Fall 2023 Advising Update

Jayhawk statue in front of flowers
three female students working in a lab

Dear Biology Student, 

We hope that the information below will help you plan for and participate in enrollment advising for the Summer and Fall 2023 semesters. First, we’d like to introduce our biology academic advisors: 

Deanna Beall, Senior Academic Advisor (Honors students) 

Ellen Honas, Academic Advisor 

Renae Johnson, Academic Advisor  

Erin Kelley-Garrison, Academic Advisor 

Bridgette Kells, Academic Advisor  

Carly Newman, Academic Advisor (Honors students) 

Avery Poindexter, Academic Advisor 

Nathan Swank, Academic Advisor 

 

Advising Appointments

  • You can schedule a 30-minute appointment in Jayhawk GPS or by calling the Undergraduate Biology Program front desk at 785-864-4301.  
  • You can also meet with a biology advisor during drop-in hours. Drop-in hours are Mondays and Thursdays from 12:30 – 4:30 PM. Join drop-ins at this link! 

2023 Advising Updates

  • BIOL 105 Biology Orientation Seminar (1 credit hour)* 
  • BIOL 150 Principles of Molecular and Cellular Biology (3 credit hours) * 
    • If you haven’t completed the co-requisite of CHEM 130, but are eligible for CHEM 130, contact Lindsey Deaver or Lauren Spain-Eddington for permission to register.   
  • BIOL 154 Intro Biology Lab for STEM majors (2 credit hours) 
  • BIOL 240 Fundamentals of Human Anatomy (3 credit hours)* 
  • BIOL 241 Human Anatomy Observation Lab (2 credit hours) 
  • BIOL 350 Genetics (4 credit hours)  
  • BIOL 400 Fundamentals of Microbiology (3 credit hours)*  
  • BIOL 402 Fundamentals of Microbiology Lab (2 credit hours) 
  • BIOL 416 Cell Structure and Function (3 credit hours)*  
  • BIOL 418 Laboratory in Field Botany (2 credit hours)  
  • BIOL 418 Laboratory in Restoration Ecology (2 credit hours) 
  • BIOL 418 Laboratory in Herpetology (3 credit hours) 
  • BIOL 426 Laboratory in Cell Biology (3 credit hours) 
  • BIOL 600 Introductory Biochemistry (3 credit hours)
  • BIOL 660 Summer Field Ecology (3 credit hours)  
  • For more information about these courses and the dates/times that these courses are offered, search the Schedule of Classes at classes.ku.edu.  

*Courses that will be offered online 

Spring 2023:  

Summer 2023:  

  • Apply for Summer 2023 graduation now by going to Enroll & Pay>Degree Progress and Graduation.  
  • Every student must apply through Enroll & Pay to graduate.  
  • The final deadline to apply is July 15, 2023, but we strongly encourage you to apply by April 14, 2023 to have your Spring and Summer enrollment and graduation requirements reviewed before the summer semester begins in case any changes need to be made.   

Fall 2023:  

  • Apply for Fall 2023 graduation now by going to Enroll & Pay>Degree Progress and Graduation.  
  • Every student must apply through Enroll & Pay to graduate.  
  • The final deadline to apply is November 1, 2023 but we strongly encourage you to apply by July 7, 2023 to have your Spring, Summer, and Fall enrollment and graduation requirements reviewed before the fall semester begins in case any changes need to be made.    

Major Specific Updates

Infrequently Taught Courses:  

  • Summer 2023:  

    • BIOL 418: Laboratory in Field Botany (2 credit hours)  
    • BIOL 418: Laboratory in Herpetology (3 credit hours)  
    • BIOL 418: Laboratory in Restoration Ecology (2 credit hours)  
    • BIOL 660: Summer Field Ecology lab (3 credit hours)  
      • Each of the above courses apply towards BIOL 400+ Lab requirement! 
  • Fall 2023: 
    • BIOL 415: Field and Lab Methods in Ecology (2 credit hours) 

