Frequently Asked Questions

This is a personal question that you will explore when you speak with an academic advisor. One of the best ways to explore this question is to look at the course descriptions for the upper division courses. The right major for you is the major that you will enjoy! 

Students can start in one biology major and change to another any time as they learn more about their own interests. Many classes are accepted across majors.

Advising Questionnaire

• We recommend completing this prior to your advising appointment to help your advisor get to know you.

Writing Questionnaire

• This only takes a few minutes. We encourage every student to take it, especially first-year students. Transfer students with incoming writing credit do not need to take the placement.

Math Placement Test 

• Discuss math during their advising appointment to determine if the placement test is needed. The math placement only applies to students who need or want to pre-calculus or calculus.

Chemistry Placement Test 

• CU Boulder offers Introduction to Chemistry (CHEM 1021) as a way to prepare for General Chemistry 1 (CHEM 1113). 
• If you are planning to take chemistry in your first semester, please review the Chemistry Preparation & Placement Program website and take the self-assessment to determine which chemistry class is most appropriate for you.

World Language 

• All students in the College of Arts and Sciences are required to complete the third level of one world language (either by taking the third year-level in high school or the third semester-level in college). 
• If you have met this requirement, you do not need to take a world language placement test. World Language is listed under the A&S General Education Skills section of your degree audit. This will show whether you have met the world language requirement.
• If you plan to continue in a world language, please take the placement test to determine into which level of the language is the appropriate next step. If you have college credit for a language, you are likely eligible to enroll in the next course in the sequence. Talk to your academic advisor for clarification on your eligibility.
• If you plan to start in the first semester course of a language, you do not need to take the test.
• Note: If your degree audit shows the world language requirement is not completed, but you are fluent in a language other than English, you should discuss options for testing out of the world language requirement.

CU Boulder does not have a pre-med major, or any major for health professions such as pre-physician assistant, pre-physical therapy, pre-nursing, etc. The best major is one in which you enjoy the majority of the courses for that major and you feel you can be successful. Both your cumulative and your science/technical GPA are important to your admissions chances for any professional health care program.

Professional health care programs require a certain list of prerequisite courses that may overlap more with particular major requirements than others. The pre-requisite courses vary based on professional area (medicine, physical therapy, etc.) and professional school. Though there is significant overlap between our biology majors' curricula and pre-requisites for professional health care programs, you will need to take some of these pre-requisites as elective courses.

CU Boulder's Office of Pre-Health Advising (OPHA) offers resources and expert staff who know each profession's pathway and all of the alternative routes. OPHA may be supported by the College of Arts & Sciences, but serves all students at CU Boulder, regardless of major. We help you create a personal journey toward your goal and support you as you navigate that path, providing you with good company along the way.

• Get access to health professions resources, like pre-requisite coursework and application tips.
• Design a personalized health professions pathway that positions you for success in applying to professional schools.
• Enjoy one-on-one mentorship and guidance from a professional pre-health advisor.
• Connect to fellow Buffs in pre-health workshops, lectures and events.
• Attend a health professions expo and meet professional school admissions representatives from different healthcare fields.
• Be the first to know about current health professions opportunities on CU Boulder's campus and community.

Incoming first-year students choose their enrollment window as part of the your New Student Welcome Online Experience. You must complete the Online Experience in order to choose your enrollment window.The enrollment window is a two-day window in which first-year students can enroll in and drop classes. These windows are staggered, starting mid-July and ending in early August. Once the student's enrollment window closes, they cannot make changes again until open enrollment, which is typically one week before the first day of classes.

Incoming transfer students starting at CU in the fall semester gain access to registration in late May through mid-June, and after a brief enrollment pause, regain enrollment access in mid-July.

Yes! Departments save seats that they release at the beginning of every enrollment window. We recommend that you enroll as early as you can during your enrollment date to have the best selection of courses. Students who are prepared to register at 8:30am Mountain Time on the first day of their enrollment window will get the best selection.

