Registration Guide: Biology

Students majoring in Biology will ordinarily, through required coursework in the major, satisfy nearly all the BU Hub requirements in the Scientific and Social Inquiry, Quantitative Reasoning, and Communication, as well as most of the requirements in the Intellectual Toolkit. In addition, some BU Hub requirements may be earned in the Diversity, Civic Engagement, and Global Citizenship as well as the Philosophical, Aesthetic, and Historical Interpretation Capacity through specific Biology breadth and elective courses. Remaining BU Hub requirements will be satisfied by selecting from a wide range of available courses outside the major or, in some cases, cocurricular experiences.

A typical first semester Biology schedule looks like:

Biology course
CAS CH 101 Chemistry 1
Language course or Course of interest
Writing course
Optional add-on: First-Year Seminar

Please see below for more detailed suggestions on each course:

Course #1: Biology Course

Biology Course: Your first course will be CAS BI 107 Biology 1 (offered in fall) or CAS BI 108 Biology 2 (offered in spring). CAS BI 107 is not the pre-requisite of CAS BI 108, so if you entering BU in the spring semester, you should register for CAS BI 108.

-OR-

Mathematics course: If you have Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB) or other external credit for the BI course offered this semester, you can take a mathematics or computer science course instead:

Mathematics Course: The Biology major requires two mathematics or computer science courses, and one of these must be calculus or statistics. You can consider taking:
- Calculus 1: CAS MA 121 or CAS MA 123
- Statistics 1: CAS MA 115
- Calculus 2: CAS MA 122 (prerequisite: CAS MA 121) or CAS MA 124 (prerequisite: CAS MA 123)
- Statistics 2: CAS MA 116 (prerequisite: CAS MA 115)
- Computer Science: CAS CS 105, CAS CS 108, or CAS CS 111
  - If you have AP, IB, or other external credit for one of the above mathematics courses, you can register for another mathematics course or a computer science course.
  - If you have advanced credit for two mathematics courses, or a mathematics and computer science course, you have fulfilled this requirement. Please consider a course of interest, as explained below.
  - Please note, students cannot take more than one Calculus 1 course (CAS MA 121 and MA 123) for units toward graduation.

-OR-

Course of interest: Select a course that interests you – perhaps based on subjects you’ve enjoyed in the past or a new subject you’re excited to try for the first time! If you’re not sure where to start, you can review our Registration Instructions for tips on browsing by topic or Hub requirement.

Course #2: Chemistry Course

Typically Biology majors (and pre-health track students) take CAS CH 101 General Chemistry 1 (offered in either semester) as their second course.

If you have an extensive high school chemistry background, you may take a higher-level chemistry course; please review General Chemistry Advising for more information about chemistry levels and recommendations.
If you have AP, IB, or A-Level credit for CAS CH 101, you may explore taking the next course: CAS CH 102 General Chemistry 2 (offered in either semester). However, the Chemistry department encourages you to repeat your CH 101 credit by taking the first year of chemistry at BU, perhaps at a more advanced level.

Course #3: Language Course or Course of Interest

CAS Language Course: CAS students must exhibit proficiency through the fourth-semester level of a language other than English. If you have not already done so, please review the full language policy here.

If you plan to fulfill this language requirement through coursework at BU, then your next course should be a language course:

If you’re new to the language, you’ll start with the first-semester level (usually coded as 111 – for example, Spanish 1 is CAS LS 111, Arabic 1 is CAS LY 111, etc.).
If you have previously studied the language, you will need to take a placement test to determine what level to start with (for instance, CAS LS 112 Spanish 2, CAS LY 211 Arabic 3, CAS LK 212 Korean 4, etc.). Please review the CAS Language Requirement page for detailed information about placement tests and appropriate levels.

If you’ll fulfill the language requirement through advanced credit (such as AP/IB scores) or through native proficiency of another language, you have fulfilled your language requirement and can instead take a course of interest (as seen below).

-OR-

Please note: if you are taking both chemistry and biology as your first and second course, we do not recommend taking mathematics or computer science as a course of interest. This is a heavy course load that is not advisable for your first semester.

Course #4: Writing Course

Your fourth course should be a writing course:

If you did not apply to BU with a TOEFL/IELTS score, you can take either:
- CAS WR 120 First-Year Writing Seminar. Each section of WR 120 focuses on a specific topic/theme, so you should register for a section that pairs with your interests.
- CAS CC 101 Core Humanities 1: Ancient Worlds: (offered fall only): An interdisciplinary study of the origins of civilization, from Mesopotamia and the Hebrew Bible to the development of Greek civilization through Homer, Greek tragedy, and the philosophy of Plato. You should enroll in CAS CC 101 if you are considering the Core Curriculum. This course fulfills a single requirement in each of the following Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, First-Year Writing Seminar, Creativity/Innovation.

If you applied to BU with a TOEFL/IELTS score, you should take the Multilingual Writer Placement (instructions will be sent via email) before you register for a writing course. The writing placement is a suggestion, but it will help you make an informed decision about the most appropriate level for you. Depending on what level WR course you register for, you will fulfill the following Hub requirements:
- CAS WR 111 Academic Writing for ESL Students 1 – fulfills The Individual in Community Hub
- CAS WR 112 Academic Writing for ESL Students 2 – fulfills Global Citizenship & Intercultural Literacy Hub
- CAS WR 120 First-Year Writing Seminar – fulfills First-Year Writing Seminar Hub (If you place into WR 120, you are welcome to take CC 101 Core Humanities 1 instead to fulfill your FYW Hub.)

Optional Course #5: First-Year Seminar

First-Year Seminar: FY 101 (1 unit) – Optional

FY101 is a one-unit, low stress, non-academic class that serves as a semester-long introduction to BU and college life. FY101 helps you get a head start on making connections at BU. Each section is taught by a student peer mentor and a staff instructor.

FY101 classes are small and are for new students only, so they provide a great way to get to know other first-years!
Your peer mentor and instructor will provide resources to create a more successful and meaningful college experience and help you get ahead in your first semester here.
FY101 includes free, optional trips around Boston.
There are specialty sections based on major and identity (e.g., Natural Sciences, First Generation, etc ) so be sure to choose the one that’s right for you!

Interested in Pursuing the Core?

If you are interested in the Core Curriculum, we recommend registering for CAS CC 101 for your writing course (see above in Course #4). There are additional natural science Core courses offered; however, we do not typically recommend these for natural science majors who are already taking a lab course this semester. If you have questions about completing additional Core courses beyond CAS CC 101, please talk about this with your academic advisor!

Find out more about the Core Curriculum, the Hub, and registration here.

Ready to register? Let’s go – click here!

For more information about your specific major requirements click here!