Nonmajors Several courses are offered at the 100 level for students who want to develop a familiarity with biology so they can make better decisions on issues ranging from the problems in developing treatments for AIDS to understanding what is causing losses in global biodiversity, why it is important, and what might be done about it. These courses assume no prior knowledge of biology or chemistry and fulfill university group requirements for science. This sequence requires some background in mathematics and chemistry and prepares students to take some upper-division courses in biology. Students may proceed from this sequence to the biology major's sequence, but students who want to major in biology should enroll in BI 261-264. Students who want help selecting appropriate courses should seek guidance from the biology undergraduate advising center.
Modern biology is a quantitative science.
Students planning to specialize in biology should include in their high school preparation as much mathematics, chemistry, and physics as possible. Students who intend to transfer as biology majors from a community college or university should carefully plan the program of course work they take before transfering. Students who transfer after one year of college should have completed a year of general chemistry with laboratory and a year of college-level mathematics. A yearlong biology major's introductory sequence that includes laboratories and features strong components of ecology, molecular genetics, and Mendelian genetics is typically considered equivalent to the first two courses of the UO's four-term introductory sequence for majors. Students who transfer after two years typically need to complete part of the introductory sequence for biology majors at the University of Oregon.