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Minor in General Biology

To receive a General Biology minor from the School of Biological Sciences, a student must complete at least twenty-eight (28) units, of which at least twenty (20) units must be upper-division. Minor requirements are as follows:

Lower-Division Requirements

BILD 1 and BILD 3 or BILD 10 and BILD 3

  • Lower-division transfer credit for BILD 1, BILD 3, and BILD 10 may be applicable to the minor. Courses may need to be reviewed by the School of Biological Sciences to determine equivalency.
  • Advanced placement (AP) biology credit may be applied toward the lower-division requirements.
  • All courses must be completed with a letter grade of C- or better, with the exception of AP credit.

Upper-Division Requirements

At least twenty (20) units of upper-division biology coursework offered by the School of Biological Sciences at UC San Diego

  • One quarter of BISP 193, 195, 196, 197 or 199 may be used to satisfy a minor requirement.
  • All courses must be completed with a letter grade of C- or better, with the exception of BISP 193, 195, 196, 197 or 199.
  • The minimum GPA requirement for the General Biology minor is 2.0 in upper-division courses.
  • Students may apply one (1) upper-division transferable biology course from another institution, after obtaining approval from the UC San Diego School of Biological Sciences.
  • A student may apply the equivalent of two applicable upper-division courses (a maximum of eight units) to fulfill the requirements for a minor that have also been used to satisfy the requirements of a major.

Students may not minor and major in the School of Biological Sciences.

Students are responsible for planning their biology minor coursework around enforced prerequisites and timing of course offerings.

For grading exceptions being considered due to the pandemic, see COVID 19 Undergraduate Updates

Declaration & Course List

Declare a minor using the Major/Minor Tool on Tritonlink. Make sure to also read How to Declare a Minor.

List only the courses required for the minor (see Sample Applications section below).

  • The General Biology minor requires the following lower-division courses: BILD 1 and BILD 3 or BILD 10 and BILD 3.
    • A score of 4 or 5 on the Biology AP Exam results in BILD 1, 2, and 3 credit, totaling 8 units. Due to the distribution of units, if you plan to use AP BILD credit for lower division minor requirements, please include BILD 2 on your minor application along with BILD 1 and BILD 3 (see Sample Application #2 below).
  • Under 'Institution,' for the lower-division requirement, please list: UCSD or Advanced Placement Credit. If you have equivalent lower-division transfer credit for BILD 1, BILD 3, or BILD 10, please list it as if it was taken at UCSD. For the upper-division requirements, if you have received approval from the School of Biological Sciences to utilize a transfer course from another institution, please list the institution where the course was completed.
  • Under 'Grade Options,' please list as Letter or Pass/Fail
    • Biology will only accept Pass/Fail for AP credit or one BISP 193, 195, 196, 197 or 199.
  • Students are not held to the upper-division biology courses they originally list on their minor application. Students may substitute eligible upper-division courses if desired. A new minor application is not required if the student deviates from the original application.
  • If the minor application is not completed correctly at time of submission, the minor application will be denied/rejected and must be resubmitted for review.

Sample General Biology Minor Applications

The charts below represent sample General Biology Minor applications intended to assist students in correctly completing the application. While students may select some or all of the upper-division courses listed in the samples, they are not required to do so. Students are encouraged to select any eligible upper-division courses of interest.

SAMPLE #1: LOWER-DIVISION UCSD OR TRANSFER CREDIT

Subject Code Course No. Title Institution Units Grade Options

BILD

1

The Cell

UCSD

4.00

Letter

BILD

3

Organismic and Evolutionary Biology

UCSD

4.00

Letter

BIBC

140

Sustainable Energy Solutions

UCSD

4.00

Letter

BICD

100

Genetics

UCSD

4.00

Letter

BIEB

102

Introductory Ecology

UCSD

4.00

Letter

BIEB

194

Advanced Topics - Ecology, Behavior, Evolution

UCSD

2.00

Letter

BIMM

101

Recombinant DNA Lab

UCSD

4.00

Letter

BISP

194

Advanced Topics in Modern Biology

UCSD

2.00

Letter

SAMPLE #2: ADVANCED PLACEMENT CREDIT

Subject Code Course No. Title Institution Units Grade Options

BILD

1

The Cell

Advanced Placement Credit

2.00

Pass/Fail

BILD

2*

Multicellular Life

Advanced Placement Credit

2.00

Pass/Fail

BILD

3

Organismic and Evolutionary Biology

Advanced Placement Credit

4.00

Pass/Fail

BICD

100

Genetics

UCSD

4.00

Letter

BIMM

134

Biology of Cancer

UCSD

4.00

Letter

BIPN

100

Human Physiology I

UCSD

4.00

Letter

BIPN

105

Animal Physiology Lab

UCSD

6.00

Letter

BIPN

194

Advanced Topics - Phys/Neuro

UCSD

2.00

Letter

Quarter-by-Quarter Plan

Students who meet any of the following criteria must complete a quarter by quarter plan within the minor application tool, and obtain both department and college permission to declare a minor:

  • Students who have completed 150 or more units
  • Students who are not in good academic standing
  • Students who are attempting to declare a second minor

The comprehensive plan must start with the current quarter and go until the student’s final quarter at UCSD, and must include all courses required for graduation (e.g. major, minor, GE, university – DEI, AHI, etc.). 

Questions? Contact Student & Instructional Services (Pacific Hall 1128) through the Virtual Advising Center (VAC) or by phone at 858-534-0557