Biology Major
Department Advanced Placement Policy
Students with AP credit in Biology do not receive credit toward the minimum number of course required by the major or advanced standing in the Biology curriculum.
Requirements
Introductory courses may be taken in any order.
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| Introduction to Cell & Molecular Biology | |
| Introduction to Mechanisms of Multicellular Life | |
| Introduction to Biol Diversity and Ecology | |
| Select five of the following, with at least one course from each of the three Course Distribution Areas: 1 | |
| Cellular and Molecular Biology: | |
| Virology | |
| Genetics | |
| Genetic Analysis | |
| Cell Biology | |
| Neurobiology Lecture | |
| Biochemistry 1 | |
| Biochemistry 2 | |
| Topics in Genomics | |
| Molecular Immunology | |
| Organismal Biology: | |
| Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy | |
| Biomechanics | |
| Entomology | |
| Microbiology | |
| Developmental Biology | |
| Developmental Biology Lecture | |
| Invertebrate Biology | |
| Physiology | |
| Physiology Lecture | |
| Ecology and Evolution: | |
| Freshwater Ecology | |
| Marine Biology | |
| Ecology | |
| Conservation Biology | |
| Evolution | |
| Ethology & Behavioral Ecology | |
| Ecosystem Ecology | |
| Applied Evolution | |
| Additional Requirements | |
| Atoms & Molecules (with lab) | |
| Organic Chemistry 1 (with labs) | |
or CHEM 231 | Equilibrium & Reactivity |
| Calculus 1 (or equivalent) | |
| Biological Statistics | |
or STAT 220 | Statistics |
| Select two cognate courses chosen from the approved list maintained by the department: 2 | |
| Organic Chemistry 1 | |
| Organic Chemistry 2 | |
| Equilibrium & Reactivity | |
| Techniques of Programming | |
| Data Structures | |
| Discrete Structures | |
| Introduction to Geology | |
| Geomorphology | |
| Watershed Hydrology | |
| Paleoclimatology | |
| Calculus 2 | |
| Multivariable Calculus | |
| Introductory Physics 1: Mechanics, Fluids and Waves | |
| Introductory Physics 2: Electromagnetism, Optics and Modern Physics | |
| Physiology and Behavior | |
| 1 | Of the five upper division biology courses, at least three must have accompanying labs. |
| 2 | AP or IB may not be used to fulfill this requirement. Students may elect to substitute an upper division biology course (beyond the required five) for one of these cognates. |
Additional courses, up to a maximum of 14, may be taken at Holy Cross or, with the chair’s permission, in other programs, such as Study Abroad, Study Away, the Higher Education Consortium of Central Massachusetts or summer school.
In addition to formal courses, the Department offers qualified students an opportunity to conduct research (BIOL 401 Undergraduate Research) in association with faculty members in their research laboratories. Opportunities also exist for students to pursue individual interests in faculty-directed readings courses based on biological literature (BIOL 405 Directed Readings). Students conducting research for a thesis in the College Honors Program must elect BIOL 407 Honors Research, BIOL 408 Honors Research. Students may receive up to one semester of lab credit towards the major by taking either BIOL 401 Undergraduate Research or BIOL 407 Honors Research. Additional semesters of research count for credit towards graduation from the College but do not count as biology credits. Research credits are subject to the rule of no more than 14 courses in any department.