THE MAJOR & MINOR IN BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES

Entry Requirements for the Major in Biological Sciences - Students wishing to major in Biological Sciences must have completed two terms of general biology, including laboratory, with a grade of C or better in each course (or have the permission of the department). 

Undergraduate students who wish to declare a major in Biological Sciences must obtain the Director of Advising's approval signature.   School of Arts and Sciences (SAS) students need this signature (Dr. Adrian Bruning) on the "Major and Minor Declaration/Change Form," prior to submitting the form to the SAS Office of Academic Services.  School of Environmental and Biological Sciences (SEBS) students need this signature (Dr. Adrian Bruning or Dean Joseph Ventola) on the "Application For Change of Major/Request for Double Major Form," prior to submitting the form to the Office of Academic Programs and Research, Martin Hall, Room 205.

Contemplating a Major in Biological Sciences - If you intend to declare Biological Sciences as your major, the division recommends the following sequence of courses in the freshman and sophomore years.

FRESHMAN YEAR:

  • General Biology 01:119:101-102

  • General Chemistry  01:160:161-162, 171

  • Calculus 01:640:135, 138

  • non-science electives

 SOPHOMORE YEAR:

  • Organic Chemistry 01:160:307-308, 311

  • General Physics (or next year) 01:750:203-206

  • Genetics  01:447:380

  • Life Sciences Elective Course

  • non-science electives

Please keep in mind that the above is merely a recommendation and is intended for those students who not only know that they wish to major in Biological Sciences, but also have a solid high school background in the sciences.

If you are undecided about a biology major, consider not registering for General Chemistry in your freshman year.  However, do sign up for General Biology since this introductory course should help you decide.  The 2 semesters of General Chemistry can be made up in the summer, if you decide to major in Biological Sciences.  Alternatively, but less preferable, General Chemistry can be taken during the sophomore year in place of Organic Chemistry.

If you are sure that you want to be a biology major, but do not wish to (or cannot) take these courses at the same time, we strongly recommend that you take Calculus and General Chemistry as a freshman and General Biology in your sophomore year (or preferably take it in summer school, before your sophomore year).  We recommend that you take General Chemistry as a freshman, so that you can take Organic Chemistry during your sophomore year. Many upper level biology courses either require Organic Chemistry as prerequisite or strongly recommend it; thus, delaying Organic Chemistry until your junior year may limit your choices of advanced biology courses.

Please note that no more than two courses with a grade of D may be used to fulfill the requirements of the major.

Requirements for the Major - The major in Biological Sciences, administered through the Division of Life Sciences Office of Undergraduate Instruction, is intended to provide a broad and comprehensive training in modern biology. This course of study is recommended for those who wish to study biology as part of their liberal arts education, preparing them for a career in one of the health professions, graduate studies in biology, a teaching career in secondary schools (courses in education are also required), as well as employment in various areas of the life sciences. If a student wishes to concentrate his/her studies in a specific area of biology, he/she should consider a major offered by one of the departments in the Division of Life Sciences or in Cook College . Faculty advisors are available to assist each student with course selection and program requirements.

A minimum of 20 credits of course work from among General Biology, Genetics and Life Sciences Electives must be completed in residence. In other words, no more than 16 credits in this part of the major requirements may be transferred from any institution outside of Rutgers-New Brunswick. This rule is intended to assure that students receiving degrees from Rutgers - New Brunswick have taken a minimum number of courses in their major with New Brunswick faculty. Please keep in mind that although a course may transfer from another institution into one of the Rutgers-New Brunswick colleges, it will not necessarily be accepted toward the major in Biological Sciences. Therefore, transfer courses must be evaluated and accepted by the Advising Office of the Office of Undergraduate Instruction in order to count toward the major.

The course requirements for the Biological Sciences major are divided into two sections, the Life Sciences Core and the Life Sciences Electives.

Required Life Sciences Core Courses (47 credits):

01:119:101-102 General Biology (4,4)
01:160:161-162 (4,4) or 01:160:163-164 General Chemistry (4,4)
01:160:171 Introduction to Experimentation (1)
01:160:307-308 or 160:315-316 Organic Chemistry (4,4)
01:160:311 Organic Chemistry Laboratory (2)
01:447:380 Genetics (4)
01:640:135,138* (4,4) or 01:640:151-152 Calculus (4,4)
01:750:203-204 General Physics (3,3)
01:750:205-206 General Physics Laboratory (1,1)

** With permission, 01:640:138 may be substituted by 01:960:379 Basic Probability and Statistics (3) or 01:960:401 Basic Statistics for Research (3).

