BS in Biology
The Biology major offers interdisciplinary learning and foundational skills that students carry with them beyond Tufts. It attracts students interested in career areas that include medicine, biotechnology, conservation, education, consulting, law, basic and applied research. We engage students and faculty in evaluating and interpreting scientific progress. The learning objectives of our undergraduate Biology program are active, as we work with students to do the following:
-be exposed to trends in evolution, cell biology, information and nutrient flow at the level of cells, organisms, and ecosystems.
-predict and identify interconnections between diverse life forms
-develop technical experience with laboratory protocols
-define problems, and design experiments to solve them
-generate, analyze, and communicate data, in oral and written formats
-evaluate professional literature and relate published data to their own topic
-manage and analyze large data sets
-identify ethical considerations and societal outcomes in research and technical advancement
Program Requirements and Policies
- All biology courses for the major must be numbered 13 or higher and must be 3 SHUs or more (including related field courses).
- Eleven courses are required to complete the major, including nine courses in biology numbered 13 or higher (with the exception of Biology 91, 93, and 94), and either two courses in chemistry or two courses in physics. Course requirements are outlines below.
- At least five of the nine biology courses must be taken at Tufts, and at least seven must be completed with a grade of C- or better. It is recommended that students take at least one seminar course. In addition, at least two courses in biology must include laboratory study, and one of these must be above the level of Biology 14. In fulfilling this laboratory requirement, students may choose from among those laboratory courses for which laboratory is specified in the course description, with the following exceptions: Biology 93 and 94.
- Biology 193 or 194 normally may be used as only one of the nine biology courses for completion of the concentration requirements; on approval of a petition to the department, a maximum of two such courses may be applied toward the major.
- For more information on Bio 93, 94, 193, 194, and 199, please see our information on Research Courses.
- No major course may be taken Pass/Fail.
- Only one introductory statistics course can be used for the biology major (Intro Stats Courses: Bio 132, Math 21, CH 31, CSHD 140, CEE 6, and CEE 156).
- If you have more than one major, please see the The Bulletin for rules on double-counting courses across majors.
Course Requirements
Specific courses which satisfy the biology major requirements, are as follows:
| I. Required Core Courses | |
|---|---|
| Biology 13 w/Lab: Cells and Organisms Biology 14 w/Lab: Organisms and Populations Biology 41: General Genetics |
|
| II. One Course in Biology of Cells ("Group A") | |
|---|---|
| Bio 46: Cell Biology Bio 61: Biology of Aging Bio 103: Developmental Biology Bio 104: Immunology Bio 105: Molecular Biology Bio 106: Microbiology Lecture Bio 143: Evolutionary Biology Bio 152: Biochemistry & Cellular Metabolism |
Bio 162: Introduction to Biotechnology Bio 163: Recombinant DNA Technology Bio 171: Biochemistry I Bio 172: Biochemistry II Bio 178: Seminar in Immunology Bio 184: Topics in Developmental Biology Bio 188: Seminar in Molecular Biology and Genetics Bio 190: Seminar in DNA: Structure to Function Bio 243: Seminar in Molecular/Cellular Biology |
Note: Any biology course taken can only satisfy one group requirement (A, B, C, or Q.)
| III. One Course in Biology of Organisms ("Group B") | |
|---|---|
| Bio 75: Comparative Vertebrate Physiology Bio 108: Plant Development Bio 110: Endocrinology Bio 112: Exercise Physiology Bio 115: General Physiology I Bio 116: General Physiology II
|
Bio 117: Physiology of Movement Bio 118: Plant Physiology Bio 134: Neurobiology Bio 186: Seminar in Field Endocrinology Bio 246: Topics in Physiology of Animal Behavior |
Note: Any biology course taken can only satisfy one group requirement (A, B, C, or Q.)
