Department
of
Biology


STANFORD UNIVERSITY
Undergrad Major BS
Undergrad Minor
Coterminal BS/MS
Doctorate Degree PhD
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Degree Requirements

There are three main ways that a student can do the Biology major at Stanford:
  1. General Biology Major
    The general biology major is designed for students who would like a broad-based biology curriculum. The foundation courses for the general major include the Bio Core and labs, chemistry, physics, and mathematics. Within the upper-division electives, students experience a breadth of courses by satisfying the Central Menu requirement: 1 course in 3 of 4 Central Menu areas (Molecular, Cell/Developmental, Organismal and Ecology/Evolution). Beyond the Central Menu requirement, students can take their remaining upper-division electives from Biology (BIO) and Hopkins (BIOHOPK) course offerings, and also from the Approved Out-of-Department Elective list.

    2. More Details:
    • If you want to officially declare the general Biology major, read through the Declaring page on this site.
    • For a complete list of requirements and a useful checklist for the general major, click here.

  2. General Biology Major with Honors
    Students following the general major requirements have the option to add honors. In order to do honors within Biology, students must apply for and complete the requirements for the departmental honors program, which include 10 units of BIO 199 or 199X, an independent honors thesis, and a poster or oral presentation at the conclusion of senior year. Students must apply for honors at least two quarters prior to graduating. For most students with a graduation quarter of Spring, this means that they should apply for honors no later than Autumn quarter of their senior year. For more information, please visit the Honors website.

    3. More Details:
    • You must wait to declare honors on Axess until you have submitted the Honors Petition, which is described in detail on the Honors website. If you declare honors when you declare the major, it will be denied. You can later re-declare honors when you have submitted your petition.
    • Students following the general biology major with honors are not required to complete BIO 44Y.

  3. Biology Major with a Field of Study and Honors
    For students who wish to concentrate their upper-division electives in a specific area, six specialized fields of study are available. Completion of any of these fields of study also requires completion of the Department Honors Program, outlined above. Foundation courses are generally similar to the general major requirements, with a few exceptions. Be sure to review the requirement sheets below for the particular field of study you are planning to follow.
    1. Biochemistry/Biophysics
    2. Ecology and Evolution
    3. Marine Biology
    4. Microbes & Immunity
    5. Molecular & Cell Biology
    6. Neurobiology
    More Details:
    • To officially declare a field of study, students must fill out the checklist for their field of study (page 2 of the requirement sheet above), get their faculty advisor to sign the bottom, then submit the form to the Student Services Office in Gilbert 108. Additionally, the field of study must be added on Axess in order for it to be fully approved.
    • Official declaration of a field of study must be done by the end of your junior year.
    • You must wait to declare honors on Axess until you have submitted the Honors Petition, which is described in detail on the Honors website. If you declare honors when you declare the major, it will be denied. You can later re-declare honors when you have submitted your petition.
    • Students following any of the fields of study are only required to complete one WIM course (this is usually BIO 44X).