Biology (2022 - 2024)

Major in Biology (Bachelor of Arts): General Information

Three options are available to students pursuing a major in biology. The standard biology track gives majors a broad background, with the laboratory, quantitative, and reasoning skills needed for today’s biology. The ecology track also provides students with a broad background in modern biology, but with a focus on ecological concepts, approaches, and analytical methods. It is primarily intended for students planning to pursue graduate study in ecology or a related field. Finally, the global public health/science major with a concentration in biology provides students with strong foundations in biological science and global public health, with a focus on one of three emphasis areas: genetics and genomics, infectious diseases, or environmental health.

Each biology major is assigned a faculty adviser from the department and meets with that professor to select courses in the context of the student’s academic and career goals. Faculty advisers also guide students in pursuing opportunities for curricular enhancement, such as research experiences and study away.

To permit the maximal choice of appropriate upper-level courses, we strongly recommend that students take Principles of Biology I and II (BIOL-UA 11, 12), General Chemistry I and II and Laboratories (CHEM-UA 125, 126), and calculus in the first year. Detailed additional information on course planning is available through the department website and should be discussed with the faculty adviser. Programs of majors must be approved each term by a department adviser. All courses counted toward the major must be completed with a grade of C or better.

Standard Biology Track

The standard track of the biology major requires 16 courses (70 points), as follows.

Biology core courses (four courses/16 points):

Principles of Biology I and II (BIOL-UA 11, 12)
NOTE: Biology majors are not required to register for the 1-credit Principles of Biology Lab (BIOL-UA 123). It is intended for prehealth students not majoring in biology.
Molecular and Cell Biology I and II (BIOL-UA 21, 22)
NOTE: Students may also register for the optional 1-credit Molecular and Cell Biology Lab (BIOL-UA 223) concurrently with MCB I (BIOL-UA 21).

Five upper-level biology courses (five courses/20 points):

Biology majors must complete five additional 4-point upper-level biology courses. In consultation with their adviser or with the director of undergraduate studies, students select at least one course from each of the following three skill categories, plus two additional electives:
1. Laboratory skill courses: "At the Bench" or research courses
2. Quantitative skill courses: math, computational, and modeling courses
3. Reasoning skill courses: reading-intensive courses

The two additional upper-level electives may be satisfied either by taking advanced biology courses (electives covering key areas of biology) or by taking additional reasoning, quantitative, or laboratory skills courses. A current list of advanced biology courses and of courses satisfying each category above is maintained on the official website of the department of biology.

Additional courses required for biology standard track majors (seven courses/34 points):

Chemistry (four courses/20 points):
- General Chemistry and Laboratory I and II (CHEM-UA 125, 126)
- Organic Chemistry and Laboratory I and II (CHEM-UA 225, 226)
Physics (two courses/10 points):
- General Physics I and II (PHYS-UA 11, 12)
Mathematics (one course/4 points):
- Calculus I (MATH-UA 121)

Ecology Track

The ecology track of the biology major requires 16 courses (69 points), as follows.

Ecology core courses (four courses/16 points):

Principles of Biology I and II (BIOL-UA 11, 12)
NOTE: Biology majors are not required to register for the 1-credit Principles of Biology Lab (BIOL-UA 123). It is intended for prehealth students not majoring in biology.
Molecular and Cell Biology I (BIOL-UA 21)
NOTE: Students may also register for the optional 1-credit Molecular and Cell Biology Lab (BIOL-UA 223) concurrently with MCB I (BIOL-UA 21).
Fundamentals of Ecology (BIOL-UA 63)

Five upper-level biology courses (five courses/20 points):

Biology majors must complete five additional 4-point upper-level biology courses. In consultation with their adviser or with the director of undergraduate studies, students select at least one course from each of the following three skill categories, plus two additional electives:
1. Laboratory skill courses: "At the Bench" or research courses
2. Quantitative skill courses: math, computational, and modeling courses
3. Reasoning skill courses: reading-intensive courses

Additional courses required for ecology track majors (seven courses/34 points):

Chemistry (four courses/20 points):
- General Chemistry and Laboratory I and II (CHEM-UA 125, 126)
- Organic Chemistry and Laboratory I and II (CHEM-UA 225, 226)
Physics (one course/5 points):
- General Physics I (PHYS-UA 11)
Mathematics (two courses/8 points):
- Calculus I (MATH-UA 121)
- Calculus II (MATH-UA 122) or Linear Algebra (MATH-UA 140)

Global Public Health/Science Major with Concentration in Biology

Students pursuing this combined major complete a concentration in biology that emphasizes one of the following areas: genetics and genomics, infectious diseases, or environmental health. This major provides a unique opportunity for students to explore cutting-edge life science and how recent advances can help address some of the world's most complex health challenges. Graduates are well-prepared to pursue professional studies in medicine, dentistry, public health, and nutrition, as well as academic and research positions.

