Students planning graduate work are advised to take calculus, statistics, organic chemistry, two units of physics, and to acquire a working knowledge of computers and a reading knowledge of a second language. They should consult the catalogs of the schools of their choice for specific requirements. Premedical students are referred to the requirements given in the Academic Program section. The Organismal Biology course at Wellesley College is an introduction to the central questions, concepts, and methods of experimental analysis in organismal biology. Topics include evolution and diversity, ecological systems, and the development, structure and function of plant and animal systems.
Material is presented and tested in both lecture and laboratory formats.
Laboratory reports also require some research in the primary literature. Sample syllabi for lecture and lab components of the course are included on the following pages. The course is taught in three lecture and six laboratory sections each semester, and minor differences in content exist among sections. The course currently fulfills the requirements for a Quantiative Reasoning course and, therefore, contains a substantial amount of statistics and mathematics . The exemption exam includes some assessment of this QR component.