You may hear "you need to take 15 credits per semester to be able to graduate in four years."  While mathematically this is true (15 credits a semester x 8 semesters = 120 hours needed to graduate), as an incoming science student we recommend that students take a lighter load (12-15) credits their first semester. You will be diving into some challenging science classes, including 1-2 lab courses, which are particularly time-intensive. Do not worry about getting behind in the first semester; there will be time to "catch up" on credits in a later semester..

There are three different biology sequences at CU-Boulder:

• The EBIO department offers a two-semester sequence of General Biology 1 and lab (EBIO 1210 and 1230) and General Biology 2 and lab (EBIO 1220 and 1240). EBIO Majors can also consider Introduction to EBIO Research (EBIO 1250) and Biology and Society and lab (EBIO 1100 and 1110). Talk to your academic advisor to determine the best option for you.
  • Incoming EBIO students are pre-registered in EBIO 1210 and 1230. You have the option to change this during your enrollment window.
     
• The MCDB department sequence begins with Introduction to MCDB (MCDB 1150), followed by Principles of Genetics (MCDB 2150) in the spring.
  • Students who are enrolled into MCDB 1150 or MCDB 2150 are encouraged to take a recommended co-seminar (MCDB1152 and 2152).
  • Students planning to complete the MCDB sequence will need to complete one 2-credit hour lab in their first year. Students may choose from MCDB 1161, 1171 or 2171.
  • Incoming first-year MCDB students are pre-registered in MCDB 1150 and 1152. You will not be pre-registed for a lab. Speak to an academic advisor about your options for labs. 
  • If you are expecting AP credit for Biology, we still recommend you take the MCDB sequence because it will better prepare you for the MCDB major. Your AP Biology credit will still count towards graduation as elective credit.
     
• The IPHY department accepts a combination of EBIO's General Biology classes and MCDB's two-semester sequence. Talk to your academic advisor to clarify how to fulfill this requirement.
  • Incoming IPHY students are pre-registered in EBIO 1210 and 1230. You have the option to change this during your enrollment window.

Students can only take one of the following labs in either fall or spring of their first year. Not all labs will be offered every semester.

• MCDB 1161 = From Dirt to DNA: Phage Genomics Laboratory 1
  • In this lab, students will be studying phages (Short for "bacteriophage" - viruses that infect bacteria, but not eukaryotic cells). Students start with a dirt sample, and from that sample purify a specific phage strain. They then characterize the phage using techniques such as: DNA isolation, restriction digest analysis, agarose gel electrophoresis, and electron microscopy. There are many phages that have never been characterized, so students may even have the opportunity to discover a new type of phage!
• MCDB 1171 = Antibiotics Discovery Through Hands-on Screens 1
  • In this lab, students will work in teams to screen small molecule libraries for novel antibiotics using the bacterium Salmonella as a model system. Topics covered include the basic biology of the model system, genetics, approaches to screening for new therapeutics, statistical analysis of the data, compound verification and lead compound development. 
• MCDB 2171 = Antibiotics Discovery Through Hands-On Screens 2
  • In this lab, students will work in teams to screen molecule libraries for chemotherapeutic agents using fruit flies as a model system. Topics covered include the basic biology of the model system, genetics, approaches to screening for new therapeutics, statistical analysis of the data, compound verification and lead compound development. 

We recommend that any student who is expecting AP/IB credit connect with their academic advisor. Together, you will discuss options for courses depending on whether you receive AP/IB credit.

Typically we receive AP/IB score information mid to late-July if you requested they be sent to CU Boulder when taking the exams the previous spring. The scores will be processed and entered into our system as quickly as possible after the university receives them.

You can find out more about how your AP/IB credit is converted to CU college credit in the Credit By Examination section of the Course Catalog.

If you have not already, make sure you have asked the College Board to send your AP scores to CU Boulder's Admissions office. If you took AP courses during your sophomore or junior year, they may not be automatically sent to CU.

