Recommended for First Years
The following courses are recommended for first year students. Please view the course listings page or search the Columbia Directory of Classes to see which courses are currently offered and to read a description of each course.
| BIOL BC1001 | BIOL BC1002/1012 |
BIOL BC1500/1501 & |
BIOL BC1599 |
| ANAT BC2573 | ANAT BC2574 | BIOL BC3597** | HSPP BC1001/1002 |
*These courses fulfill biology major and pre-health requirements. Learn more about the intro biology sequence on the major requirements page.
**This course provides academic credit for independent research. Learn more about credit for research on the undergraduate research page.
The following table summarizes which course(s) you should take depending on your goals and background in biology. Visit the First Year & Prospective Major FAQ for more information.
|
GOAL |
LITTLE EXPERIENCE IN BIOLOGY |
STRONG BACKGROUND IN BIOLOGY |
|---|---|---|
|
Science major or pre-health career -- |
Start by taking BIOL BC1001 in the fall. Then, take BIOL BC1502/03 in the spring, and BIOL BC1500/01 the following fall. -- |
Take BIOL BC1500/1501 in the Fall, and BIOL BC1502/1503 in the spring (order does not matter). -- |
|
Fulfill lab science GER*** |
BIOL BC1001 (which does NOT have an associated lab) in the fall then take BIOL BC1502 lecture + BIOL BC1503 lab in the spring OR Take BIOL BC1001 in the fall and if offered, take BIOL BC1002 with lab in the spring. OR Take ANAT BC2573 and ANAT BC2574 in the fall in combination with a science lecture course in the spring (e.g. BIOL BC1502). |
Your choice:
|
***You are no longer required to take two science lectures from the same discipline to satisfy the Lab Science GER. Therefore, you may take BIOL BC1001, BIOL BC1500, or BIOL BC1502 lectures, in combination with a lecture and lab from a different scientific discipline. Or you may take the lecture + lab combinations of BIOL BC1002/1012 (Fall), BIOL BC1500/1501 (Fall), or BIOL BC1502/1503 (Spring) with a lecture from a different discipline.
Note on Biology Labs (BIOL BC1012, 1501, 1503)
Sign-up for BIOL BC1012, 1501, and 1503 labs are the same as all other courses. Students will be placed on a waitlist before the instructors accept them into the class.
If you receive a spot in a lab, you MUST attend the first lab. If you are absent from the first lab, you will be dropped from the course and your spot will be filled. Introductory labs typically meet starting the 2nd week of classes.
FAQ
Sign-up for HSPP BC1001 Research Apprenticeship Seminar. You will automatically be added to a wait-list, which is checked periodically during the shopping period. Once you have been accepted into the course, the professor teaching the course will approve you off of the wait-list and you will see it in your schedule on Student Planning marked with a green checkmark.
Note: Students who have not applied/have not been accepted will not be allowed into the course on Student Planning. Accepted students must take this course in the fall and HSPP BC1002 in the spring. This course is not being offered in AY 24–25.
BIOL BC1002 Contemporary Issues in Biology (Lab & Lecture) — Usually offered in the Fall Semester Only
Step 1: Sign-up for BC1002-Contemporary Issues in Biology (4.5 credit course).
Step 2: Sign-up for BC1012-BIOL BC1002 Lab (0.0 credit course). This is the lab section.
Note: The 3-point BIOL BC1001 Revolutionary Concepts in Biology lecture usually offered in the spring semester no longer has a lab component.
Please note that BIOL BC1002+BIOL BC1012 will NOT be offered in AY 21–22, but BIOL BC1001 will be offered in the fall.
BIOL BC1501 Introductory Lab in Organismal & Evolutionary Biology (Lab & Recitation) — Fall Only
Step 1: Sign-up for BIOL BC1501 Introductory Lab in Organismal & Evolutionary Biology (2.0 credit course).
Step 2: Sign-up for BIOL BC1511 BIOL BC1501 Recitation (0.0 credit course). This is the asynchronous lab recitation. All lab course pre-lab materials and assignments as well as grades will be posted through this course's associated CourseWorks page. To be fully enrolled in BC1501, you must be enrolled in the asynchronous recitation.
BIOL BC1503 Introductory Lab in Cell and Molecular Biology (Lab & Recitation) — Spring Only
Step 1: Sign-up for BIOL BC1503 Introductory Lab in Cell and Molecular Biology (2.0 credit course).
Step 2: Sign-up for BIOL BC1513 BIOL BC1503 Recitation (0.0 credit course). This is the asynchronous lab recitation. All lab course pre-lab materials and assignments as well as grades will be posted through this course's associated CourseWorks page. To be fully enrolled in BC1503, you must be enrolled in the asynchronous recitation.
Note: although the 3-hour introductory lab sections do not begin until the second week of classes, you may have assignments that are due at the start of the first lab section. These will be posted on the recitation CourseWorks page.
The lab is 3 hours long and meets once a week. You will perform activities that complement the material you are learning about in lecture.
On the first day of lab, an attendance sheet will be posted on the door.
For the 1500-level labs, there is an asynchronous recitation that accompanies the lab. The CourseWorks page for this recitation is where all pre-lab materials and assignments are posted. The lecture and the lab are separate courses and you must take them during the same semester.
Signing up for labs will take place over the summer at the same time that you sign up for your first year seminar & PE class. Follow the instructions above. You are enrolled in a section once you are able to see it checkmarked as green in Student Planning.
Introductory labs begin on the first Monday of classes (first full week of school). You must attend the first lab having completed any pre-lab assignments posted on the Recitation CourseWorks page. If you are absent from the first lab, you will be dropped from the course and your spot will be filled.
Upper-level labs start during the first week of classes (a week before the introductory labs start). First years cannot take upper-level labs.
If the lab section you would like is already full, you may choose to add yourself to the wait-list on Student Planning. You can generally determine whether any seats remain in a section by looking at the # of students enrolled on the CU Directory of Classes by selecting the present semester listed under Biological Sciences @Barnard. For additional questions regarding the wait-list function, please contact the Registrar. You can contact the intro bio team regarding registration by emailing Senior Associate Lab Director James Casey (jcasey@barnard.edu).