As of July 2024, biology majors may take up to 3.0 CUs of these courses towards the Electives requirement in the major.
Biology courses cross-listed in other departments count as BIOL courses.
Courses offered under more than one number (“also offered as” or “multi-level” in Path@Penn), will count toward the Biology major regardless of the course number.
Courses on this list may have prerequisites that do not count for the major: check course prerequisites when planning your courses.
*If you declared the major prior to July 2024, please click here to see the approved extra-departmental courses that you can use.
ANTH 2460 – Molecular Anthropology
BE 5400 – Biomolecular and Cellular Engineering
BE 5530 – Principles, Methods, and Applications of Tissue Engineering
BIOM 5550 – Regulation of the Genome
CAMB 5110 – Principles of Development
CHEM 2411 – Principles of Organic Chemistry I with Laboratory
CHEM 2421 – Principles of Organic Chemistry II with Laboratory
CHEM 5510 – Biological Chemistry I
CHEM 5520 – Biological Chemistry II
CIS 1210 – Programming Languages and Techniques II
CIS 2620 – Automata, Computability and Complexity
CIS 3340 – Advanced Topics in Algorithms
CIS 5450 – Big Data Analytics
EESC 1500 – Paleontology
EESC 4200 – Geochemistry
EESC 4440 – Biogeochemistry
EESC 4660 – Soil Science
IMUN 5060 – Immune Mechanisms
MATH 2400 – Calculus, Part III
MATH 2410 – Calculus, Part IV
MATH 3140 – Advanced Linear Algebra
MATH 3600 – Advanced Calculus
MATH 3610 – Advanced Calculus
MATH 3700 – Algebra
MATH 4200 – Ordinary Differential Equations
MATH 4250 – Partial Differential Equations
NGG 5720 – Electrical Language of Cells
NGG 5730 – Systems Neuroscience
NGG 5970 – Neural Development, Regeneration and Repair
NRSC 1110 – Introduction to Brain and Behavior
NRSC 2227 – Physiology of Motivated Behavior
NRSC 2249 – Cognitive Neuroscience
NRSC 2260 – Neuroendocrinology *cannot count together with NRSC 4460
NRSC 2269 – Autonomic Physiology
NRSC 2270 – Drugs, Brain and Mind
NRSC 2350 – Developmental Neurobiology
NRSC 3492 – Experimental Methods in Synaptic Physiology
NRSC 4421 – Functional Imaging of the Human Brain
NRSC 4460 – Neuroendocrinology Seminar *cannot count together with NRSC 2260
NRSC 4480 – Biological Basis of Psychiatric Disorders
NRSC 4482 – Clinical Psychopharmacology
PHYS 2280 – Physical Models of Biological Systems
PHYS 5585 – Theoretical and Computational Neuroscience
STAT 4300 – Probability
STAT 4310 – Statistical Inference
STAT 4330 – Stochastic Processes
STAT 4710 – Modern Data Mining
STAT 5100 – Probability
Students who declared the major prior to July 2024 may count up to two of these courses towards the "four additional biology courses" requirement. Biology courses cross-listed in other departments count as regular biology courses.
ANTH 2460 - Molecular Anthropology
BE 3050 - Engineering Principles of Human Physiology
BE 5400 - Biomolecular and Cellular Engineering
BE 5530 - Principles, Methods, and Applications of Tissue Engineering
NRSC 2260 (PSYC 2260) - Neuroendocrinology *cannot count together with NRSC 4460
NRSC 2269 - Autonomic Physiology
NRSC 4460 (PSYC 3260) - Neuroendrinology Seminar *cannot count together with NRSC 2260
BIOM 5550 - Regulation of the Genome
CAMB 5110 - Principles of Development
CHEM 2510 - Principles of Biological Chemistry *counts in place of BIOL 2810. Cannot take both
CHEM 5510 - Biological Chemistry I
CHEM 5520 - Biological Chemistry I
EESC 1500 - Paleontology
IMUN506 - Immune Mechanisms
NGG 5970 - Neural Development, Regeneration and Repair
PHYS 2280 - Physical Models of Biological Systems
PSYC 1212 (NRSC 2227) - Physiology of Motivated Behaviors
PSYC 1230 (NRSC2249) - Cognitive Neuroscience