IB scores need to be sent directly to CU Boulder's admissions department from the IB organization.

CU Boulder offers Introduction to Chemistry (CHEM 1021) as a way to prepare for General Chemistry 1 and lab (CHEM 1113 and CHEM 1114) and General Chemistry 2 and lab (CHEM 1133 and 1134). General Chemistry classes are rigorous, and some students feel more prepared by starting in Introduction to Chemistry. MCDB and IPHY majors should start the chemistry sequence in their first year.

If you are planning to take chemistry in your first semester, please review the Chemistry Preparation & Placement Program website and take the self-assessment to determine which chemistry class is most appropriate for you.

MCDB Students will be pre-enrolled in General Chemistry 1 and lab.  You are welcome to drop these courses and replace them with Introduction to Chemistry if you would like additional preparation.

• MCDB majors
  • A solid foundation in chemistry during your first year is integral to success in the major. MCDB majors should start chemistry in the fall with General Chemistry 1 and lab (CHEM 1113 and CHEM 1114) or Introduction to Chemistry (CHEM 1021). You will be preregistered into General Chemistry 1 and lab, but based on your academic background, an academic advisor may recommend adjusting your schedule to start with Introduction to Chemistry.
• IPHY majors
  • Talk to your academic advisor about when you should start chemistry. Use your chemistry placement score to guide your course choices. Starting your chemistry sequence in your first year is recommended to stay on track with your IPHY major course sequence.
• EBIO majors
  • The EBIO major does not require chemistry, but chemistry is highly recommended for some students, depending on career goals. For example, pre-health students will need chemistry. Talk to your academic advisor about fitting chemistry into your degree plan.

IPHY and EBIO require statistics, while MCDB will accept statistics or calculus. If you intend to take calculus, you must take the Math Placement first to determine whether you can enroll directly into calculus, pre-calculus, or a preparatory class.

• MCDB majors
  • Since MCDB majors will be taking a biology class and a chemistry class, we do not generally recommend that MCDB majors take a math class in their first semester.
  • Talk to your academic advisor about whether statistics or calculus is the most appropriate math class for you.
     
• IPHY majors
  • The IPHY major does not require calculus, but graduate or professional programs may require it.
  • Talk to your academic advisor about when to take statistics - it is not required in the first semester. It is a pre-requisite for IPHY 3435, Physiology Lab.
     
• EBIO majors
  • Talk to your academic advisor about when to take statistics - it is not required in the first semester. It is helpful to take a statistics class before taking Evolution (EBIO 3080).

Yes! In order to help students in the registration process and make sure they can get into certain classes based on their major, departments do pre-register students for classes based on their major between mid-June and early July.

MCDB Majors will be pre-registered for:

• General Chemistry 1 Lecture and lab (CHEM 1113 and 1114), Introduction to MCDB (MCDB 1150), Introduction to MCDB Co-seminar (MCDB 1152), and Introduction to MCDB Major (1020).

EBIO Majors will be pre-registered for:

• General Biology 1 lecture and lab (EBIO 1210 and 1230) Introduction to EBIO (EBIO1020). Talk to your academic advisor if you would like to enroll in Introduction to EBIO Research (EBIO 1250) or Biology and Society and lab (EBIO 1100 and 1110) as alternatives to General Biology 1.

IPHY Majors will be pre-registered for:  

• General Biology 1 lecture and lab (EBIO 1210 and 1230) and Introduction to IPHY (IPHY1020).

Can I drop a class I have been pre-registered in?

• Yes! during your enrollment window, you can change sections of a class or switch to a different class (for example, dropping General Chemistry 1 and taking Introduction to Chemistry instead).
• Students who have decided to pursue a different major can drop the classes they were pre-registered for to make space for different classes.
• It is recommend that you discuss any changes you are considering with your academic advisor.  

Many students will also be pre-registered for a writing class based on the writing assessment. This will depend on whether you have AP/IB credit and when you complete the writing assessment.