Biology and Marine Biology Requirements

Please visit the Biology Advising Center in 65 Klamath (541-346-4525) for most current information. Course offerings noted Fall (F), Winter (W), Spring (S), Summer (U) are tentative.

Requirement outlines for the Department of Biology are in Adobe Acrobat file format.If you do not have a PDF reader installed on your computer, download Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you cannot print these forms at your location, please visit the Advising Center.

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Major and/or minor maps

Why study Biology or Marine Biology? What’s required to earn a degree? It's all summarized in our major maps.

• Biology major map
• Marine Biology major map

Biology Major Requirements

Please consult our staff in the Biology Advising Center in 65 Klamath (541-346-4525) for most current information. Course offerings noted Fall (F), Winter (W), Spring (S), Summer (U) are tentative.

Residency & Grade Requirements

24 credit hours of Biology applied to the major must be completed at the University of Oregon. All courses used to meet the major requirements must be passed with a grade of C-, P or better.

Chemistry, Math, Physics & MAPS (Modelling, Analysis, Programming & Statistics)

Lower Division Biology:

Option A. Biology Honors Sequence. Enrollment requires C-, P, or better in CH 223 (or CH 226H)

Option B. General Biology Sequence. Enrollment requires C- or better in college-level chemistry lecture course (CH 111, 113, 114, 221 or 224H).

Upper Division Biology:

Complete a minimum of 44 upper division Biology credits including 1, 2, and 3 below:

1. At least one course completed from Areas I, II and III.

Area I: Cellular/Molecular

Area II: Systems/Organisms

Area III: Ecology/Evolution

2. At least two courses at the 300 or 400 level with a major laboratory or field component

Approved lab/field courses:
BI 307, 328, 330 & 331, 356, 357, 370, 401*, 410 Ecological Field Methods, 421, 425, 432, 442, 448, 451, 452, 454, 455, 457, 458, 459, 468, 474
ONEO 488: BI Ecuador Field Study. This requirement may be fulfilled while completing other Biology Major requirements. Course details in the U of O catalog.

*Two terms of BI 401 in the same laboratory are equivalent to one lab/field course.

3. At least 12 credits with a BI prefix numbered 420 to 499.

This includes all BI 410 experimental courses. For details about individual courses, please e-mail bioadvis@uoregon.edu, call 541-346-4525 or see us in the Biology Advising Center, 65 Klamath Hall.

4. Modelling, Analysis, Programming & Statistics (MAPS)

One course required from: BI 399 Sp St Comput Genomics, BI 399 Sp St Dyn Modeling Bio, BI 399 Sp St Exper Desig/Stat (OIMB), BI 399 Intro Python Biology, BI 410 Analysis Neural Data, BI 410 Data Visualization, BI 410 Ecological Field Methods, BI 410 Intro Programming Bio, BI 410 Matlab for Biologists, BI 410 Stochastic Modeling Bio, BI 471 Population Ecology, BI 485 Tech Comput Neurosci, ANTH 470 Stat Analy of Biol Anth, ERTH 418 Earth & Env Data Analy, MATH 410 Machine Learn Stats, MATH 425 Statistical Methods I.

Additional Courses that Meet the 44-credit Upper Division Requirement:

1. Research, Teaching & Workshops with credit limitations:

BI 401 Research or BI 402 Supervised College Teaching: A maximum of four credits of BI 401 Research and a maximum of 4 credits of BI 402 Supervised College Teaching may be applied to the 44-credit upper division Biology requirement. Faculty sponsorship is required.

BI 408 OIMB Summer Workshops: A maximum of four credits of BI 408 OIMB Summer Workshops may be applied to the 44-credit upper division Biology requirement.

2. Courses approved for use from other departments:

A maximum of 10 credits may be applied toward the 44-credit upper division Biology requirement. These courses cannot be substituted for Areas I, II, and III or 420–499 course requirements. R.D. Clark Honors College, HC 400-level science colloquia taught by Biology faculty may also be approved as outside department courses. For details about individual courses, please consult the Biology Advising Center, 65 Klamath Hall or call 541-346-4525. For all approved courses, the 10-credit maximum still applies.

