Majoring in Biology
Overview
There are five ways to complete a biology major. These are called "tracks:"
- General Biology
- Cellular and Molecular Biology
- Physiological and Organismal Biology
- Ecological and Evolutionary Biology
- Computational Biology.
All tracks within the major must fulfill common foundational and senior capstone requirements. Tracks 2-4 concentrate on a specific level of biological organization. Please refer to the biology major checklists to see a list of requirements for each version of the biology major.
Note: A student may list only one of the tracks above on their transcript. If a student completes the requirements for more than one track, they may select which one is reflected on their transcript.
Ready to declare a major in biology? Submit a major declaration form via Slate and check out our Major Advising Resources page!
Overview of biology major tracks
There are five ways to complete a biology major. These are called "tracks." A student may list only one of the biology tracks above on their transcript, even if they fulfill the requirements for multiple. Students may select which track is reflected on their transcripts.
All major tracks share the following major requirements:
- Intro Biology sequence (1500, 1501, 1502, 1503)
- BIOL 2100 Molecular and Mendelian Genetics
- Five upper-level electives (what type of electives required varies by track)
- Upper-level labs (three for most tracks, one for CB)
- Supplemental courses (General and organic chemistry for all tracks except for Computational Biology, which requires computing & statistics)
- Senior capstone
C&M, P&O, and E&E tracks concentrate on a specific level of biological organization. Please refer to the biology major checklists to see a list of requirements for each version of the biology major.
Ready to declare a major in biology? Submit a major declaration form via Slate and check out our Major Advising Resources page!
Summary of Biology Major and Minor Requirements
Introductory Biology & Genetics
All biology majors must complete the 1500-level introductory sequence followed by a course in Genetics:
- BIOL BC1500 Introduction to Organismal and Evolutionary Biology
- BIOL BC1501 Introductory Lab in Organismal and Evolutionary Biology
- BIOL BC1502 Introduction to Cell and Molecular Biology
- BIOL BC1503 Introductory Lab in Cell and Molecular Biology
- BIOL BC2100 Molecular and Mendelian Genetics
It is recommended, but not required, that Genetics be taken immediately after completing the 1500-level introductory sequence. Though it is a pre-requisite for many upper-level courses, it is not required for all. For example, sophomores interested in pursuing the Organismal & Physiological or Ecology & Evolutionary tracks are encouraged to take BIOL BC2280 Animal Behavior, BIOL BC2840 Plant Evolution and Diversity, or BIOL BC3360 Physiology even if they have not yet taken genetics.
Upper-Level Elective Courses
Students must complete five upper-level lecture courses from the categories below.
To complete a general biology major, the five courses must include at least one course from each of the three categories (C&M, P&O, and E&E). A course in computation is recommended, but not required.
To select and complete one of the four tracks, at least four courses must be from the appropriate category, and, as a breadth requirement, at least one must be from another category. The specifics for how you must select your courses are summarized in the table below.
- Note: BIOL BC2500 MATLAB for scientists may count as an upper-level elective under the C&M, P&O, and E&E track categories, but cannot be used to fulfill the breadth requirement in any track. For example, if you are concentrating in the Cellular and Molecular Biology (C&M) track, you cannot take BIOL BC2500 as your one P&O or E&E course.
Important: While a course may be able to fulfill multiple requirements, it can count toward one requirement only.
- A course cannot count as both a C&M and a P&O upper-level lecture, for example.
- If a course can count toward a lecture or a lab requirement, it may not fulfill both a lecture and a lab requirement.
- BIOL BC2490 Coding in Biology and BIOL BC2500 MATLAB for Scientists can be counted either as a lab or as a lecture course
- Similarly, a student may only major in one track. If a student meets the requirements for multiple tracks, they may choose which track is listed on their transcript.
Track |
Upper-Level Biology Course Selections |
|---|---|
| General Biology (GB) |
|
| Cellular & Molecular Biology (C&M track) |
|
| Physiological & Organismal Biology (P&O track) |
|
| Ecological & Evolutionary Biology (E&E track) |
|
| Computational Biology (CB track) |
|
Click on the accordions below for an expanded list of qualifying courses for each of the options within the Biology major. For many courses, an equivalent course at Columbia is a suitable alternative. You can view Columbia Biological Sciences and Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology (E3B) courses on the Course Listings page.