      • Course applies towards BIOL 400+ Lab requirement! 
    • BIOL 420: Natural Resource Management (3 credit hours)  
    • BIOL 420: Evolution & Conservation of Marine Mammals (3 credit hours)  
    • BIOL 420: Programming in R (3 credit hours)  
    • BIOL 446: Biology of Sleep (3 credit hours) 
      • Counts towards KU Core Goal 6! 
    • BIOL 509: Biology of Spiders (3 credit hours)  
    • BIOL 545: Evolution of Development (4 credit hours) 
      •  Counts towards KU Core Goal 6!  
      • 3 credit hours apply towards BIOL 400+ Lab requirement! 
    • BIOL 593: Ornithology (3 credit hours) 
      • 1 credit hour applies towards BIOL 400+ Lab requirement! 
    • BIOL 594: Forest Ecosystems (3 credit hours)  
    • BIOL 648: Systematics and Macroevolution (3 credit hours)  
    • BIOL 661: Ecology of Rivers and Lakes (3 credit hours)  
  • BIOL 370 Biostatistics. We recently updated the course number of BIOL 570 Biostatistics to BIOL 370. The course is still 4 credit hours. We encourage students to take this course early in their college career, preferably by sophomore year when possible. 
  • BIOL 413 The Tree of Life. BIOL 413 was formerly titled, “History & Diversity of Organisms,” but the course title has been updated to “The Tree of Life.” Additionally, the course was formerly 3 credit hours, but is now 4 credit hours.  
  • BIOL 446 Biology of Sleep Goal 6. BIOL 446 now fulfills Goal 6! EEOB majors who take BIOL 446 will have Goal 6 fulfilled and BIOL 599 waived from their requirements. Therefore, a student who completes BIOL 446 will not need to take BIOL 599. 
  • BIOL 533 Biology of Fungi Goal 6. BIOL 533 now fulfills Goal 6! EEOB majors who take BIOL 533 in Spring 2023 or later will have Goal 6 fulfilled and BIOL 599 waived from their requirements. Therefore, a student who completes BIOL 533 in Spring 2023 or later will not need to take BIOL 599.  
  • BIOL 545 Evolution of Development Goal 6. BIOL 545 fulfills Goal 6! EEOB majors who take BIOL 545 will have Goal 6 fulfilled and BIOL 599 waived from their requirements. Therefore, a student who completes BIOL 545 will not need to take BIOL 599. 

 

  • ANTH 345 requirement.   

    • Students who need ANTH 345 for the Human Biology major may substitute ANTH 304, 309, 340 (fall only), or BIOL 412 (spring only).   
    • Your Degree Progress Report (DPR) may not recognize this substitution, so please email your biology advisor to request this substitution to be updated on the DPR.   
    • Note: If you wish to take ANTH 304, you may need to add yourself to the waitlist. ANTH 304 is an online course and there are typically seats reserved in this class for students completing degree entirely online.  
  • Human Biology Major Course Offerings.   
    • Some course options under certain categories are no longer being offered in other departments, such as Applied Behavioral Science, Psychology, and Anthropology.    
    • If you have any difficulty finding courses to satisfy a certain category, please schedule an appointment with your biology advisor to discuss possible substitutions.   
  • BIOL 370 Biostatistics. We recently updated the course number of BIOL 570 Biostatistics to BIOL 370. The course is still 4 credit hours. We encourage students to take this course early in their college career, preferably by sophomore year when possible. 
  • BIOL 370 Biostatistics. We recently updated the course number of BIOL 570 Biostatistics to BIOL 370. The course is still 4 credit hours. We encourage students to take this course early in their college career, preferably by sophomore year when possible. 
  • BIOL 405 Genetics Lab. If all sections or the section you need fills up, please fill out this permission form with your preferred section. Preference will first be given to seniors graduating in Fall 2023. 
  • BIOL 599 permission. BIOL 599: MCDB sections require permission, as they are reserved for MCDB seniors. You may request permission through our permission request form. If the BIOL 599: MCDB times don’t work with your schedule, you may enroll in any other BIOL 599 that does not require permission. 
  • BIOL 435, Fall only. BIOL 435 is only offered in fall semesters. If you are graduating in Fall 2023, Spring 2024, or Summer 2024 enroll in this course in Fall 2023 if you haven’t already completed it.  
  • BIOL 446 Biology of Sleep Goal 6. BIOL 446 now fulfills Goal 6! MCDB majors who take BIOL 446 will have Goal 6 fulfilled and BIOL 599 waived from their requirements. Therefore, a student who completes BIOL 446 will not need to take BIOL 599. 
  • BIOL 545 Evolution of Development Goal 6. BIOL 545 fulfills Goal 6! MCDB majors who take BIOL 545 will have Goal 6 fulfilled and BIOL 599 waived from their requirements. Therefore, a student who completes BIOL 545 will not need to take BIOL 599. 
  • BIOL 370 Biostatistics. We recently updated the course number of BIOL 570 Biostatistics to BIOL 370. The course is still 4 credit hours. We encourage students to take this course early in their college career, preferably by sophomore year when possible. 
  • PHSX 115 and BIOL 504 Conflict. Please be aware that if you plan on taking BIOL 504 Immunology Lab AND PHSX 115 in the Fall semester, the courses conflict. If you need these requirements for graduation, please speak with your biology advisor.    
  • BIOL 636 and BIOL 504 Conflict. Please be aware that if you plan on taking BIOL 504 Immunology Lab AND BIOL 636 Biochemistry I in the Fall semester, the courses conflict. If you need these requirements for graduation, please speak with your biology advisor. Microbiology majors also have the option to complete BIOL 600 instead of the BIOL 636 and 638 biochemistry sequence.   
  • BIOL 504 permission. Microbiology students graduating in Fall 2023, Spring 2024, or Summer 2024 should fill out this permission request form. For students graduating in Fall 2024 or later, fill out the permission form and we’ll add you to a waiting list until we know if we have additional seats. Graduating seniors will be prioritized first and we may not have additional seats for juniors due to lab capacity. 
  • BIOL 446 Biology of Sleep Goal 6. BIOL 446 now fulfills Goal 6! Microbiology majors who take BIOL 446 will have Goal 6 fulfilled and BIOL 599 waived from their requirements. Therefore, a student who completes BIOL 446 will not need to take BIOL 599. 
  • BIOL 545 Evolution of Development Goal 6. BIOL 545 fulfills Goal 6! Microbiology majors who take BIOL 545 will have Goal 6 fulfilled and BIOL 599 waived from their requirements. Therefore, a student who completes BIOL 545 will not need to take BIOL 599. 
  • BIOL 637. If all sections or the section you need fills up, please fill out this permission form with your preferred section. Preference will first be given to seniors graduating in Fall 2023, Spring 2024, or Summer 2024. 
  • BIOL 638 Pre-Reqs. BIOL 638 Biochemistry II (offered Spring only) requires a grade of C or higher in both BIOL 636 and CHEM 335.  
    • The chemistry department also uses grade-based prerequisites for some of their courses. 
  • Lab options. The below courses include infrequently taught courses that would count towards the BIOL 400+ Lab Electives for the BA Biology major. The lab hours for each course are in parentheses. 

