Requirements for the Major
Honors in the Major—L&S Requirements
Neurobiology Option
Requirements for the Neurobiology Option
445 Henry Mall, Room 118, Madison, WI 53706; 608/262-9690; biologymajor@icbe.wisc.edu; www.biology.wisc.edu/academic_programs/biology
The biology major is designed for students with broad interests in the biological sciences. It is intended primarily to: (1) prepare undergraduates for graduate studies in diverse areas of biology; (2) prepare certain preprofessional students (e.g., medicine, veterinary medicine, dentistry) for advanced study in the health professions; (3) provide a broad exposure to biology for students who want a general science education as biologists; and (4) serve as initial preparation for students who later choose a more specialized major.
The major is offered by the College of Letters and Science and the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. A similar major offered by the School of Education leads to certification in secondary education for students who want to become biology teachers.
In addition to fulfilling all university and college requirements, students must fulfill the following requirements for the biology major.
All L&S students must fulfill the college requirement of at least 15 credits of upper-level work in the major completed in residence. All intermediate/advanced biology courses listed below under items 5 and 6 count toward this requirement.
Math 171 Calculus with Algebra and Trigonometry I (5 cr) and Math 217 Calculus with Algebra and Trigonometry II (5 cr) OR Math 221 Calculus and Analytic Geometry (5 cr)
AND
Math 222 Calculus and Analytic Geometry (5 cr) OR Stat 301 Introduction to Statistical Methods (3 cr) OR Stat 371 Introduction to Applied Statistics for the Life Sciences (3 cr)
Chem 103-104 General Chemistry (4 cr, 5 cr) OR Chem 109 Advanced General Chemistry (5 cr)
Chem 343 Introductory Organic Chemistry (3 cr) and Chem 344 Introductory Organic Chemistry Laboratory (2 cr) and Chem 345 Intermediate Organic Chemistry (3 cr)
Physics 103 and 104 General Physics (4 cr each) OR Physics 201 and 202 General Physics (5 cr each) OR Physics 207 or 208 General Physics (5 cr each)
The total number of credits in sections 4, 5, and 6 must equal at least 31 credits.
Option A:
Biology/Botany/Zoology 151-152 Introductory Biology (5 cr each); plus one foundational course
Option B:
Biocore/Biology 301 Evolution, Ecology, and Genetics (3 cr); 303 Cellular Biology (3 cr); 323 Organismal Biology (3 cr); 333 Biological Interactions (3 cr)
AND two of the following laboratory courses:
Biocore/Biology 302 Evolution, Ecology, and Genetics Laboratory (2 cr); 304 Cellular Biology Laboratory; 324 Organismal Biology Laboratory (2 cr)
Option C:
Biology/Zoology 101 Animal Biology (3 cr); Biology/Zoology 102 Animal Biology Laboratory (2 cr); Biology/Botany 130 General Botany (5 cr); plus one foundational course
Foundational Courses:
Agronomy 338: Plant Breeding and Biotechnology
Botany/Genetics/Zoology 466 General Genetics
Biochem 501 Introduction to Biochemistry
Bmolchem 503 Human Biochemistry
Microbio 370 Bacterial Genetics
A minimum of three courses (at least 13 credits) at the intermediate/advanced level, selected from three of the five areas listed below, are needed to satisfy the biology breadth requirement. These courses must include at least one lab or field course with three hours or more per week of laboratory/field instruction. At least one course must be from category a or b and at least one course must be from category c or d. The third course may be selected from any of the five categories not previously chosen. Overall the courses taken should span plant, animal, and microbial biology topics.
Please see www.biology.wisc.edu/academic_programs/biology/requirements for course lists.
Additional laboratory or field research experience is required. Any directed study, independent study, or research-based senior thesis in a biological science discipline can count, but at least 2 credits must be taken after completing one year of college biology. This requirement can be fulfilled with one or more intermediate/advanced laboratory or field biology courses involving a total of at least 3 hours/week of lab or field instruction beyond that done for requirement 5. "Hours/week" refers to a normal 16-week semester and courses taken in other formats may be substituted where the total time commitment is equivalent. With advisor approval, this requirement also meets the CALS capstone experience. The credits taken for requirements 5 and 6 must total at least 15 and satisfy college requirements for 15 credits in the major in residence.
