Students planning to declare a Biology major should complete BIO 150, 150L, 160, and 160L, CHM 111 and 111L, and STA 111 (or equivalent) by the end of the sophomore year. Prehealth profession students planning on a Biology major should also take CHM 122 and 122L (or CHM 123 and 123L) and calculus (MTH 111 and 112).
The Biology major requires 34 hours of Biology. Students majoring in Biology may elect to earn either a BS or BA degree, which differ only in their co-requirements. A minimum overall grade average of 2.0 is required on all Wake Forest Biology courses taken to complete a major.
The requirements for the Biology major (BA or BS) are those in effect when the student declares Biology as their major. Any changes made to the requirements after a student has declared the major do not apply to that student. Students generally declare their major early in the spring semester of their sophomore year. A Biology adviser is appointed at the time the major is declared.
| All Biology majors are required to take: | |
| A sequence of two core courses that cover the foundations of biology; BIO 150 is a prerequisite for BIO 160; BIO 150L is a prerequisite for BIO 160L | |
| BIO 150 Biology I (3 hours) | BIO 150L Biology I Laboratory (1 hour) |
| BIO 160 Biology II (3 hours) | BIO 160L Biology II Laboratory (1 hour) |
| It is recommended but not required that the associated lecture and lab courses be taken in the same semester. Both of the core courses are offered every semester | |
| Three 4 hour 300-level courses (4 hours each, 12 hours total) | |
| Choice of additional 200- or 300-level BIO courses for a total of 34 hours in Biology | |
| Bachelor of Science specific requirements: CHM 111 & 111L (4 hours) and STA 111 (4 hours) plus 3 courses selected from a list of computer science, math, physical science, and statistics courses (see list in current Bulletin); BIO 390 (2 hours) or 391 (2 hours) or an adviser-approved off-campus research experience (0 hours) | |
| Bachelor of Arts specific requirements: 5 courses selected from a list of biology-relevant courses (see list in current Bulletin); BIO 390 (2 hours) or 391 (2 hours) or a BIO 399 mentored experience (2 hours) | |
| BS requirements (pdf) | BA requirements (pdf) |
Online Courses
No more than two online courses taken at another institution will be accepted for transfer credit towards the Biology major. Contact the Office of the University Registrar (registrar.wfu.edu) for details.
Undergraduate Enrollment in Graduate Courses
In exceptional circumstances, undergraduate students may enroll in Wake Forest graduate-level courses; these are 600- and 700-level courses. Such students must have junior or senior status and must obtain written permission from the course instructor, the student’s advisor, and the Associate Dean for Academic Advising. Instructors of graduate courses have no obligation to admit undergraduate students to their courses.
Biology Courses for Non-Majors
BIO 101 (Biology & the Human Condition) and BIO 105 (Plants & People), are introductory courses with a required lab designed for non-majors. These courses satisfy the Division V requirement. These courses do not count as credit towards the BIO majors or BIO minor. The combination of BIO 150/150L also satisfies the Division V requirement.
BIO 111 (Biological Principles) is not currently taught on our campus. An entering student who earns a 4 or 5 on the AP Biology exam will receive 4 hours credit towards graduation for BIO 111. This credit does not count towards the BIO majors or BIO minors.
The Biology core courses and associated labs are intended for students planning to major or minor in Biology, students planning to major in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology (BMB), Environmental Science, or Environment & Sustainability Studies. They are also designed to provide a solid foundation in biology for prehealth profession students. Consult prehealth.wfu.edu for details.
FAQs
Courses taught by another department that are cross-listed as BIO courses count as hours in the BIO majors and BIO minor (for example, enrolling in CHM 370 is equivalent to enrolling in BIO 370).
Research courses (for example, BIO 390 and 391) are individually arranged. Prerequisites are BIO 150, 150L, 160, 160L, and POI (permission of instructor). Consult with your advisor for further information.
It is recommended that students who have completed BIO 150, 150L, 160, and 160L take one or more 200-level BIO courses prior to enrolling in 300-level courses.
Students who declared the BIO major or minor prior to July 1, 2020, can opt to fulfill degree requirements described in earlier bulletins, but students cannot “mix and match” degree requirements.
Because specific required courses cannot be used to fulfill degree requirements for multiple majors, it is not possible for a student to double major in certain combinations of majors (for example, the combinations of BIO and BMB OR BIO and ENV are not allowed). Individual courses can simultaneously fulfill degree requirements for a major and a minor.
ENV, HES, and NEU courses do not count toward BIO major and minor degree requirements for hours in BIO, unless the course is cross-listed with BIO in the Bulletin. The exception is HES 262, which may be substituted for STA 111 as a corequirement for the BS and BA BIO majors OR as upper division hours in the BIO majors and BIO minor (cannot be counted for both).