Information for new students

Welcome to Penn Biology! Deciding which courses to take depends on your previous biology courses (did you take advanced courses in high school?) and your future goals (are you planning to be a Biology major? go to medical school?). Use the links below to find information for your unique needs.

• Biology for non majors
• Biology for pre-professional students
• Overview of the Biology major
• What is BIOL 091 credit?
• Departmental advanced placement exams

biology for non majors

The Biology department offers a variety of courses designed to help students understand modern biological techniques and how they influence human life on local and global scales. Non majors courses are taught by faculty from the biology department and from the medical school.

Topics include

basic molecular biology and how it impacts our lives
BIOL 003 What every lawyer, businessperson, and citizen should know about molecular biology
an exploration of the microbes that help or harm us
BIOL 005 Killer viruses BIOL 011 Humans in a microbial world
what the human genome can tell us about global human migration
BIOL 012 The genome project and human history
why evolution is a controversial subject despite overwhelming scientific evidence
BIOL 014 Descent with modification
the ways that humans interface with the environment
BIOL 140 Humans and the environment

biology for pre-professional students

Professional schools including medical, dental, and veterinary schools, require a minimum of one year of biology (lecture plus lab) taken in college - AP credits do not satisfy pre-professional requirements. Freshmen wishing to satisfy pre-professional requirements should take the introductory series in Biology although there are other ways to satisfy these requirements. The Career Services office can provide specific information depending on the type of professional school you plan to attend. If you receive credit for one or more of our introductory courses by passing our departmental placement exam or if you are following Track 1 in the introductory series, we recommend taking 200 level biology courses for any additional lecture courses you may need. Intermediate courses such as BIOL 202 Cell Biology and Biochemistry and BIOL 215 Vertebrate Physiology are recommended for students preparing for MCAT exams.

Lab requirements can be fulfilled by taking BIOL 123 (providing you do not take BIOL 101 or 121) and/or BIOL 124 (providing you do not take BIOL 102). Some upper division lab courses, including BIOL 399: Independent Study research, also fulfill the lab requirement for the pre-professional requirements (see "Laboratory Credit" section below).

overview of the Biology major

Additional information on the program is also available in the Department of Biology Undergraduate Major Manual.

Our curriculum introduces students to the many ways of understanding the function and diversity of living organisms and to the increasingly important role of biology in the modern world. Major topics include genetics, molecular biology, cell biology, development, plant biology, vertebrate physiology, neuroscience, behavior, ecology, and evolution.

The introductory biology courses provide an overview of these areas through lectures and labs. Students can complete the requirement for introductory biology in two ways (see Tracks below). Students should choose between the two tracks based on their experience in biology and on their preference for a greater emphasis on describing the basic phenomena (BIOL 101/102) vs. a greater emphasis on understanding how biological systems work and methods of biological research (BIOL 121). BIOL 101 is offered only in the Fall and BIOL 102 is offered only in the Spring but the series can be started with either course. BIOL 121 and 124 are offered in both the Fall and Spring semesters and can be taken in any order. Switching from one track to the other is not recommended because the courses involve some curriculum overlap. Students should contact the Undergraduate Chair of Biology (bio-undergraduate@sas.upenn.edu or +1 215 898.7121) if they wish to take BIOL 102 after completing BIOL 121.

Many aspects of modern biology are based on fundamental principles of chemistry, physics and math, so the requirements for the Biology major include:

2 CU of chemistry, chosen from the following:

CHEM 1 or 101 (1.0 CU; first semester of introductory chemistry lecture)

CHEM 102 (1.0 CU; second semester of introductory chemistry lecture)

or CHEM 15 (1 cu; honors chemistry; instead of Chem 1 or 101 and 102)

CHEM 241 (1.0 CU; first semester of organic chemistry)

CHEM 242 (1.0 CU; second semester of organic chemistry)

CHEM 245 (1.0 CU; organic chemistry lab)

2 additional CU of chemistry and/or physics, chosen from the above list and/or the following:

PHYS 101 or 150 or 170 (1.5 CU; first semester of introductory physics lecture)

PHYS 102 or 151 or 171 (1.5 CU; second semester of introductory physics lecture)

any combination of physics or chemistry labs (0.5 CU)

Two of the following three options:

MATH 104

MATH 114 or 115

One semester of statistics (BIOL 446 or STAT 111 or 102)

Biology majors should take two of the required introductory science and math courses each semester to complete these requirements by the end of their sophomore year.