- BIOL BC2278 Evolution
- BIOL BC2490 Coding in Biology
- BIOL BC2500 MATLAB for Scientists*
- BIOL BC3304 Topics in Molecular Genetics
- BIOL BC3308 Microbial Genomics (formerly called Genomics and Bioinformatics)
- BIOL BC3310 Cell Biology (or BIOL BC3041 Cell Biology)
- BIOL BC3320 Microbiology
- BIOL BC3352 Development (or BIOL UN3022 Developmental Biology)
- BIOL BC3362 Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience
- CHEM BC3282 Biological Chemistry (or BIOL UN3300 Biochemistry or BIOC UN3511 Biochemistry I: Structure & Metabolism)
- BIOL UN3004 Neurobiology I: Cellular & Molecular Neurobiology
- BIOL UN3034 Biotechnology
- BIOL UN3073 Cellular and Molecular Immunology
- BIOL UN3310 Virology
- BIOL UN3512 Molecular Biology
*Note that this course may not fulfill a breadth requirement in any track.
- BIOL BC2262 Vertebrate Biology
- BIOL BC2280 Animal Behavior
- BIOL BC2500 MATLAB for Scientists*
- BIOL BC3320 Microbiology
- BIOL BC3352 Development (or BIOL UN3022 Developmental Biology)
- BIOL BC3360 Physiology (or BIOL UN3006 General Physiology)
- BIOL UN3005 Neurobiology II: Development & Systems
- EEEB UN3011 Behavioral Biology of Living Primates (Note that the 1000-level course with the same name does NOT count toward the major)
- EEEB UN3208 Explorations in Primate Anatomy
- EEEB W4112 Ichthyology
*Note that this course may not fulfill a breadth requirement in any track.
- BIOL BC2240 Plant Evolution and Diversity
- BIOL BC2262 Vertebrate Biology
- BIOL BC2272 Ecology
- BIOL BC2278 Evolution
- BIOL BC2280 Animal Behavior
- BIOL BC2851 Plants & Profits: The Global Power of Botany
- BIOL BC3320 Microbiology
- BIOL BC3380 Applied Ecology and Evolution
- EEEB UN3005 Introduction to Statistics for Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
- EEEB UN3087 Conservation Biology
- EEEB UN3220 The Evolution of Human Growth and Development
- EEEB UN3970 Biological Basis of Human Variation
- EEEB W4110 Coastal Estuarine Ecology
- EEEB W4111 Ecosystem Ecology and Global Change
- EESC BC3050 Big Data with Python: Python for Environmental Analysis & Visualisation
- EESC GU4050 Remote Sensing
- COMS W3134 Data Structures in Java
- CBMF W4761 Computational Genomics
- PUBH UN3400 Data Science and Health Equity in New York
- BIOL BC2490 Coding in Biology
- BIOL BC2500 MATLAB for Scientists
- BIOL BC2841 Laboratory in Plant Evolution and Diversity
- BIOL BC2851 Plants and Profits: The Global Power of Botany
- BIOL BC3308 Microbial Genomics (formerly called Genomics and Bioinformatics)
- BIOL BC3590 Senior Seminar: Bacteria by Design*
*Different topics for this course are taught each semester. Only Bacteria by Design will fulfill this requirement. This class may count as either an upper-level elective course OR the senior capstone experience.
- BIOL BC3304 Topics in Molecular Genetics
- BIOL BC3310 Cell Biology (or BIOL UN3041 Cell Biology)
- BIOL BC3320 Microbiology
- BIOL BC3352 Development (or BIOL UN3006 Developmental Biology)
- BIOL BC3360 Physiology (or BIOL UN3006 General Physiology)
- BIOL BC3362 Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience
- BIOL BC3380 Applied Ecology & Evolution
Ask an advisor about new or less frequently taught 3000-level courses at Barnard or Columbia, or about transfer or study-abroad credit.
Upper-Level Laboratory Courses
Students pursuing the Computational Biology (CB) track are only required to take one upper-level lab. This lab should be on the list below. If a student wishes to fulfill the requirement with a lab not listed, they should talk to their advisor.
Students in the General Biology, C&M, P&O, and E&E tracks are required to take three upper-level lab courses. They may take any upper-level Barnard Biology lab courses for which they meet the pre- or co-requisites. Often, a lab course requires that a student have taken a pre-requisite lecture offered in the opposite semester (though sometimes, the lecture may be offered as a co-requisite in the same semester).
A yearlong research & seminar course may substitute up to two lab courses, as described below.
As is true for lectures, students may also take laboratory courses at Columbia (or other institutions) to satisfy the lab requirement, with permission from the Chair.