To apply: First declare the Biology Major, then pick up an Honors form from either the L&S Honors Office or the Biology Major Office. Before enrolling in an Honors thesis course, the student must produce a two- to three-page, double-spaced thesis proposal that briefly introduces the biological problem and then describes the line of experimentation that is proposed for the thesis work. The student and faculty mentor must sign the proposal before it is submitted to the Biology Major Office.The Biology Major Honors Committee will evaluate the proposal and the student will be notified of its acceptability. A copy of the completed thesis must be submitted to the Biology Major Office.
The option in neurobiology allows biology majors to concentrate their studies in neurobiology and to have this reflected on their transcript. Since there is no neurobiology major available at UW-Madison, this is the only mechanism to indicate specialization in this rapidly growing and popular field.
In addition to fulfilling all university and college requirements, students must fulfill the following requirements for the biology major with the neurobiology option.
Math 171 Calculus with Algebra and Trigonometry I (5 cr) and Math 217 Calculus with Algebra and Trigonometry II (5 cr) OR Math 221 Calculus and Analytic Geometry (5 cr)
AND
Math 222 Calculus and Analytic Geometry (5 cr) OR Stat 301 Introduction to Statistical Methods (3 cr) OR Stat 371 Introductory Applied Statistics for the Life Sciences (3 cr)
Chem 103-104 General Chemistry (4 cr, 5 cr) OR Chem 109 Advanced General Chemistry (5 cr)
Chem 343 Introductory Organic Chemistry (3 cr) and Chem 344 Introductory Organic Chemistry Laboratory (2 cr) and Chem 345 Intermediate Organic Chemistry (3 cr)
Physics 103 and 104 General Physics (4 cr each) OR Physics 201 and 202 General Physics (5 cr each) OR Physics 207 or 208 General Physics (5 cr each)
The total number of credits in sections 4, 5, and 6 must equal at least 31 credits.
Option A:
Biology/Botany/Zoology 151-152: Introductory Biology (5 cr each); plus one foundational course
Option B:
Biocore/Biology 301 Evolution, Ecology, and Genetics (3 cr); 303 Cellular Biology (3 cr); 323 Organismal Biology (3 cr), 333; Biological Interactions (3 cr)
AND two of the following laboratory courses:
Biocore/Biology 302: Evolution, Ecology, and Genetics Laboratory (2 cr), 304: Cellular Biology Laboratory, 324: Organismal Biology Laboratory (2 cr)
Option C:
Biology/Zoology 101 Animal Biology (3 cr); Biology/Zoology 102 Animal Biology Laboratory (2 cr); Biology/Botany 130 General Botany (5 cr); plus one foundational course
Required:
Neurosci/Zoology/Psych 523 Neurobiology AND Neurosci/Zoology/Psych 524 Neurobiology II
At least 13 credits at the intermediate/advanced level are needed to satisfy the biology breadth requirement. In addition to the above two required courses, students must take a minimum of three more courses: one from category a, one from category b, and one from categories c or d. At least three hours per week of laboratory/field instruction must be taken in intermediate/advanced courses from categories a-f. Additional courses may be taken from categories a-f to fulfill the 31-credit requirement.
Please see www.biology.wisc.edu/academic_programs/biology/neurobiology for course lists.
This requirement is expected to be fulfilled with a research-based senior thesis/independent study in neurobiology by registering for 2 or more Independent Study 699 credits in the supervising professor's department. Alternatively it may be fulfilled with one or more intermediate/advanced laboratory courses involving a total of at least 3 hours/week of lab instruction beyond that done for requirement 5. We expect that most students who choose to concentrate in neurobiology will be interested in an independent research experience in one of the many laboratories on campus. Indeed, we strongly urge all concentrators to do a senior thesis or independent research. However, we recognize that not all students will want to do research. Hence the requirement can also be fulfilled by one of the courses listed below. With advisor approval, this requirement also meets the CALS capstone experience.
Bmolchem 504 Human Biochemistry Laboratory
Neurosci/Physiol 625 Brain Cell Cultures Lab Course
Zoology 430 Comparative Anatomy of Vertebrates
Zoology 555 Developmental Biology Laboratory
Zoology 572 Cell Biology Laboratory
Zoology 612 Comparative Physiology Laboratory
Credits taken for requirements 5 and 6 must total at least 15, and satisfy college requirements for 15 credits in the major in residence.
This seminar will provide a weekly research seminar given by UW-Madison faculty active in neurobiology or by students in the major and directed specifically to undergraduates. It will give those biology majors who choose the neurobiology option an orientation to the wide range of research questions in modern neurobiology at UW-Madison as well as provide a weekly social gathering. This seminar is best taken the second semester of the junior year or first semester of the senior year.