|
IV. One Course in Biology of Populations ("Group C") |
|
|---|---|
| Bio 35: Computational Biology Bio 44: Primate Social Behavior Bio 106: Microbiology Bio 130: Animal Behavior Bio 133: Ecological Statistics & Data w/ Lab Bio 142: Population & Community Ecology Bio 143: Evolutionary Biology Bio 144: Principles of Conservation Biology
|
Bio 164: Marine Biology Bio 179: Seminar in Marine Biology Bio 180 Seminar in Conservation Biology Bio 181: Tropical Ecology & Conservation Bio 182: Chimpanzee Behavioral Ecology Bio 183: Seminar in Darwinian Medicine Bio 185: Food4All- Ecology, Biotechnology & Sustainability Bio 244: Seminar in Evolutionary Ecology |
Note: Any biology course taken can only satisfy one group requirement (A, B, C, or Q.)
| V. One Course in Quantitative Biology ("Group Q") | |
|---|---|
| Bio 35: Computational Biology Bio 40/Comp 7: Bioinformatics Bio 117: Physiology of Movement Bio 119: Biophysics Bio/Math 121: Mathematical Neuroscience Bio 132: Biostatistics † Bio 133: Ecological Statistics and Data w/Lab Bio 143: Evolutionary Biology Bio 173: R for Biologists Bio 263: Bioinformatics and Genome Analysis |
BME 141: Analytical Tools for Biomedical Engineering |
Notes:
- Any biology course taken can only satisfy one group requirement (A, B, C, or Q.)
- Only one introductory statistics course can be used to fulfill the biology major (noted with †.)
| VI & VII. Two Electives Choose 2 unused courses from the lists under sections II-VIII |
|
|---|---|
| Bio 131: Principles of Medical Imaging Bio 174: Biomaterials & Tissue Engineering Bio 193/194: Independent Research in Biology |
Bio 195: Topics in Biology (fulfills credit at the discretion of instructor) Bio 196: Selected Topics (fulfills credit at the discretion of instructor) Bio 199 A/B: Senior Honors Thesis |
Notes:
- Beginning with the Class of 2022, only courses taught in biology or cross-listed in biology will count as electives, even if they are listed on this document.
- Advanced laboratory courses can count as electives as long as the advanced laboratory course(s) was (were) not also used to satisfy a group A, B, C, or Q requirement.
- Only one introductory statistics course (noted with † in Section V) can be used to fulfill the biology major.
- Bio 193 or Bio 194 (but not both) may be used as one of the two electives for the Biology major. A student can take Bio 193 and count it as an advanced lab and then take Bio 194 and have it count as an elective.
- Bio 195 and 196: Not all selected topics courses can contribute to major requirements and/or distribution requirements. Please ask the instructor for further information.
- Bio 199 may be used as one of the two electives for the biology major.
| VIII. Advanced Laboratory Course | |
|---|---|
|
Bio 40/Comp 7: Bioinformatics |
Bio 133: Ecological Statistics and Data w/ Lab Bio 143: Evolutionary Biology Bio 163: Recombinant DNA Techniques Bio 168: Biotechnology Projects Laboratory Bio 181: Tropical Ecology and Conservation Bio 193/194: Independent Research in Biology Bio 199: Senior Honors Thesis Bio 260: Teaching Biology - Pedagogy and Practice Bio 262: Science Communication |
Note: An advanced laboratory must be a letter graded course numbered higher than Bio 14.
| IX. Related Field Courses: Choose 2 Courses in Chemistry OR 2 Courses in Physics: | |
|---|---|
| Chem 1: Chemical Fundamentals w/Lab Chem 2: Chemical Principles w/Lab Chem 11: General Chemistry Chem 12: General Chemistry Chem 51: Organic Chemistry I Chem 52: Organic Chemistry II |
Physics 1: introductory Physics w/Lab Physics 2: Introductory Physics w/Lab Physics 11: General Physics I w/Lab Physics 12: General Physics II w/Lab |
Note: If a course is eligible to fulfill one or more of the Groups required for the major, that information will be listed at the end of the course description. A student may choose to count a course for only one Group. If no group designation is listed, the course cannot be used to fulfill any Group of the major’s distribution requirement although the courses are applicable toward the total required for a major.