Biology Major

1. Biology (2 courses)

• BIOL043L KS - Introductory Biology

• or BIOL 040L KS - Introduction to Biological Chemistry  

• BIOL044L KS - Introductory Biology

2. Chemistry (3 or 4 courses)

• CHEM014L KS - Basic Principles of Chemistry

• or CHEM 040L KS - Introduction to Biological Chemistry  

• and

• CHEM015L KS - Basic Principles of Chemistry

• or

• CHEM029L KS - Accelerated General Chemistry

•  

• CHEM116L KS - Organic Chemistry
• CHEM117L KS - Organic Chemistry

3. Physics (2 courses)

• PHYS030L KS - General Physics for the Life Sciences

• and

• PHYS031L KS - General Physics for the Life Sciences

• or

• PHYS033L KS - Principles of Physics

• and

• PHYS034L KS - Principles of Physics

4. Mathematics (1 course)

Calculus should be taken before physics.

• MATH030 CM - Calculus I

5. Electives (6 courses)

Six advanced courses in biology (numbered 100 and above), including at least 3 courses with labs. These elective courses should be selected in consultation with a Keck Science faculty member, and may be chosen so as to obtain depth in one area of biology (e.g. cellular/molecular, organismal, or population-level), or breadth across all areas.

6. Senior Thesis (1 or 2 courses)

Biology majors must complete a 1- or 2-semester thesis in biology.

Note:

The introductory courses in biology, chemistry, and physics may also be completed through both semesters of the Accelerated Integrated Science Sequence (AISS ).

Dual Majors

The dual major in biology requires a minimum of 13 courses, distributed as follows:

Honors in Biology

To be eligible for departmental honors in a science major, students must:

• Achieve a minimum GPA of 10.5 in courses in the major;
• Complete a 1- or 2-semester thesis project in which the student has demonstrated excellence by making a significant contribution to the progress of the research, by producing a thesis document judged to be of honors quality by the department, by presenting the work in a cogent fashion, and by engaging in the departmental seminar program.

Students with a dual major including science who wish to be considered for honors in science will only receive honors if they:

• Have completed all requirements for a full major in science and are granted honors, or
• Qualify and receive honors in both disciplines of their dual major. See Academic Honors at Graduation  for details.

Study Abroad for Science Majors

The Keck Science Department supports study abroad for science majors, however majors need to be aware that spending a semester off-campus requires careful advanced planning and program selection. Science majors interested in study abroad should discuss their interest with their major advisors as soon as possible.

Learning Goals of the Biology Program

The biology discipline of the Keck Science Department aims to provide students with skills and knowledge to prepare them as citizens to effectively engage and evaluate biological science issues and innovations in the wider world, and to prepare them as leaders in research, biotechnology, and health-related career fields.

Student Learning Outcomes of the Biology Program

In addition to the Keck Science overall learning outcomes, the Biology major also has the following outcomes.

We see the following specific student learning goals as critical to achieving the learning goals above.

1. Understanding foundational scientific principles and findings in a student’s major field;
2. Develop critical thinking and analytical skills by developing specific hypotheses and designing controlled experiments to test these hypotheses.
3. Read, understand and critique original research articles.