Departmental advising is absolutely crucial for students pursuing this demanding major. Students must satisfy all requirements of the College Core Curriculum (the First-Year Seminar, foreign language, expository writing, and Foundations of Contemporary Culture). Careful planning is necessary to ensure that all major, prehealth, and College Core Curriculum requirements can be completed in four years.

Students in this combined major must consult with the DUS or other departmental adviser to work out a course plan, especially as this major requires students to study away for one semester. The following are the twenty-two courses (94 points) that must be completed with a grade of C or higher [please note that the post-intermediate language requirement for the major applies only to students who matriculated before fall 2021; if they are granted a waiver or exemption from the requirement, they must take an additional (third) 4-point elective in the major. Students who matriculate in and after fall 2021 have no post-intermediate language requirement for this major, and are all required to take three major electives]:

Global public health requirements (six courses/24 points):

Health and Society in a Global Context (UGPH-GU 10; no prerequisites)
Biostatistics (BIOL-UA 42), taken in lieu of Biostatistics for Public Health (UGPH-GU 20).
Epidemiology for Global Health (UGPH-GU 30)
Health Policy in a Global World (UGPH-GU 40)
Environmental Health in a Global World (UGPH-GU 50)
Undergraduate Experiential Learning in Global Public Health (UGPH-GU 60)

Note well: UGPH-GU 10 is the prerequisite or corequisite for UGPH-GU 20, 30, 40, and 50. UGPH-GU 30 is an additional (recommended) prerequisite or corequisite for UGPH-GU 40. In addition, UGPH-GU 10, 20, and 30 are firm prerequisites for UGPH-GU 60.

One foreign language course above the intermediate two level (one course/4 points):

This requirement applies only to students who matriculated before fall 2021; students who matriculate in and after fall 2021 do not take this additional course.
Students in the former category may petition for a waiver from the requirement, or may use an NYU language placement or language exemption exam to meet this requirement. If they successfully waive or exempt out of the requirement, they must take an additional (third) 4-point major elective (see below) to satisfy the total number of credits required for the major. For more details, consult the archived PDF of the 2020-2022 CAS Bulletin at bulletin.cas.nyu.edu, or discuss with a major adviser.
Students in the latter category are all required to take a third elective in the major (see below) to replace the discontinued (for them) 4-point post-intermediate language requirement and satisfy the total number of credits required for the major.

Biology core courses (four courses/16 points):

Principles of Biology I and II (BIOL-UA 11, 12)
NOTE: Biology majors are not required to register for the 1-credit Principles of Biology Lab (BIOL-UA 123). It is intended for prehealth students not majoring in biology.
Molecular and Cell Biology I and II (BIOL-UA 21, 22)
NOTE: It is strongly recommended that students in this combined major take the optional 1-credit Molecular and Cell Biology Lab (BIOL-UA 223) concurrently with MCB I (BIOL-UA 21).

Biology emphasis area (two courses/8 points):

Students select two upper-level biology courses from one of these three areas:
1. Genetics and genomics
2. Infectious diseases
3. Environmental health

A current list of courses satisfying each area is maintained on the official website of the Department of Biology.

Additional required courses in science and mathematics (seven courses/34 points):

Chemistry (four courses/20 points):
- General Chemistry and Laboratory I and II (CHEM-UA 125, 126)
- Organic Chemistry and Laboratory I and II (CHEM-UA 225, 226)
Physics (two courses/10 points):
- General Physics I and II (PHYS-UA 11, 12)
Mathematics (one course/4 points):
- Calculus I (MATH-UA 121)

Major electives (three courses/12 points):

One additional biology elective must be completed by all students pursuing this major. A current list of courses approved as electives is maintained on the official website of the Department of Biology.
A second (and, for some students, also a third) elective must be completed that either is one of these approved biology electives or an elective approved by the GPH program, as follows:

Students who matriculate in and after fall 2021 must take three major electives in total. The third elective replaces the discontinued (for them) post-intermediate language requirement in this major.
Students who matriculated before fall 2021 technically have a major elective requirement of only two courses/8 points; however, if they waive or exempt out of the major's post-intermediate language requirement, they must take a third major elective for 4 points.

All majors must also study away for one semester.

For descriptions of UGPH-GU courses and for all policies applying to the major (including those for transfer students), please see the global public health section of this Bulletin.

Minors

The department offers four minors in biology designed to hone skills in one of four contemporary areas: molecular and cell biology, genetics, genomics and bioinformatics, or environmental biology.

The following courses (completed with grades of C or higher) are required for the specific minors. Students interested in one of the minors offered in biology should consult the director of undergraduate studies as early as possible to plan a course of study that meets their needs. Each minor consists of five 4-point courses plus one 1-point lab (21 points).

