General Studies Biology Concentration Requirements

A grade of C- or better must be earned and revealed on your transcript for any course -- including the first semester -- to be counted towards the major or concentration requirements. The grade of P is not acceptable, but a course that was taken P/D/F may be counted if and only if the P is uncovered by the Registrar's deadline. (Please note that an exception is made for major courses taken in Spring 2020, when all courses were Pass-Fail).

Any exceptions must be approved in advance by an Advisor and you must receive an email notification of that approval.

Students may substitute Barnard College courses only with prior permission from an Advisor.

If you are planning to study abroad, please meet with your Advisor before you go. You'll need prior approval for any major courses that you take abroad.

I. Required Biology Courses

1. Two introductory biology courses (Barnard courses cannot be used for Intro Bio):
   • UN2005 - Introductory Biology I: Biochemistry, Genetics & Molecular Biology AND
   • UN2006 - Introductory Biology II: Cell Biology, Development & Physiology

***GS Majors may take UN2401/2 (contemporary biology) in lieu of Biol UN2005/6, with their Advisor's permission.
For a description of the differences between UN2401/2 and UN2005/6 see FAQ for GS Students, Q5. Transfer students who have completed 1 year of intro bio elsewhere must take UN2005/6 or UN2401/2 before taking upper level bio classes at CU. Exceptions will not be readily granted and require prior approval of the DUS, (Dr. Heicklen).

2. One lecture course from this list of core courses:
   • UN3031- Genetics
   • UN3022 - Developmental biology
   • UN3041 - Cell biology
   • GU4501 - Biochemistry or UN3300
   • GU4512 - Molecular Biology
3. Three or four additional biology or biochemistry lecture courses, level 3000 or above, to reach the total Biology credits of 22 points required for the concentration. Either UN2501 or a five-point lab course, but not both, may count towards the 22 point total. Current offerings include the core courses listed above and the following. Prior approval is required for any course not on this list.
   • UN3004 - Neurobiology I: Cellular & Molecular Neurobiology
   • UN3005 - Neurobiology II: Development & Systems
   • UN3006 - Physiology
   • UN3019 - Brain Evolution
   • UN3022 - Developmental Biology
   • UN3025 - Neurogenetics
   • UN3031 - Genetics
   • UN3034/GU4034 - Biotechnology
   • UN3799/GU4799 - Molecular Biology of Cancer
   • UN3041 - Cell Biology
   • UN3073 - Cellular and Molecular Immunology
   • UN3193/GU4193 - Stem Cell Biol & Applications
   • UN3300 - Biochemistry
   • UN3310/GU4310 - Virology
   • UN3320 - Regulation of Behaviors for Survival
   • UN3404 - Antimicrobial Resistance
   • GU4501 - Biochemistry
   • GU4512 - Molecular Biology
   • UN3560/GU4560 - Evolutionary Biology in the Genomic Era
   • GU4002 - Macromolecular Structure and Interactions
   • GU4008 - Advanced seminar in neurobiology (topic varies)
   • GU4011 - Neural Syst: Circuits in the Brain
   • GU4035 - Seminar in Epigenetics
   • GU4036 - Transformative Concepts in Systems Biology
   • GU4044 - Advanced Topics in Cell Biology
   • GU4075 - Biology at Physical Extremes
   • GU4777 - From Curiosity to Cure Case Studies
   • GU4080 - Ancient and Modern RNA Worlds
   • GU4082 - Theoretical Foundations and Applications of Biophysical Methods
   • GU4088 - Seminar in Neurobiochemistry and Neurology
   • GU4290 - Biological Microscopy
   • GU4300 - Drugs and Disease
   • GU4323 - Biophysical Chemistry I
   • GU4324 - Biophysical Chemistry II
   • GU4402 Biological Image Computing
   • GU4510 - Genomics of Gene Regulation
   • GU4551 - A Structural View of Biology
   • GU4777 - From Curiosity to Cure Case Studies

Beginning Fall 2018, no lab is required for the concentration.  All other requirements remain the same, including enough electives to reach at least 22 points. A maximum of 5 points of lab credit may be counted toward the 22 point total. 5 pts will be waived on completion of the SURF program.

Note: SCNC & HPSC courses do not count towards the Major even if listed under Biology courses on Bio web site. BIOT courses will not be counted towards the Major.

II. Required Science and Math Courses

1. One of the following three groups of Chemistry courses: 

2. Two semesters of physics are required, including the accompanying labs. The usual choices are General physics (UN1201-UN1202) and labs (UN1291-UN1292). The 1400 sequence is recommended if you plan to take 3 terms of physics. Higher level of physics sequence are acceptable too.

3. The math requirement can be fulfilled by taking any of these:

• Two semesters of calculus
• One semester of calculus plus one semester of statistics (UN1101 or UN1201)**
• For students with AP credit, A 4 or 5 in Calculus A/B in high school or a 4 in B/C calculus fulfills the requirement of one term of calculus toward the biology major. A score of 5 in B/C calculus fulfills the requirement of one year of calculus toward the biology major. (Students with these scores are exempt from some bio major requirements, as explained above, but will not receive AP credit if they take Calculus 1, or if they take no calculus at Columbia.) For more details, see the mathematics department web site.

**Note: old course numbers W1111/W1211 still count for the statistics portion of the math requirement. Please consult with your advisor if you are unsure if your course counts toward your major.

For transfer students, at least 4 biology or biochemistry courses and at least 18 credits of the total (biology, biochemistry, math, physics and chemistry) must be taken at Columbia. Barnard courses may not be substituted for the required Columbia courses without advance permission from the advisor.