Biological Sciences, B.S.

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Requirements for the Interdepartmental Majors:

Students wishing to declare an interdepartmental major must submit a proposal to the department chair outlining their proposed program of study no later than the second term of their junior year. This program, which must be approved by the chair of the Biology Department, should be written in consultation with advisors from both departments to form a cohesive and integrated major; appropriate courses in mathematics and physical sciences should be included in the proposal. Students who wish to have their interdepartmental major listed as Biology/Other are required to take eight biology courses. Those wishing to have their interdepartmental major listed as Other/Biology are required to take six biology courses. Only one of these may be a research course. Interdepartmental majors are not required to take one subcellular, one organismal and one population course, although they are strongly encouraged to do so.

Requirements for Honors:

Students eligible for departmental honors must fulfill the College-wide criteria and satisfactorily complete a thesis, usually based on the results of original biological research, which receives the approval of the department and appropriate College committee. It is customary, but not required, that research students enroll in three honors research courses, typically during the senior year. Interdepartmental majors must consult with their advisors in both disciplines during their junior year to receive approval for an interdepartmental thesis. The biology component of an interdepartmental thesis will normally incorporate at least one term of biological research.