The Biological Sciences Major and Minor

The Biological Sciences Major

Our major provides many ways of looking at living things. Core courses introduce complementary perspectives on life. Advanced courses bring students to the edge of what we know and provide a foundation for original work.

The biological sciences major requires a minimum of 32 credits in biology, chemistry, ecology, statistics, and other subjects.

Requirements for the Major

Credits

  • A minimum of 44 credits:

Courses

Required courses in biological sciences:

Biological Sciences:

  • BIOL-145, Introductory Biology (various types)
    or
  • BIOL-160, Integrated Introduction to Biology and Chemistry
    or
  • NEURO-100, Introduction to Neuroscience and Behavior

  • 200, Introductory Biology II: How Organisms Develop
  • 230, Cell and Molecular Biology

  • 223, Ecology (prereq. Biology 145 or Environmental Studies 100, one semester of college or high school calculus or statistics)
    or
  • 226, Evolution (prereq. Biology 210 or 223)

  • Three additional courses (12 credits) at the 300-level in biology. At least two of these (8 credits) 300-level courses must be taken at Mount Holyoke.
  • One additional course in Biological Sciences at any level

Required courses outside of biological sciences:

  • CHEM-101, General Chemistry I
  • CHEM-201, General Chemistry II
  • One course in either calculus or statistics (e.g. MATH-101, MATH-102, MATH-203, STAT-140, STAT-240, etc.)

Additional Specifications

  • A total of five courses at the 200 and 300 levels are required to be taken with labs.
  • BIOL-295 and BIOL-395 do not count toward the minimum 32 credits in Biological Sciences, nor towards the five courses required to be taken with labs.

The Biological Sciences Minor

The minor in biological sciences major requires a minimum of 16 credits at the 200 and/or 300 level.

  • Biology 295 or 395 do not count toward the minimum 16 credits in the minor.

Detailed information on required credits and courses for the major and the minor can be found in the Biological Sciences chapter of the catalog.

We also provide education related minors. Detailed information on required credits and courses for this minor can be found in the Education Related Minors Programs of Study.