Biology Undergraduate Education

Biology ScB

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Concentration Advising

Students interested in pursuing a Biology AB, ScB, or Health & Human Biology concentration must meet with an advisor in the Office of Biology Undergraduate Education.

Biology ScB

Biology ScB (20 Courses)

The ScB in Biology includes 20 courses. Prerequisites in math, chemistry and physics support a core of biological sciences courses, with some options for related sciences. In addition, students choose a focal track of three courses in one of the available sub-disciplines, which include Cellular & Molecular Biology, Immunopathology, Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, Physiology/BioTech, Neurobiology, Biomedical Informatics, or Physical Sciences. Within the core, there are course distribution requirements to provide foundational knowledge in different areas of biology as well as requirements for lab and advanced coursework. Research is a required part of the core ScB Program and should reflect the theme of the track selected.

Student Goals

Students in Biology concentration will:

Acquire foundational knowledge of the breadth of biology related to cellular and molecular biology, organismal structure and function, and organismal diversity.
Develop skills in the integration of biology, mathematics, and chemistry that are essential to understanding fundamental life processes. For Sc.B. students, this also includes physics.
Attain in-depth knowledge in sub-disciplines of interest within Biology through upper-level courses. For Sc.B. students, this includes attaining in-depth knowledge of one biological subfield by specifying and completing a track.
Demonstrate knowledge and gain experience in the basic methods and instrumentation used to answer biological questions.
Develop skills to investigate and answer biological questions using the scientific method, including analyzing and interpreting scientific data, and effectively communicating results.
Engage in a culminating senior experience through a capstone project, independent study project, and/or thesis.
Develop a sense of identity as a valued member of the STEM community.

Biomedical Informatics Track

https://www.youtube.com/embed/W3vHDGE3b8U

Bioinformatics Track

This video offers an introduction to undergraduate study in biomedical informatics at Brown.

Concentration Requirements

Course	Options
MATH 0090	AP/IB may substitute MATH 0050/0060 may substitute
MATH 0100 or 0170	AP/IB may substitute Statistics course may substitute
CHEM 0330	IB may substitute
CHEM 0350
CHEM 0360 or BIOL 0280
PHYS 0030	AP/IB may substitute PHYS 0050 or ENGN 0040 may substitute
PHYS 0040	PHYS 0060 or ENGN 0510 may substitute

Courses	Options
BIOL 0200	AP/IB may substitute BIOL 0200 carries lab credit; equivalent placement does not
Lab Courses	Core must include a minimum of 3 lab courses from BIOL or NEUR; these courses can also count towards upper-level and/or area requirements Each semester of research (BIOL 1950/60 or other departmental independent study equivalent) can be counted as either ONE lab or ONE 1000+ course towards core ½ credit lab courses may be used for lab requirement See Courses page for information about acceptable lab courses
Upper-Level Courses	Core must include a minimum of 2 BIOL or NEUR courses numbered at 1000/2000 level Related science courses above 1000 level may NOT substitute Each semester of research (BIOL 1950/60 or other departmental independent study equivalent) can be counted as either ONE lab or ONE 1000+ course towards core
Area Requirement	Core must include at least one course from each of the three designated areas
Research	The two semester research requirement may be satisfied by any two of the opportunities listed below. Students may find the following resources useful in planning for research: the annual BUE-PLME Finding, Securing and Succeeding in Research workshop, the BUE Research webpage, and the Sheridan Center’s Undergraduate Research & Experiential Opportunities webpage. Following conversation and agreement with the advisor, students articulate the research plan in the ASK declaration (in the designated text box) which is submitted for review and approval by the advisor. Choose two: BIOL 1950 independent study course (fall course) BIOL 1960 independent study course (spring course) NEUR 1970 independent study course Independent study course in a related discipline (i.e. STEM disciplines, ENVS, PHP, etc.) if the project is relevant to the student’s learning goals and interests in the concentration. A summer research experience equivalent in scope and scale to work the student would pursue in a Biology independent study course. Examples include UTRAs, LINK awards, approved research programs at other institutions, etc. These experiences do not count as a course in the 10 course core requirement, but they can be used to satisfy the one semester of the research requirement. Students will submit the following Summer Research Proposal form, which will be reviewed by the BUE Office and the communicated to the student’s concentration advisor. Other equivalent opportunities not listed - with approval from the concentration advisor and Dean Achilli. Students are encouraged to pursue research related to their track.
Electives	One or more electives from BIOL, NEUR or approved related sciences to have a minimum of 10 courses in Core

Additional Stipulations:

Biology courses below BIOL 0100 do NOT carry concentration credit
Core may include up to two related science courses from the approved list (see list below)
BIOL 0920s and BIOL 1920s can be used ONLY as related science
Only one FYS and one Sophomore Seminar may be used towards core

Track

Three cohesive track courses (minimum of 2 at 1000+ level)
Eight tracks offered (see sheet below for details)

* The Biology ScB Concentration Worksheet may be a useful tool for course planning.

Download Planning Worksheet

Related Files and Resources

Files

Concentration Advising

Students interested in pursuing a Biology AB, ScB, or Health & Human Biology concentration must meet with an advisor in the Office of Biology Undergraduate Education.