Requirements for the Minor
The minor in Biological Sciences, administered through the Division of Life Sciences Office of Undergraduate Instruction, requires General Biology (01:119:115, 01:119:116, and 01:119:117 or 01:119:101 and 01:119:102) and four life science elective courses, of three or more credits each. A minimum of three of the courses must be at the 300 level or above. Therefore, only one, 200 level life science elective can be used. Only life science courses acceptable for the Biological Sciences major may be used for the minor. No other course at the 100 level may be used to satisfy the minor. Courses in chemistry, mathematics, or physics will not count toward the minor. Of the General Biology I and II and four life science electives courses, three of the courses must be taken at Rutgers-New Brunswick. The General Biology series must be completed at a single institution. A maximum of 3 credits of research in a life sciences subject may be used toward the minor. A grade-point average of 2.0 or better in courses credited toward the minor is required, and only one course with a grade of "D" will count towards the minor.
Students pursuing a Bio minor and another life science major (please see restrictions for major/minor combinations) are required to complete as part of the Bio minor requirements, a minimum of two ( 3 or more credit) approved life science electives that are not applied toward fulfilling their major requirements. Students should be sure to meet with a Bio Advisor to ensure they understand which two courses will be utilized in fulfilling this requirement, as DN may not accurately reflect restrictions on coursework being applied to their Bio minor that counts for their major.
Worksheet for the Biological Sciences Minor
Use the Biological Sciences Minor Worksheet to keep track of the courses which you have completed for your minor.
Should I take Chemistry if I am a Biological Sciences minor?
Though courses in chemistry cannot be used towards the minor, General Chemistry 161, 162, and lab 171 (01:160:161, 162, and 171) are very useful for completion of the minor, as these courses are pre-reqs for many of the life science electives that could count towards the minor. It is possible to complete the minor without chemistry, but there are many fewer possible courses from which students can choose. Though not quite as critical, the first semester of Organic Chemistry (01:160:307) is a pre-req for several popular courses, such as Biochemistry and General Microbiology.
