell or molecular biology. BI 304 (Cell Biology), BI 321 (Plant Biology), BI 414 (Microbiology), and BI 440 (Molecular Biology) all provide coverage in these areas at an intermediate level. 

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Advanced Placement Programs for the B.A. and B.S. Degrees

Students who received a score of 5 on the AP exam in their senior year of high school and wish to consider advanced placement may enroll in BI 304 in place of BI 200. Freshman should enroll in BI 201 first semester (there is no AP substitution for BI 201), and take BI 304 in the second semester, if they wish to continue with the AP substitution for BI200.

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Biology Honors Program

Students apply for the Biology Honors Program during the spring semester of their junior year. To be eligible for the honors program, students must have a minimum science GPA of 3.2 and be working on an independent research project under the mentorship of a biology faculty member. Applications for the program include a description of the research project and a letter of support from the student’s faculty mentor. During senior year, students in the honors program continue their research project, write a thesis describing their research, and participate in a 1-credit honors seminar. All students in the honors program present their research at Undergraduate Research Day and give an oral presentation open to all members of the Biology Department.

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Information for First Year Students: Biology majors and others considering a major in Biology

Biology majors in the regular B.A. and B.S. programs are advised to enroll in BI 200 Molecules and Cells and BI 201 Ecology and Evolution their freshman year. Freshmen are also advised to enroll in CH 109/CH 110 General Chemistry (with corequisite Labs) and Calculus I or II, depending on their AP scores. First-term AP students will enroll in BI 201 Ecology and Evolution. Second term, students using the AP option will enroll directly in BI 304 or they can continue with the regular program by enrolling in BI200 Molecules and Cells. Freshman who have completed BI 200 and AP students can take the 3-credit biology laboratory during the second semester of their freshman year, if space is available.

Freshman who are interested in biology but feel unprepared to go directly into BI 200 or simply want to “try out the discipline” should consider enrolling in BI 110 General Biology. This one-semester Core course is designed for non-majors, and will introduce students to the basics of cell structure and function. Students should see an advisor regarding concurrent enrollment in General Chemistry. BI 110 satisfies the Natural Science Core but cannot be applied to the Biology or Biochemistry major. 

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Information for Non-Majors

Non-majors interested in fulfilling their Natural Science Core requirements may enroll in one of several university Core courses offered by the department. Non-majors interested in pursuing careers in the allied health professions should enroll in BI 200 Molecules and Cells and BI 303 Introduction to Physiology. In a subsequent year, students will take the one-semester, 3-credit investigative laboratory to fulfill the lab requirement for medical school or other health-related programs. They may wish to take additional biology courses either required or desired for a specific pre-professional course of study. Additional information about preparation for the allied health professions is available online at www.bc.edu/premed.

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Information for Study Abroad

Students may apply for department approval to take one upper division biology or B.A. elective for each semester that they are abroad. To be considered as a possible substitute for a biology elective, a course must be a second level course; that is, it must have published biology prerequisites and not be an introductory level course or a course intended for non-biology majors. Once matriculated at Boston College, the Biology Department allows a maximum of 6 credits to be substituted for 300 level courses and above. This includes substitutions from all sources (course taken abroad, summer school, undergraduate research, etc.).

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Research Opportunities for Undergraduates

Research is a fundamental aspect of undergraduate training in the sciences, and the Biology Department actively encourages interested majors to take advantage of the undergraduate research programs that are available. There are two distinct options for engaging in research activity.

Option 1: Students do research in the laboratory of a Biology Department faculty member, or at an off-site laboratory with departmental approval. Most students begin research in late sophomore or junior year. Research classes can be taken for multiple semesters and during their senior year, students are encouraged to write a senior thesis describing their research. Exceptional students may apply to enroll in BI 499 Advanced Independent Research, a 12-credit commitment over the two semesters of their senior year. If the research is of sufficient quality, these students advance to Scholar of the College status during the spring semester of their senior year, and this designation appears on the student’s official transcript.

Option 2: The Department offers a number of research lab courses where students build technical skills in the context of an ongoing research project. These one-semester courses are taught by Biology faculty and focus on their current area of research. Students have full access to dedicated lab space throughout the semester.

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