Major Requirements

COURSEWORK

Introductory Biology

Select one course from the list below:

Cellular and Molecular Biology (2 courses)

Environmental Biology

Select one course from the list below:

Evolutionary Biology

Organismal Biology

Select one course from the list below:

Upper-division Biology

Students must select three 300-level Biology courses. At least two of these must be Occidental College Biology laboratory courses.

Senior Seminar

Supporting Coursework

Students are required to complete four additional courses. Two must be in chemistry as detailed below and two quantitative courses.

Chemistry

Quantitative Coursework

Two 4-5-unit courses are required to satisfy the quantitative requirement for the Biology major: one course in Quantitative Literacy and one course in Data Analysis.

Quantitative Literacy

 All biology majors are required to complete a Calculus I-equivalent course (e.g. MATH 110 or MATH 114). Students who pass out of Calculus I are required to take an additional quantitative literacy course at the college level.

Select one course from the list below:

Data Analysis

Select one course from the list below:

Concentration in Cell and Molecular Biology

In addition to completing all major requirements, students pursuing this concentration must complete:

One additional 200-level courses, for a total of two courses, in Cell & Molecular Biology. Coursework must be selected from the list below. 

Two of the three required 300-level courses must be selected from the list below.

Concentration in Environmental Science

Introductory Biology

Select one course from the list below:

Organismal Biology

Select one course from the list below:

Cellular and Molecular Biology

Environmental Biology

Evolutionary Biology

Upper-division Biology

Students must select three 300-level Biology courses from the list below. At least two of these must be Occidental College Biology laboratory courses.

Chemistry Component

Economics Component:

Students must complete the following two courses:

Geology Component

Students must complete the following two courses:

Quantitative Coursework

Two 4-5 unit courses are required to satisfy the quantitative requirement for the Biology major. These courses include one course in Quantitative Literacy and one course in Data Analysis. 

Senior Seminar

Concentration in Marine Biology

In addition to completing all major requirements, students pursuing this concentration must complete four courses from the list below:

Supporting Coursework

Students are required to complete five additional courses. Two must be in chemistry as detailed below and three additional quantitative courses.

Chemistry

Quantitative Coursework

Two 4-5-unit courses are required to satisfy the quantitative requirement for the Biology major: one course in Quantitative Literacy and one course in Data Analysis.

Quantitative Literacy

All biology majors are required to complete a Calculus I-equivalent course (e.g. MATH 110 or MATH 114). Students who pass out of Calculus I are required to take an additional quantitative literacy course at the college level.

Select one course from the list below:

Data Analysis

Select one course from the list below:

Honors in the Major

• Student typically will have worked on a research project for 2 semesters (or 1 semester + summer session) minimum, before applying for honors
• Student must have an average GPA of 3.25 (college policy)

Application Process

• Student should discuss with their research mentor and submit an official Letter of Intent to the Biology Chairperson by the beginning of their senior year, or sooner.
• The letter of intent should include a summary of research results (realized and projected), as well as significance of the research and any projects in progress at the time of submission.
• Applications will be evaluated by the Biology faculty.
• Students nominated for honors will be notified by the Biology Chairperson.

Completion Process

• At the time of nomination, each candidate will be assigned an honors thesis committee of two Biology faculty members, in addition to their faculty mentor. This committee will be available for guidance and to help ensure that milestones are met in a timely manner.
• Milestones will include a thorough literature review, written drafts of the introduction, methods, and results sections, including draft figures, and a final discussion section, as well as preparation of a public seminar.
• The candidate must complete a written thesis of their work. It is expected that the student will spend part of their final semester or directed research writing the thesis.
• The written thesis will be due to the mentor by Monday in the 4th week of February.
• The revised honors thesis will be due to the committee by Monday in the 3rd week of February.
• The thesis will be reviewed by committee, and final revisions must be submitted by the last day of March.
• Honors candidates will also give a presentation on their research during the week of April 15. These presentations will last approximately 15 minutes, with 5 min for questions.
• Honors grades are Pass/Fail and reported to the registrar by the Chair. The chair will inform the students of their grade when it is decided upon by the committee.

Minor

Introductory Level

Students must select two courses from:

Additional Electives

Choose three additional courses at the 200- or 300-level, two of which must be taken in the Occidental College Biology Department. Two unit courses may not apply to this requirement. Independent Studies and Advanced Placement credit may not count toward the minor.