BS in Biology

The Bachelor of Science degree exposes students to the range of concepts, approaches and techniques used by modern biologists. With three concentration options to choose from, BS students can specialize their studies to match their goals and interests.

Many graduates go on to medical, dental or veterinary school. Some continue in graduate programs in biology at GW or institutions around the country. Others find employment in private-sector pharmaceutical or biotechnology careers or in government roles.

Note: Students who declare a major in biology are unable to double major in neuroscience.

Apply to GW

Declare a Major

Honors Program

"My first lab position working with Professor Sally Moody on neural development led to so many life-changing opportunities. She became an influential mentor, encouraging me to apply for a Luther Rice Fellowship — which I received — and guiding me in the completion of my senior thesis."

Shailly Gaur
BS ’14

Concentrations

Majors in the BS in biology track choose from three concentrations.

General Biology

This concentration suits students interested in health sciences, biotechnology or further study. Through careful instruction in the latest biological concepts, this concentration prepares students for the GRE, MCAT, DAT and other pre-health examinations.

Students wishing to prepare for medical school should also take a second course in Physics, PHYS 1012, 1022 or 1026.

Required

CHEM 2151 Organic Chemistry I & CHEM 2152 Organic Chemistry II
CHEM 2153 Organic Chemistry Laboratory I & CHEM 2154 Organic Chemistry Laboratory II
CHEM 3165 Biochemistry I or BISC 3261 Introductory Medical Biochemistry

Electives
At least one 3-credit course from each of the four elective category listed below for a total of 12 credits, in addition to the courses satisfying the core course requirements. These 12 credits count toward the 18 required upper-level biology credits.

Cellular and Molecular Biology

A strong background in cellular and molecular biology can pave the way to careers in medicine, immunology, cutting-edge tech companies and much more. This interdisciplinary concentration shares courses between the biology and chemistry departments.

Required

BISC 3209 Molecular Biology & BISC 3208 Molecular Biology Laboratory
CHEM 2151 Organic Chemistry I & CHEM 2153 Organic Chemistry Laboratory I
CHEM 2152 Organic Chemistry II & CHEM 2154 Organic Chemistry Laboratory II
BISC 3261 Introductory Medical Biochemistry or CHEM 3165 Biochemistry I

Electives
In addition to the courses satisfying the core course requirements, at least one 3-credit course from each of the four elective categories listed below for a total of 12 credits. These 12 credits count toward the 18 required Biology Research Internship Courses.

Sample Course Schedule [PDF]

Ecology, Evolution and Environment

With courses ranging from marine ecology to evolutionary medicine, this concentration incorporates a field study component for real-world experience. Students prepare for research and careers in evolutionary biology, conservation and environmental science.

Required
In addition to the courses satisfying the core course requirements, at least one 3-credit course from both the systems electives and organism electives lists; at least 6 credits from the evolution, ecology, and environment electives list, including one course with a field component; and 6 credits from the quantitative electives list, including at least one statistics course.

Sample Course Schedule [PDF]

Each concentration for the BS degree requires a set number of electives from four categories:

Systems: Focuses on genetics, physiology and biotechnology
Organisms: Includes subjects like zoology, anatomy and microbiology
Evolution, Ecology and Environment: Covers material in areas including field and marine biology and animal behavior
Quantitative: Builds a foundation in calculus, statistics and bioinformatics.

Biology Research Internship Courses

Interested in Medical School?

Students wishing to prepare for medical school should take a second course in physics in addition to the core major requirements. While the Department of Biological Sciences does not offer a pre-med track, CCAS Undergraduate Advising provides pre-health advising guidance.

Visit CCAS Pre-health Advising

Course Requirements

For detailed guidance on BISC 4171, BISC 4171W, and BISC 4172W, visit the Undergraduate Biology Research Courses page.

This Bulletin covers the degree requirements for students matriculating in the current academic year. Students who matriculated before the current year can find their requirements in the relevant archived Bulletin.

The following requirements must be fulfilled:

The general requirements stated under Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, Undergraduate Programs.

Program-specific curriculum:

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
Required
BISC 1111	Introductory Biology: Cells and Molecules
BISC 1112	Introductory Biology: The Biology of Organisms
BISC 2202	Cell Biology
BISC 2207	Genetics
BISC 2450	Organic Evolution
CHEM 1111	General Chemistry I
BISC 2452	Animal Behavior
or BISC 2454	General Ecology
or BISC 3460	Conservation Biology
CHEM 1112	General Chemistry II
PHYS 1011	General Physics I
or PHYS 1021	University Physics I
or PHYS 1025	University Physics I with Biological Applications
Concentration requirement
Students must fulfill the requirements of one of the three concentrations shown below. All concentrations require a minimum of 18 credits in upper-level Biology (BISC) courses.
Laboratory course requirements*
At least three BISC courses numbered 2000 or above must have a laboratory component, either built into the course or as a separate course number. Students who complete 1 credit of BISC 4171, BISC 4171W, or BISC 4172W, Undergraduate Research, can count this experience toward one of their laboratory requirements. A maximum of 6 credits of BISC 4171, BISC 4171W, or BISC 4172W can be applied toward degree requirements.
Honors thesis
Students who qualify based on academic performance are strongly encouraged to develop an honors thesis based on their research experience.