- BIOL BC3303 Laboratory in Molecular Biology
- BIOL BC3305-BC3306 Project Laboratory in Molecular Genetics (yearlong course)
- BIOL BC3311 Laboratory in Cell Biology
- BIOL BC3321 Laboratory in Microbiology
- BIOL BC3361 Laboratory in Physiology
- BIOL BC3363 Laboratory in Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience
- BIOL BC2281 Laboratory in Animal Behavior
- BIOL BC2490 Coding in Biology*
- BIOL BC2500 MATLAB for Scientists**
- BIOL BC2801 Laboratory in Genetics
- BIOL BC2841 Laboratory in Plant Evolution and Diversity
- BIOL BC2873 Laboratory in Ecology
- BIOL BC3303 Laboratory in Molecular Biology
- BIOL BC3305-BC3306 Project Laboratory in Molecular Genetics (yearlong course)
- BIOL BC3311 Laboratory in Cell Biology
- BIOL BC3321 Laboratory in Microbiology
- BIOL BC3354 Laboratory in Embryology
- BIOL BC3361 Laboratory in Physiology
- BIOL BC3363 Laboratory in Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience
- BIOL BC3591-BC3592 Guided Research & Seminar
*Coding in Biology can count either as an upper-level lab for the GB, C&M, P&O, and E&E tracks, or as an upper-level elective in the C&M or CB-COMP categories.
**MATLAB for Scientists can count either as an upper-level lab for the GB, C&M, P&O, and E&E tracks, or as an upper-level elective in the C&M, P&O, E&E, and CB-COMP categories, but cannot fulfill a breadth requirement.
Enrollment in the year-long Guided Research and Seminar can be used to fulfill two of the three required upper-level labs. This course is only available as a Fall to Spring sequence.
Seniors enrolled in this course to satisfy their lab requirement must additionally enroll in BIOL BC3590 Senior Seminar in order to fulfill their capstone requirement. Seniors may not take this course concurrently with Senior Thesis Research and Seminar, though it is fine to have taken it in your junior and senior years.
Senior Capstone Experience
Students complete the Senior Capstone Experience with either of the following two options:
1. One semester of Senior Seminar in Biology (BIOL BC3590)
In Senior Seminar, enrolled students participate in a seminar focusing on primary literature and present a senior thesis in the format of a literature review. Topics vary from semester to semester. Computational Biology majors must consult their advisor to make sure the topic aligns with their concentration.
-OR-
2. The yearlong Senior Thesis Research and Seminar (BIOL BC3593 & BIOL BC3594)
In Senior Thesis Research and Seminar, students complete an original research project in a lab, and compose and give a presentation on a senior thesis in the format of a primary research paper. Students may NOT be enrolled in both Senior Thesis Research and Seminar and Guided Research and Seminar at the same time.
Note: Seniors enrolled in Guided Research and Seminar to fulfill two upper-level labs for their major cannot take Senior Thesis Research and Seminar at the same time. Instead, they must complete their senior capstone experience with BIOL BC3590 Senior Seminar.
General & Organic Chemistry
Majors in all tracks must complete at least one semester of General Chemistry (with laboratory) and at least one semester of Organic Chemistry (with laboratory). Students pursuing a major in the Computational Biology track are exempt from these requirements to balance their required introductory courses in computing and statistics.
To see which courses will be offered, we encourage students to visit the CU Directory of Classes pages for Chemistry at Barnard and at Columbia.
Equivalent courses at Columbia may be taken in lieu of the Barnard Chemistry CHEM BC2001 + CHEM BC2012 General Chemistry lecture + lab and CHEM BC3230 + CHEM BC3328 Organic Chemistry lecture + lab courses.
This is an important topic to discuss early with your advisor.
Introductory Computing & Statistics Courses
Students pursuing a Computational Biology track have the additional pre-requisite requirements of one introductory course to learn a coding language and one introductory course in statistics, balanced by an exemption from the chemistry requirements detailed below.
The courses that can fulfill these requirements include:
Introductory Computing Courses
- COMS W1004 Introduction to Computer Science and Programming in Java
- COMS BC1016 Introduction to Computational Thinking and Data Science
- ENGI E1006 Introduction to Computing for Engineers and Applied Scientists (taught in Python)
Introductory Statistics Courses
- STAT UN1010 Statistical Thinking for Data Science with Python Labs
- STAT UN1101 Introduction to Statistics
- STAT UN2102 Applied Statistical Computing
- NSBV BC2002 Statistics and Experimental Design
- EEEB UN3005 Introduction to Statistics for Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
FAQ
You should first read through the profiles of possible advisors who are taking on new advisees on our Major Advising page. As of spring 2022, the Associate Chair will assign you an advisor (see How do I select or change a major advisor? below) though you may select one to suggest when filling out the Major Declaration Form on Slate. If suggesting an advisor, you should verify that they are accepting new advisees on our Major Advising page. Lastly, you should email the Department Administrator with your class year to be added to the departmental listserv.
