Step 1) Fill out the New Student Questionnaire

Step 2) Understand the term "liberal arts" and the umw degree requirements

Step 3) Understand AP, IB, Dual Enrollment, and Cambridge Credit

Step 4) Understand Prerequisites & Vertically Building Coursework

Step 5) Consider Pre-Professional Interests

Step 6) Tips and other considerations when planning a schedule

Step 7) First-Year Seminar

Step 8) Choose Possible Courses

Step 9) Fill Out the Course Registration Request Form

Step 10) Video Guides & How to Register

biology

Please refer to the current University Catalog to see the course descriptions and a major description with requirements for biology.

New students considering a major in biology should first complete BOTH BIOL 121-122 (or BIOL 125-126) and CHEM 111-112. Both of these year-long sequences (BIOL and CHEM) are prerequisites for Introduction to Ecology & Evolution, Cellular Biology, and General Genetics. All three of these course should be taken in the sophomore year. BIOL 121-122 (or BIOL 125-126) are prerequisites for General Genetics which should also be taken in the sophmore year. These latter courses are in turn prerequisites (in some combination) for all other upper-level biology courses. BIOL 121, BIOL 125 and CHEM 111 are offered in the Fall semester only and BIOL 122, BIOL 126 and CHEM 112 are offered in the Spring semester only. BIOL 121-122 and CHEM 111-112 are also offered during the summer. Please view this recommended timetable for biology majors.

Below please find some examples of first semester schedules for a biology major. There are many variations of a first semester schedule; the examples are just meant to help you see that there are many ways to reach the same goals.

Example 1:

Course (credits)	Requirement(s) Met
BIOL 121 - Biology Concepts I with Lab (4) CHEM 111 - General Chemistry I with Lab (4) GEOG 101 - World Regional Geog (3) LATN 101** - Elementary Latin (3) FSEM 100Q - The Human Animal (3)	Major Prerequisite, NS Major Prerequisite HES FL FS

Example 2:

Course	Requirement(s) Met
BIOL 125 - Phage Hunters I with Lab (4) CHEM 111 - General Chemistry I with Lab (4) FSEM 100E4 - Cryptology (3) MATH 121** - Calculus I (3)	Major Prereq, NS, WI* Major Prerequisite FS QR

Example 3: Athletes for varsity sports must register for the 400-level course of the sport. Practice times for varsity sports can vary, but generally speaking, athletes should allow for enough time to get to and from practice on weekdays from 3 - 6 p.m. Please check with the individual coach for your sport to verify specific practice times each semester.

Course	Requirement(s) Met
BIOL 121 - Biology Concepts I with Lab (4) CHEM 111 - General Chemistry I with Lab (4) GREK 101 - Elementary Greek (3) FSEM 100E1 - Ted.com-Ideas Worth Sharing (3) PHYD 407 - Intercollegiate Cross Country Women (1)	Major Prerequisite, NS Major Prerequisite FL FS Elective

*Please note that not all sections of a course may have the Across-the-Curriculum (ATC) attribute(s). Across-the-Curriculum designations for a course are dependent on instructor and semester. ATC designations for each course are listed in the Banner description for the semester in which you are registering.
**This particular course is in a discipline that allows students with demonstrated competence upon admission to UMW (such as AP/IB credit, dual enrollment, etc.) to begin courses at a higher level. Please read the Academic Planning Guide carefully to see if you meet the requirements. For example: students may begin at any level language course for which they feel prepared (101, 102, 105, 201, 202 or 205), but must then complete the rest of the sequence in order without repeating or skipping any levels.