Fall 2024 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 Fall 2024 semester. First, we’d like to introduce our biology academic advisors:  

 

Deanna Burghart, Senior Academic Advisor (Honors)  

Abby Doudna, Academic Advisor 

Claire Engelken, Academic Advisor  

Carly Harris-Newman, Academic Advisor (Honors) 

Ellen Honas, Academic Advisor  

Emilee Girard, Academic Advisor (Honors) 

Bridgette Kells, Senior Academic Advisor  

Ariel Silverman, Academic Advisor 

Nathan Swank, Academic Advisor  

Yami Zamora De Roberts, 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!  

 

Fall 2024 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 (ldeaver@ku.edu) or Lauren Spain-Eddington (lspain@ku.edu) 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 370 Biostatistics (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)*  
    • Check with instructor if you are an honors student about an honors contract for this course 
  • BIOL 418 Laboratory in Field Botany (2 credit hours)  
  • BIOL 418 Laboratory in Field Ecology (2 credit hours) 
  • BIOL 418 Laboratory in Herpetology (3 credit hours) 
  • BIOL 426 Laboratory in Cell Biology (3 credit hours) 
  • BIOL 600 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 2024:  

Apply for Spring 2024 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 March 1st.  
  • Check back at this link in the coming months for updates about biology graduation ceremony. You can also see additional information about the University commencement ceremony at this link

Summer 2024:  

  • Apply for Summer 2024 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, 2024, but we strongly encourage you to apply by April 12, 2024 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 2024:  

  • Apply for Fall 2024 graduation 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, 2024 but we strongly encourage you to apply by July 6, 2024 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.    
  • Check back at this link (under Fall 2024 Graduation Information) in the coming months for updates about College of Liberal Arts and Science’s Fall graduation ceremony.  

Major Specific Updates

Infrequently Taught Courses:  

Summer 2024:  

  • BIOL 418: Field Botany (2 credits; all credits count towards 400+ lab electives) 
  • BIOL 418: Herpetology (3 credits; all credits count towards 400+ lab electives) 
  • BIOL 418: Restoration Ecology (2 credits; all credits count towards 400+ lab electives) 
  • BIOL 660: Summer Field Ecology (3 credits; all credits count towards 400+ lab electives) 

Fall 2024:  

  • BIOL 420: Ecology of Infectious Disease (3 credits) 
  • BIOL 420: Environmental Justice (3 credits) 
  • BIOL 420: Programming in R (3 credits) 
  • BIOL 481: Medical Parasitology Lab (2 credits; all credits count towards 400+ lab electives) 
  • BIOL 520: Marine Biology (3 credits) 
  • BIOL 606: Ecological Plant Physiology (3 credits) 
    • 2 credits count towards BIOL 400+ lab electives 
  • BIOL 625: Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology (3 credits) 

 

  • 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 402 Microbiology lab. BIOL 402 should be taken in the fall semester when possible. There are very limited seats in this course in the spring semester and enrollment unfortunately cannot be guaranteed. 
  • 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 599 permission. You may request permission for BIOL 599 through our permission request form. Fall 2024 graduates will be prioritized first. 

  • BIOL 420 or BIOL 499. If you are interested in research, consider taking BIOL 420: Exploring Bioscience Research (1 credit hour) or BIOL 499 Intro to Honors Research (2 credit hours) in Fall 2024 as one of your BIOL 400+ electives. If you are considering departmental honors, BIOL 499 is a requirement for biology departmental honors https://biology.ku.edu/departmental-honors. 

 