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
Laboratory Courses
BISC 2208	Genetics Laboratory
BISC 2216	Scanning Electron Microscopy Laboratory
BISC 2224	Biology of Horticulture
BISC 2332	Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy
BISC 2335	Insect Biology Lab ¹
BISC 2337	Introductory Microbiology Laboratory
BISC 2339	Parasitology
BISC 2453	Animal Behavior Laboratory ^1,2
BISC 2456	General Ecology Laboratory
BISC 3123	Human Physiology Lab
BISC 3208	Molecular Biology Laboratory
BISC 3211	Nanobiotechnology Laboratory
BISC 3215	Genome Editing Laboratory
BISC 3453	Plant Comparative Structure and Function Lab
BISC 3455	Marine Ecology Laboratory
BISC 3459	Field Biology
BISC 3462	Plant-Animal Interactions Laboratory
BISC 4171	Undergraduate Research
or BISC 4171W	Undergraduate Research
or BISC 4172W	Research Internship and Writing in Biology
BISC 4234	Microbial Genomics Laboratory

Biology electives

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
Systems category
BISC 2208	Genetics Laboratory ¹
BISC 2213	Biology of Cancer
BISC 2220	Developmental Neurobiology
BISC 2320	Neural Circuits and Behavior
BISC 3122	Human Physiology
BISC 3123	Human Physiology Lab ¹
BISC 3165	Biochemistry I
BISC 3167	Biochemistry Laboratory
or BISC 3262	Biochemistry Laboratory
BISC 3208	Molecular Biology Laboratory ¹
BISC 3209	Molecular Biology
BISC 3210	Nanobiotechnology
BISC 3211	Nanobiotechnology Laboratory ¹
BISC 3212	Immunology
BISC 3214	Developmental Biology
BISC 3215	Genome Editing Laboratory
BISC 3263	Special Topics in Biochemistry
BISC 3320	Human Neurobiology
BISC 4132	Advanced Cellular-Molecular Biology
BISC 4212	Virology and Antiviral Immunity
BISC 6205	Foundations in Cell and Molecular Biology
BISC 6218	Innate Immunity
BISC 6219	Host-Microbe Interactions
PUBH 3202	Introduction to Genomics
Organisms category
BISC 2000	Biodiversity Studies in a Changing Planet
BISC 2305	Plant Biology
BISC 2331	Insect Biology
BISC 2335	Insect Biology Lab ¹
BISC 2332	Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy ¹
BISC 2333	Evolution and Extinction of Dinosaurs
BISC 2334W	Integrative Biology of Fishes
BISC 2336	Introductory Microbiology
BISC 2337	Introductory Microbiology Laboratory ¹
BISC 2339	Parasitology ¹
BISC 2401	Biodiversity in a Changing World
BISC 6215	Vertebrate Phylogeny ¹
Evolution, ecology, and environment category
BISC 2010	Global Change Biology
BISC 2224	Biology of Horticulture
BISC 2451	History of Life
BISC 2452	Animal Behavior
BISC 2453	Animal Behavior Laboratory ^1,2
BISC 2454	General Ecology
BISC 2456	General Ecology Laboratory ^1,2
BISC 3450	Evolutionary Medicine
or BISC 3450W	Evolutionary Medicine
BISC 3453	Plant Comparative Structure and Function Lab ^1,2
BISC 3454	Marine Ecology
BISC 3455	Marine Ecology Laboratory ²
BISC 3458	Plant Comparative Structure and Function
BISC 3458	Plant Comparative Structure and Function
BISC 3459	Field Biology ^1,2
BISC 3460	Conservation Biology ³
or BISC 3460W	Conservation Biology
BISC 3461	Plant-Animal Interactions
BISC 3462	Plant-Animal Interactions Laboratory ^1,2
BISC 3464	Ecology and Evolution of Societies
BISC 6210	Methods of Study of Evolution
BISC 6211	Biogeography and Speciation
BISC 6243	Seminar: Ecology
Quantitative category
BISC 2585	Statistics and Machine Learning for Biological Data
MATH 1231	Single-Variable Calculus I
or MATH 1220 & MATH 1221	Calculus with Precalculus I and Calculus with Precalculus II
MATH 1232	Single-Variable Calculus II
PUBH 3201	Introduction to Bioinformatics
or BISC 2584	Introduction to Bioinformatics
STAT 1127	Statistics for the Biological Sciences

¹Laboratory course.

²Field component.

³If not taken as a required course option.

Concentrations

General Biology Concentration

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
Required
CHEM 2151 & CHEM 2152	Organic Chemistry I and Organic Chemistry II
CHEM 2153 & CHEM 2154	Organic Chemistry Laboratory I and Organic Chemistry Laboratory II
CHEM 3165	Biochemistry I
or BISC 3261	Introductory Medical Biochemistry
Electives
At least one 3-credit course from each of the four elective category listed below for a total of 12 credits, in addition to the courses satisfying the core course requirements. These 12 credits count toward the 18 required upper-level biology credits.

Cellular and Molecular Biology Concentration

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
Required
BISC 3209 & BISC 3208	Molecular Biology and Molecular Biology Laboratory
CHEM 2151 & CHEM 2153	Organic Chemistry I and Organic Chemistry Laboratory I
CHEM 2152 & CHEM 2154	Organic Chemistry II and Organic Chemistry Laboratory II
BISC 3261	Introductory Medical Biochemistry
or CHEM 3165	Biochemistry I
Electives
In addition to the courses satisfying the core course requirements, at least one 3-credit course from each of the four elective categories listed below for a total of 12 credits. These 12 credits count toward the 18 required upper-level biology credits.

Ecology, Evolution, and Environment Concentration

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
Required
In addition to the courses satisfying the core course requirements, at least one 3-credit course from both the systems electives and organism electives lists; at least 6 credits from the evolution, ecology, and environment electives list, including one course with a field component; and 6 credits from the quantitative electives list, including at least one statistics course.