Students interested in seeing what biology is all about, especially those who are considering majoring in biology, should enroll in BIOL 111 – Unity and Diversity of Biology (offered in fall only). This is the entry into the introductory sequence for biology majors, and it is designed for all students interested in exploring biology as well as students interested in satisfying their Natural Science with lab requirement.
Biology 111 is followed by BIOL 112 – Biomolecular Foundations of Biology (offered in spring only). Please notice that BIOL 111 is not a prerequisite for BIOL 112. Biology majors have one more course to take, BIOL 113 – Quantitative Biology (offered in fall and spring).
If you are interested in a career in the health professions, you must discuss your plans with the Health Professions Advisory Committee.
As a first-year student, if you are unsure of your intended major and would like to explore Biology, we would encourage you to follow the sample schedule of:
If you have concerns regarding your preparedness for calculus, we advise you to take BIOL 113 (or, potentially, MATH 141) before taking MATH 161. If you have concerns regarding your preparedness for chemistry, we advise you to take CHEM 103 before taking CHEM 107. You can also postpone taking chemistry until later in your career; however, we strongly advise you to take this requirement before your junior year.
Therefore, if you are not confident in your math preparedness, your schedule for the first two years could look like this:
| First Year | |
| Fall | Spring |
| FYS | BIOL 112 |
| BIOL 111 | CCS elective |
| CCS elective | CCS elective |
| CHEM 107 | CHEM 108 |
| Sophomore Year | |
| Fall | Spring |
| BIOL 113 | BIOL 265 |
| BIOL 205-level or above | BIOL 205-level or above |
| CHEM 221 | MATH 161 |
| CCS elective | NS/ENGIN. Elective* |
*Any one of the following can be used to meet the Natural Science/Engineering requirement: CHEM 221, 231, 311, 351, CS 104, 105, 106, MATH 263, 282, PHYS 112, 133,152, ES 101, CE 321, CHE 211, ECE 211, 221, or ME 380, 492.
If you are not confident in your chemistry preparedness, your schedule for the first two years could look like this:
| First Year | |
| Fall | Spring |
| FYS | BIOL 112 |
| BIOL 111 | MATH 161 |
| CCS elective | CCS elective |
| CHEM 103 | CHEM 107 |
| Sophomore Year | |
| Fall | Spring |
| BIOL 113 | BIOL 265 |
| BIOL 205-level or above | BIOL 205-level or above |
| CHEM 108 | CHEM 221 |
| CCS elective | CCS elective |
If you are confident of your intended major and your adjustment to Lafayette, then we would recommend:
If you are interested in your four-year schedule, please visit the A.B. Biology Course Schedule or B.S. Biology Course Schedule web sites.
If you are taking AP credit for BIOL 111 and are confident of your intended major and your adjustment to Lafayette, then we would recommend the following schedule for the fall semester of your first year:
Prospective biology majors with advanced placement credit (5 on AP exam) should register for Biology 112 or 113 in a future semester.