Biology majors also take intermediate level (200-level) courses from among the following groups. Students pursuing Track 1 must take four intermediate level courses from four different groups while students in Track 2 must take three intermediate courses in three different groups.

Group 1: BIOL 202 Cellular Biology and Biochemistry
Group 2: BIOL 221 Molecular Biology and Genetics
Group 3: BIOL 215 Vertebrate Physiology or BIOL 251 Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology
Group 4: BIOL 230 Evolution or BIOL 240 Ecology; from individuals to ecosystems

All biology majors must then take four additional courses. These include other 200-level courses, 400-level seminars, independent research, and specified courses from other departments.

In addition to this general Biology major, the Department of Biology offers several specialized Concentrations for students who wish to study a specific area of biology in depth. These include:

Computational Biology or Mathematical Biology

Molecular Biology

Neurobiology

Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

If you are interested in one of these Concentrations, please consult the requirements and the suggested sequence of courses for this Concentration on the relevant web page.

what is BIOL 091 credit?

Matriculating students with a score of 5 (the highest possible) on the College Board Advanced Placement Test, a score of 6 or 7 on the Higher Level International Baccalaureate exam, or a grade of A or B on the British A-level exams in biology will be given 1 CU of credit for BIOL 091. Students who studied high school biology in Europe or Canada should consult the Undergraduate Chair to determine if they are eligible for this credit. No credit is given for the lab portion of any high school biology course. For the class of 2010 and later, the BIOL 091 credit cannot be used to satisfy requirements for the Biology major or minor. BIOL 091 cannot be applied to the general requirement and it is not accepted by medical schools. The BIOL 091 credit can be used as an elective toward the total number of credits needed for graduation.

Students with BIOL 091 credit who are interested in Biology courses, are encouraged to follow Track 1. There is significant overlap between high school AP and IB courses and the BIOL 101/102 series; students with BIOL 091 credit who take or receive credit for BIOL 101 and/or 102 will lose their BIOL 091 credit.

departmental advanced placement exams

Any student can receive credit for the lecture portion of BIOL 101, 102, and/or 121 by passing the appropriate departmental advanced placement exam(s). A student cannot receive credit for both BIOL 091 and either BIOL 101 or 102. If you pass the AP test for either BIOL 101 or BIOL 102, we will not award credit for BIOL 091.

For information about the material covered in these exams, you can view the syllabi on the department's course web pages or request a syllabus from the Department of Biology Academic Office. Departmental placement exams are a combination of short answer and multiple choice questions similar to a final exam for the course.

Your AP exam(s) will be graded and a decision reached before the end of the drop-request period. If you pass the AP test, you will receive 1 CU of credit, with no grade appearing on your record. If you do not pass the exam, no entry will be made on your record. You may take the exam for a course only one time. You are advised to register for the course even if you plan to take the departmental advanced placement exam, and drop the course if you pass the AP test.

Additional Advice for Students who obtain lecture credit for passing departmental exams for two semesters of introductory biology: During your freshman year, we encourage you to complete required courses in introductory chemistry, physics, or calculus. Unless you also have AP credit for these additional courses, we suggest that you not take a Biology course during your first semester at Penn. Most freshmen require additional background in chemistry and some experience in college courses before they are able to do well in intermediate-level Biology courses like BIOL 202 or BIOL 221.

The Department of Biology Advanced Placement Exams for 101, 102, and 121 are given the first week of the semester in September and January.

You must notify the Biology academic office of your intention to take an AP exam by registering in person, by telephone, email, or by mail. Contact:

Department of Biology Academic Office
102 Leidy Laboratories
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6018
V +1 215 898.7121
E bio-undergraduate@sas.upenn.edu

Deadline for registration is 3:00 P.M. on the day before the exam. You must bring a picture identification to the exam.

laboratory credit

Any Biology major who has received 1.0 CU of placement credit for BIOL 101, 102, or 121 or a Wavier for introductory biology is required to include a laboratory or field course from the list below as one of your required Biology major courses.

With the exception of BIOL 123 and 124, the lab course you chose will also serve to fulfill one of the other requirements for the major (in most cases the requirement for "4 additional courses") and will not add to the total number of course units required for the major.