    • Summer 2023: 

      • BIOL 418: Laboratory in Field Botany (2 credit hours)  
      • BIOL 418: Laboratory in Herpetology (3 credit hours)  
      • BIOL 418: Laboratory in Restoration Ecology (2 credit hours)  
      • BIOL 660: Summer Field Ecology lab (3 credit hours)  
        • All credit hours of the above courses apply to the BIOL 400+ Lab requirement! 
  • Fall 2023 
    • BIOL 415: Field and Lab Methods in Ecology (2 credit hours towards lab) 
    • BIOL 545: Evolution of Development (3 hours towards lab)  
    • BIOL 593: Ornithology (1 hour towards lab) 
  • BIOL 446 Biology of Sleep Goal 6. BIOL 446 now fulfills Goal 6! BA Biology majors who take BIOL 446 will have Goal 6 fulfilled and BIOL 599 waived from their requirements. Therefore, a student who completes BIOL 446 will not need to take BIOL 599. 
  • BIOL 545 Evolution of Development Goal 6. BIOL 545 fulfills Goal 6! BA Biology majors who take BIOL 545 will have Goal 6 fulfilled and BIOL 599 waived from their requirements. Therefore, a student who completes BIOL 545 will not need to take BIOL 599. 
  • BIOL 370 Biostatistics. We recently updated the course number of BIOL 570 Biostatistics to BIOL 370. The course is still 4 credit hours. We encourage students to take this course early in their college career, preferably by sophomore year when possible. 
  • BIOL 413 The Tree of Life. BIOL 413 was formerly titled, “History & Diversity of Organisms,” but the course title has been updated to “The Tree of Life.” Additionally, the course was formerly 3 credit hours, but is now 4 credit hours. When BIOL 413 is used in the BIOL 400+ electives, 2 credit hours can count towards the lab requirement. If BIOL 413 is used towards the BIOL 413/414/428 requirement, then it cannot double count towards the lab requirement. 

Departmental Honors in Biology

BIOL 499 will be offered in fall semesters and no longer offered in spring. If you are planning to graduate Spring 2024 with departmental honors and have not completed BIOL 499, enroll in BIOL 499 this fall. 

Sophomores and juniors who are interested in research and intend to complete the departmental honors requirements should enroll in BIOL 499 in the Fall 2023 semester. Honors requirements include an independent research project, an honors thesis, an oral presentation, and a 3.5 major GPA.  

Benefits of Pursuing Departmental Honors:  

  • Build a relationship with a faculty member in Biology—great for asking for letters of recommendation when applying to graduate programs 

  • Use your departmental honors thesis when applying to graduate schools (master’s programs or PhD programs)  

  • Add departmental honors on your resume when applying for full-time positions after graduation or when applying to graduate school! 

  • Gain valuable lab experience which is applicable to applying for employment! 

Sincerely, 

The KU Undergraduate Biology Program 
kuub.ku.edu