Life Sciences Elective Courses (24 credits):

It is highly recommended that students meet with the Biological Sciences Director of Advising when planning their elective courses. It is important that the courses taken complement each other as much as possible and are not merely a collection of unrelated topics. While a distinct advantage of this program is the flexibility it affords the student in designing a course of study in biology, we wish to make sure that all of our graduates end up with both a solid foundation in biological sciences as well as an appropriate preparation for their intended post-baccalaureate career.

The electives must include at least three laboratory courses, only one of which may be satisfied by independent study or research work. General Biology Laboratory and "library research" do not qualify for this requirement. A minimum of six courses (18 credits) must be at the 300 or 400 level, including at least three separate laboratory courses or three courses with a laboratory component. The laboratory associated with Genetics (382 or equivalent), if taken, may be used to satisfy one of the three laboratory requirements.

No course at the 100 level may be used to satisfy the Life Sciences elective requirements. A maximum of six credits of independent study/research/honors research may be used toward the 24 elective credits. Please keep in mind that a minimum GPA of 2.8 is required to enroll in an independent study/research course in Biological Sciences.  Research courses can satisfy only one of the three laboratory requirements, regardless of number of credits.  An Independent Study course, however, will not satisfy any of the three laboratory requirements.  Courses taken on a pass/fail basis may not be used to satisfy requirements for the major in Biological Sciences.

The elective courses must include at least one course each from the Cell Biology and Neuroscience 146, Genetics and Microbiology 447, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry 694, and Natural Resource Management 704 subject areas. A list of approved courses in subject areas in addition to those in the Division of Life Sciences (Biological Sciences 119, Cell Biology and Neuroscience 146, Genetics and Microbiology 447, and Molecular Biology and Biochemistry 694) will be published by the Advising Office of the Office of Undergraduate Instruction. It is strongly recommended that students consult this list prior to registering for their courses. Generally, acceptable courses will have a year of General Biology as prerequisite; however, there are exceptions. Notably, several courses in the biochemistry area are exempted from this prerequisite. It is imperative for students to consult the published list and/or meet with an advisor. Cooperative education credits may not be used to satisfy requirements for the major in Biological Sciences, unless prior approval has been obtained from the Office of Undergraduate Instruction.

Worksheet for the Biological Sciences Major - use this Worksheet to keep track of the courses which you have completed for your major.  The Worksheet may be obtained from the Advising office in Room B-112, Nelson Biology Labs, Busch campus.  Alternatively, you may directly print the Worksheet via the Adobe Acrobat file provided below.

WORKSHEET

Requirements for Honors - To qualify for Honors in Biological Sciences, a student must have a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or better and an average of 3.4 or better in courses credited toward the biological sciences major at the end of the junior year.  At that time, the student should apply formally to the Advising Office of the Office of Undergraduate Instruction.  Accepted students are expected to complete at least 6 credits in an independent research project, resulting in a thesis, and to pass an oral examination before a faculty committee in the general field of the student’s program of emphasis.  If the research is done in a laboratory outside of Rutgers–New Brunswick, the examination committee must include at least one individual from the Rutgers–New Brunswick faculty.  Honors students must register either for an honors course sequence in life sciences or for a course sequence in a college honors program.  These decisions should be discussed with an adviser. An approval form available in the advising office, must be completed.

Requirements for the Minor - The minor in Biological Sciences, administered through the Division of Life Sciences Office of Undergraduate Instruction, requires six courses of at least 3 credits each in life sciences subjects, including General Biology (01:119:101 and 01:119:102).  No other course at the 100 level may be used to satisfy the minor.  Three of the six required courses must be taken at Rutgers-New Brunswick.  A maximum of 3 credits of research in a life sciences subject may be used toward the minor.  A minimum of three courses at the 300 level or above is required.  Only life sciences courses acceptable for the Biological Sciences major may be used for the minor.  Courses in chemistry, mathematics, or physics will not count toward the minor.  A grade-point average of 2.0 or better in courses credited toward the minor is required.

Please note that students majoring in any of the four Life Sciences majors (119, 146, 447, or 694) may not minor in Biological Sciences (119).

Worksheet for the Biological Sciences Minor - use this Worksheet to keep track of the courses which you have completed for your minor.  The Worksheet may be obtained from the Advising office in Room B-112, Nelson Biology Labs, Busch campus.  Alternatively, you may directly print the Worksheet via the Adobe Acrobat file provided below.

MINOR

Online and Winter Session Courses - Non-traditional courses, such as courses offered online or during the winter break (Winter Session), whether offered by Rutgers or another university, will not be accepted towards the major in Biological Sciences.

  

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If you have a question about the major in Biological Sciences, please contact the Director of Advising:

Dr. Adrian Bruning
(732) 445-5270

Email the Biological Sciences Advisor

Advising Schedule

Review Your MAJOR Progress

 

Office of Undergraduate Instruction
Nelson Biological Laboratories
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Piscataway, NJ 08854
Phone: (732) 445-2075
Fax: (732) 445-5870

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