Additional Limitations & Allowances within the 44-Credit Upper Division Requirement:

• A minimum of 24 credits from more formalized BI 300- and 400-level courses are required for the major. In most cases, this is equivalent to six, four-credit, upper division courses. Courses from BI 401-409 cannot be included in this 24-credit total.
• BI 357 Marine Biology may not be taken for credit after credit has been earned for either BI 458 Biological Oceanography or BI 474 Marine Ecology.
• BI 403 Thesis, BI 405 Reading, BI 406 Practicum, BI 407 Seminar, BI 408 Workshop, and BI 409 Capstone, may be applied toward the University of Oregon’s 62-credit, upper division requirement, but cannot be applied toward the Biology major 44-credit, upper division requirement.
• Biology majors also must complete Arts & Letters, Cultural Literacy, Social Science & Writing courses and a minimum of 180 credits in order to graduate. For details, please see:

If you still have questions about Biology major requirements, e-mail bioadvis@uoregon.edu, call 541-346-4525 or visit us in the Biology Advising Center in 65 Klamath Hall.

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Marine Biology Requirements

RESIDENCY & GRADE REQUIREMENTS: 24 credit hours of Biology applied to the Major must be taken at the University of Oregon. All Biology (BI prefix) courses used to meet the Major requirements must be passed with a grade of C-, P, or better.

Chemistry, Math, Physics & MAPS (Modelling, Analysis, Programming & Statistics)

Offered at the Eugene Campus:

Lower Division Biology

Offered at the Eugene Campus:

Option A. Biology Honors Sequence. Enrollment requires C-, P, or better in CH 223 (or CH 226H) or equivalent.                                    

(You do not need this sequence to apply for Marine Biology Honors)

Option B. General Biology Sequence. Enrollment requires C- or better in college-level chemistry lecture course (CH 111, 113, 221, 224H)

Upper Division Biology

Complete a minimum of 44 upper-division Biology credits including 1, 2, and 3 below.

1. At least one course completed from each of Areas I, II, and III.

Area I: Cellular/Molecular

Area II: Systems/Organisms

Area III: Ecology/Evolution

2. Three terms of full time (at least 12 credits) enrollment in courses at the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology. 
   Courses are offered Spring, Summer, and Fall terms. See the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology site for details of OIMB courses.
3. At least 12 credits with a BI prefix numbered 420 to 499. Browse the list of the 400-level courses offered at OIMB each term.
4. MAPS (Modelling, Analysis, Programming, and Statistics):
   One course required from: BI 399 Experimental Design & Statistics (OIMB only), BI 399 Computational Genomics, BI 399 Dynamical Modeling Biology, BI 399 Intro Python Biology, BI 410 Stochastic Modeling Biology, BI 410 Intro Programming Biology, BI 410 Matlab for Biologists, BI 410 Data Visualization, BI 410 Analysis Neural Data, BI 410 Ecological Field Methods, BI 471 Population Ecology, BI 485 Techniques in Computational Neuroscience, ANTH 470 Statistical Analysis of Biological Anthropology, ERTH 418 Earth & Environmental Data Analysis, MATH 410 Machine Learning & Memory, Math 425 Statistical Methods I.

Restrictions

• Up to four credits of BI 408 OIMB Summer Workshops may be applied to the 44-credit upper division Biology requirement.
• BI 357 Marine Biology may not be taken for credit after credit is received for either BI 458 Biological Oceanography or BI 474 Marine Ecology.

Limitation within the 44-Credit Upper-Division Requirement

BI 403 Thesis, BI 405 Reading, BI 406 Practicum, BI 407 Seminar, BI 408 Workshops, and BI 410 Experimental course qualify for general University of Oregon upper division credit but cannot be applied to the 44-credit upper-division requirement for the Marine Biology Major.

BI 401 Research or BI 402 Supervised College Teaching: A maximum of 4 credits of BI 401 Research and/or BI 402 Supervised College Teaching may be applied to the 44-credit upper-division Biology requirement provided that:

1. Prior to enrolling in BI 401 or 402, a proposal is written and approved by a faculty sponsor
2. After the work is completed, an approved written journal or report is submitted to the faculty sponsor

Upper-Division 300-Level Courses Open to Students who have Taken BI 211, BI 212, AND BI 213

Some courses may have additional prerequisites, please see the U of O catalog.

• BI 307 Forest Biology
• BI 357 Marine Ecology
• BI 370 Ecology
• BI 374 Conservation Biology
• BI 380 Evolution
• BI 390 Animal Behavior
• BI 395 Tropical Ecology
• BI 399 Intro Experimental Design & Statistics

Biology majors also must complete Arts & Letters, Cultural Literacy, Social Science & Writing courses and a minimum of 180 credits in order to graduate. For details, please see:

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Requirements for Biology Emphasis Area (Optional)

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