  • ANTH 345. Students who need ANTH 345 for the Human Biology major may substitute ANTH 304, 309, 340 (fall only), or BIOL 412 (spring only).  
    • Your 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 degrees 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. 
  • MATH 116. As of last semester, MATH 116 is no longer required for BA Human Biology majors. If you have questions about this change, please check with your advisor. 
  • BIOL 599 permission. You may request permission for BIOL 599 through our permission request form. Fall 2024 graduates will be prioritized first. 
  • BIOL 420 or BIOL 499. If you are interested in research, consider taking BIOL 420: Exploring Bioscience Research (1 credit hour) or BIOL 499 Intro to Honors Research (2 credit hours) in Fall 2024 as one of your BIOL 400+ electives. If you are considering departmental honors, BIOL 499 is a requirement for biology departmental honors https://biology.ku.edu/departmental-honors. 
  • 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 2024. 
  • BIOL 599 permission. If you need BIOL 599 for your major, you may request permission through our permission request form
  • BIOL 435, Fall only. BIOL 435 is only offered in fall semesters. If you are graduating in Fall 2024, Spring 2025, or Summer 2025 enroll in this course in Fall 2024 if you haven’t already completed it.  
  • BIOL 420 or BIOL 499. If you are interested in research, consider taking BIOL 420: Exploring Bioscience Research (1 credit hour) or BIOL 499 Intro to Honors Research (2 credit hours) in Fall 2024 as one of your BIOL 400+ electives. If you are considering departmental honors, BIOL 499 is a requirement for biology departmental honors https://biology.ku.edu/departmental-honors. 
  • BIOL 520 Marine Biology. The prerequisite for this course has recently been updated to BIOL 152. BIOL 414 is no longer required as a prerequisite. Enroll & Pay may still show BIOL 414 as required, but students with BIOL 152 may enroll in BIOL 520 and Enroll & Pay will allow it.
  • 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 can also complete BIOL 600 instead of the BIOL 636 and 638 biochemistry sequence.   
  • BIOL 504 permission. Microbiology students graduating in Fall 2024, Spring 2025, or Summer 2025 should fill out this permission request form. For students graduating in Fall 2025 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 599 permission. If you need BIOL 599 for your major, you may request permission through our permission request form.  
  • BIOL 420 or BIOL 499. If you are interested in research, consider taking BIOL 420: Exploring Bioscience Research (1 credit hour) or BIOL 499 Intro to Honors Research (2 credit hours) in Fall 2024 as one of your BIOL 400+ electives. If you are considering departmental honors, BIOL 499 is a requirement for biology departmental honors https://biology.ku.edu/departmental-honors. 
  • 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 2024, Spring 2025, or Summer 2025. 
  • 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.  
    • If you do not earn a C or higher in CHEM 335 or BIOL 636, check with the BIOL 638 instructor about being able to take this course 
    • The chemistry department also uses grade-based prerequisites for some of their courses. 
  • MATH 125+MATH 116. Students that have completed MATH 125 can either complete MATH 126 and 127 or MATH 116 to satisfy their calculus requirement. If you choose to complete MATH 116, it may appear you do not receive 4 credit hours for MATH 125, but these credit hours will be retroactively applied at the end of the semester. The DPR will also be updated at this time to show that you have satisfied your calculus requirement. Check with your advisor if you have any questions. 
  • BIOL 420 or BIOL 499. If you are interested in research, consider taking BIOL 420: Exploring Bioscience Research (1 credit hour) or BIOL 499 Intro to Honors Research (2 credit hours) in Fall 2024 as one of your BIOL 400+ electives. If you are considering departmental honors, BIOL 499 is a requirement for biology departmental honors https://biology.ku.edu/departmental-honors. 

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 2024: 

  • 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 (3 credit hours) 
    • All credit hours of the above courses apply to the BIOL 400+ Lab requirement! 

Fall 2024 

  • BIOL 415: Field and Lab Methods in Ecology (2 credit hours towards lab) 
  • BIOL 481: Medical Parasitology Lab (2 credit hours towards lab) 
  • BIOL 606: Ecological Plant Physiology (2 credit hours towards lab) 
  • MATH 116. As of last semester, MATH 116 is no longer required for BA Biology majors. If you have questions about this change, please check with your advisor.  
  • 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. 
  • BIOL 520 Marine Biology. The prerequisite for this course has recently been updated to BIOL 152. BIOL 414 is no longer required as a prerequisite. Enroll & Pay may still show BIOL 414 as required, but students with BIOL 152 may enroll in BIOL 520 and Enroll & Pay will allow it.
  • BIOL 599 permission. You may request permission for BIOL 599 through our permission request form. Fall 2024 graduates will be prioritized first. 
  • BIOL 420 or BIOL 499. If you are interested in research, consider taking BIOL 420: Exploring Bioscience Research (1 credit hour) or BIOL 499 Intro to Honors Research (2 credit hours) in Fall 2024 as one of your BIOL 400+ electives. If you are considering departmental honors, BIOL 499 is a requirement for biology departmental honors https://biology.ku.edu/departmental-honors.  

Other Info

Sophomores, juniors, and seniors who are interested in research and intend to complete the departmental honors requirements should enroll in BIOL 499 in the Fall 2024 semester. Honors requirements include an independent research project, an honors thesis, an oral presentation, and a 3.5 major GPA. 

Seniors intending to graduate Spring or Summer 2025 with departmental honors should enroll in BIOL 699 in the Spring 2025 semester. 

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!  

The Biology Majors Advisory Committee (BMAC) is a group of undergraduate biology students that represent and provide feedback about their academic experience and environment to the Undergraduate Biology Program and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Molecular Biosciences departments.  

If you have feedback you would like to share about the KU biology program, you can email the BMAC at biomac@ku.edu or visit them during their Fall drop-in hours in the BioCenter for Collaborative Learning (Haworth 1004). Their drop-in hours are Mondays from 9-10 and Thursdays from 2-3 pm.  

Sincerely, 

The KU Undergraduate Biology Program 

kuub.ku.edu