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Biology Advising FAQ

 

What relateds should I take, and what qualifies as a "related" course?

Any major in biology includes the requirement of 12 or more credits of "related" work, in addition to 24 or more credits in the major department. Students (and faculty advisers) are often confused as to what courses can count as "relateds".

There is no official list of courses that qualify or do not qualify. As a general rule of thumb, a course is related to your major if it enlightens or extends the subject matter of your major. For example, a student majoring in MCB could use courses in EEB or PNB as relateds, as well as courses in Chemistry, Pathobiology, even perhaps certain courses in Psychology or Anthropology where there is some emphasis on biological mechanisms. The ultimate decision rests with your adviser -- if he or she will sign your plan of study with courses you designate as relateds, the registrar will not try to second guess the situation.

Students who major in Biological Sciences often wind up with more than 24 credits of courses in EEB, MCB, and PNB. In this situation, it is perfectly acceptable to use extra credits beyond the 24 as relateds, since this degree draws on three departments instead of one.

There are occasional circumstances in which courses not normally acceptable as relateds could qualify. For example, we had one student whose career goal was to work as a biological illustrator. Her adviser allowed her to use six credits of 2000's level courses in studio art as relateds because these courses were related to the goals of her Biological Sciences major. We stress again that the ultimate decision rests with the adviser.

Many students use courses in one or more of the three biology departments for some of their relateds. Here are some examples of courses outside the EEB, MCB, and PNB departments that students have also used as relateds. This is by no means meant to be an exhaustive list.
  • ANTH 2502: Human Evolution (3 credits)
  • CHEM 2443: Organic Chemistry I (3 credits)
  • CHEM 2444: Organic Chemistry II (3 credits)
  • CHEM 2445: Organic Chemistry Laboratory (3 credits)
  • NUSC 2200: Nutrition and Human Development (3 credits)
  • PVS 3201: Principles of Animal Virology (3 credits)
  • PSYC 3201: Animal Behavior (3 credits)
  • PSYC 2201: Drugs and Behavior (3 credits)
  • SCI 2400: The Nature of Scientific Thought (3 credits)

This page last updated 1 August 2008