The following three Columbia departments each offer upper-level undergraduate courses that count towards the Biology major or minor at Barnard. Most Columbia Biology and E3B courses can be used to fulfill Major/Minor requirements or the science GER. It is important to note that there are several Barnard/Columbia course pairs that are mutually exclusive (for example, BIOL BC3360 Physiology and BIOL UN3006 General Physiology).
- Department of Biological Sciences
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology (E3B)
- Department of Psychology
To determine whether a course can count towards the major, see the two tables on the Course Listings page. If the course you are interested in is not listed, consult with the Associate Chair before enrolling in the course.
If you have any questions you should consult the Associate Chair.
Please note: Barnard’s Biology 1500-level series is the most appropriate pre-requisite for our biology major and minor.
Research can fulfill a major requirement through enrollment in either of the following yearlong courses:
- Guided Research & Seminar (BIOL BC3591 & BIOL BC3592)
- Senior Thesis Research & Seminar (BIOL BC3593 & BIOL BC3594)
Guided Research & Seminar can count for up to two upper level labs required for the major. Senior Thesis Research & Seminar can count for your senior capstone requirement. You may not be enrolled in both courses in your senior year.
Note: Because it does not have a seminar component, BIOL BC3597 Guided Research does not fulfill any major requirements. It does, however, count toward your degree credit and GPA. You may enroll in BIOL BC3597 for between 1–4 credits per semester. As a rule of thumb, you should be spending approximately 3 hours per week per credit on your research project. Transit time to your lab does not count toward research time.
To learn more about these courses, see: Undergraduate Research
As of spring 2022, in the biology department, students are assigned their advisors by the Associate Chair, though they may suggest someone if they've developed a prior relationship with a faculty member who they'd like to request as their advisor. Any faculty member in the department can serve as your advisor. Faculty members who are definitely NOT taking new advisees will have this listed on their Major Advisor profile.
When you are ready to declare your major, you can fill out the Major Declaration Form from the Registrar on Slate, which has a place to include the name of an advisor if you'd like to suggest one (after ensuring they are taking on new advisees). Otherwise, you may leave this blank. If you have already declared your major and would like to change your advisor, then you can simply fill out the Major Advisor Change Form from the Registrar on Slate.
AP credit is transferred by the Registrar's office. If you got a Biology AP score of 4 or 5, then the Registrar will add 3 points to your transcript as degree credit. For the Biology Major and to fulfill the Pre-Health requirements you still need to take the full BIOL BC1500-level Introductory Biology sequence. AP credits do not exempt you from taking any Biology courses at Barnard.
To transfer credit, you will need to contact the organization that administers the AP tests (Educational Testing Service), and ask them to send your AP scores to the Barnard Registrar's office.
It is strongly recommended that you obtain approval for any non-Barnard course before taking the course. You can get approval from the Associate Chair once you have completed the Transfer Form from the Registrar.
Note: this applies for any Biology course, irrespective of whether you are taking it to fulfill major or minor requirements, to fulfill the science GER, or simply as degree credit.
It is strongly recommended that you discuss your plans for studying abroad with your Biology advisor before enrollment. In addition, you should speak with the Study Abroad Dean for advice. Once you decide upon the classes you want to take, you will need to work with the Study-Abroad Dean to obtain approval. She uses an on-line system, which sends links to your preferred courses to the appropriate departmental chairs for approval. Consult with the Associate Chair if you plan on using any study abroad courses to fulfill Major Requirements.
It is strongly recommended that you obtain approval for non-Barnard courses prior to taking the course. You can get approval from the Associate Chair once you have completed the Summer Course Approval Form.
Note: this applies for any Biology course, irrespective of whether you are taking it to fulfill major or minor requirements, to fulfill the science GER, or simply as degree credit.
You may do this using the Degree Audit Change Request form on the Slate system where the Associate Chair will approve the change. Importantly, as seniors, you will fill out a checklist for the department and submit it to the department administrator. This checklist will be used to verify that you have completed your major's requirements and to calculate major GPAs, which are considered for departmental awards.