Biology Major

For Spring Entrants who are considering majoring in Biology.

The biology major begins with a two-semester introductory sequence consisting of Biology 145 (or BioChem 160) in the fall and Biology 200 in the Spring.  As a Spring entrant, if you wish to major in biology, we strongly recommend that you arrive on campus for Spring semester having already taken a college-level introductory biology course with a laboratory.  This may be done either by taking a course at a local college or university or by having taken AP biology and scoring a 4 or above on the AP exam.  With that introductory course (with lab) completed, you should preregister for Biology 200 for your first semester at Mount Holyoke.

If you are not able to take introductory biology the fall or summer before you begin at Mount Holyoke, and do not have AP credit, we recommend that you preregister for one of the Biology 145 courses taught in the Spring.  Once on campus, you may discuss with your academic advisor whether or not it is the best first course in biology for you. 

Biology 145 courses fill up quickly so it is very important that you preregister on ISIS as soon as you can, and to even check back later during preregistration week in case more places have opened up. 

On campus, Mount Holyoke students know to the minute when they are allowed to preregister for courses on ISIS.  If you need to move out of a Biology 145 course once you are on campus, that is generally not difficult, but getting into a Biology 145 at that point may be. 

Leaving your first introductory course to the Spring semester delays your progress through the major by a year, but a biology major can still be done with careful planning. 

Questions?  Concerns?  Please contact Sarah Bacon in the Department of Biological Sciences at sbacon@mtholyoke.edu.