Minor in molecular and cell biology: BIOL-UA 11, 12, 21, and 22; either BIOL-UA 123 or BIOL-UA 223; At the Bench: Applied Cell Biology (BIOL-UA 37).

Minor in genetics: BIOL-UA 11, 12, and 21; either BIOL-UA 123 or BIOL-UA 223; either Genetics (BIOL-UA 30) or Biostatistics and Human Genetics (BIOL-UA 45); either At the Bench: Laboratory in Genetics (BIOL-UA 31) or At the Bench: Epigenetics (BIOL-UA 130).

Minor in genomics and bioinformatics: BIOL-UA 11, 12, and 21; either BIOL-UA 123 or BIOL-UA 223; either Genome Biology (BIOL-UA 38) or Bioinformatics in Medicine and Biology (BIOL-UA 103) or Fundamentals of Bioinformatics (BIOL-UA 124); one of the following: Microbiology and Microbial Genomics (BIOL-UA 44), Special Topics: Computing with Large Data Sets (BIOL-UA 120), Programming for Biologists (BIOL-GA 1007), Biological Databases and Data Mining (BIOL-GA 1009), Bioinformatics and Genomes (BIOL-GA 1127), Systems Biology (BIOL-GA 1128), or Applied Genomics: Introduction to Bioinformatics and Network Modeling (BIOL-GA 1130).

Minor in environmental biology: BIOL-UA 11, 12; BIOL-UA 123, or the equivalent; one of the following laboratory courses: Ecological Field Methods (BIOL-UA 16), Ecological Analysis with Geographic Information Systems (BIOL-UA 64), or At the Bench: Disease Ecology (BIOL-UA 500); two of the following: Biostatistics (BIOL-UA 42), Evolution (BIOL-UA 58), Fundamentals of Ecology (BIOL-UA 63), Biogeochemistry of Global Change (BIOL-UA 66), New York Underground (BIOL-UA 327), Current Topics in Earth System Sciences (BIOL-UA 332), or Urban Ecology (BIOL-UA 390).

Honors Program

Candidates for a degree with honors in biology must have an overall GPA of at least 3.65 and a minimum 3.65 GPA in all science and mathematics courses required for the major. It is the student's responsibility to secure a faculty member to sponsor the research and to provide laboratory space and equipment. All research credits should be completed by the end of the junior year.

In addition to all courses required for the biology major, students pursuing honors must also complete the following three courses (10 points):

One semester of either Independent Study (BIOL-UA 997, 998; 4 points per term) or Internship (BIOL-UA 980, 981; 4 points per term). Department approval of laboratory-based research is required. Application forms are available online on the Department of Biology’s website. For biology majors on the standard track or on the ecology track, this research course may count as one of the five required upper-level elective courses. For GPH/science majors with concentration in biology, this research course may count as one of the two additional major electives (not as an emphasis area elective). Note that GPH/science majors with concentration in biology must also take Experiential Learning (UGPH-GU 60) as part of the core GPH requirements. It is recommended that honors track students enroll in section 002 (Individual Project) of UGPH-GU 60 while engaged in mentored research (but not in the same semester as BIOL-UA 980, 981, 997, or 998).
Becoming a Scientist (BIOL-UA 995, 4 points): must be taken in the fall semester before graduation. This course counts toward the reasoning skill category.
Undergraduate Research Thesis (BIOL-UA 999, 2 points): must be taken in the final semester. Students prepare a written thesis based on the research results from their independent study or internship experience and defend the thesis at an oral examination before a faculty committee. Application forms, available online on the Department of Biology’s website, must be submitted by the beginning of the final semester.

General Information

Advanced Placement

Students who achieve a score of 4 or 5 on the College Entrance Examination Board Advanced Placement Examination in Biology (or have equivalent international exam credits) are exempted from taking the Principles of Biology I, II (BIOL-UA 11, 12) sequence. However, because of medical, dental, and other professional school requirements, students on the pre-health track cannot place out of Principles of Biology.

AP (or equivalent international exam credits) in chemistry cannot count toward any majors or minors offered by the Department of Biology, or substitute for General Chemistry I, II (CHEM-UA 125, 126) wherever this sequence is a corequisite or prerequisite for any BIOL-UA course.

Suggested Course Plans

For reference, suggested four-year course plans for biology majors, including those on the pre-health track and those in the global public health/science major with concentration in biology, are available on the official website of the Department of Biology.

Study Away

Opportunities for study away that are appropriate for biology majors are available on the official website of the Department of Biology.

Graduate Courses

A number of courses in specialized fields are offered at the graduate level. Courses at the BIOL-GA 1000 level are available to undergraduates who have the necessary prerequisites. To take any of the relevant BIOL-GA 1000-level graduate courses in biology, students must obtain the approval of the course instructor and the director of undergraduate studies and have their registration material approved in the department's graduate office.

Program of Study (CAS Bulletin)