There are two introductory biology pathways:
- BIOL 161-162 — General Biology
- BIOL 180, 200, 220 — Introductory Biology
Students take one of these pathways.
All three courses in the BIOL 180 sequence are offered every quarter, including summer. BIOL 161-162 is an autumn-winter sequence offered once per year.
Which Biology Course Should I Take?
- BIOL 161-162 (formerly 101-102) is often taken by students planning on environmental and natural resource majors, including environmental studies, environmental science and resource management, and aquatic and fishery sciences.
- Students planning on biological majors and premed students should take the BIOL 180, 200, 220 series.
Check the requirements of the majors you are considering to determine which biology sequence you should take. If you are considering several majors with different requirements, plan to take the BIOL 180 sequence.
Prerequisites
BIOL 161 has no prerequisite, although high school biology and chemistry are recommended. You must complete BIOL 161 before BIOL 162.
The prerequisite to BIOL 180 is CHEM 142, 152, or CHEM 145, 155, or CHEM 120, 220. The prerequisite to BIOL 200 is BIOL 180 plus either CHEM 162, or CHEM 155, or CHEM 221. The prerequisite to BIOL 220 is BIOL 200 plus CHEM 162, or CHEM 165, or CHEM 221.
There are three special points about prerequisites in the BIOL 180, 200, 220 sequence:
- Not only must you take the prerequisite course, but you must achieve a minimum grade of 1.5.
- Because you register for next quarter before you've finished this quarter's classes, you're allowed to register for the next course in the sequence while you have the prerequisite in progress. If you don't complete the prerequisite with the required grade, however, your registration in the next course will be cancelled.
- The BIOL 180 sequence has a "no-repeat" policy. Very few students are allowed to repeat the course, and permission is by petition only. No students are allowed to repeat the courses a second time.
Example: You must achieve at least a 1.5 grade in BIOL 180 to continue on to BIOL 200. If you register to take BIOL 180 in autumn quarter you'll be allowed to register for BIOL 200 in winter quarter, but if you receive a grade of 1.2 in BIOL 180 your registration in BIOL 200 will be cancelled and you'll be removed from the course. You must repeat BIOL 180 and earn a higher grade to qualify to take BIOL 200 in a later quarter.
In addition, because very few students are allowed to repeat BIOL 180, you must petition for permission to repeat the course.
Placement Tests
There is no placement test in biology.
AP and IB scores
Students with scores of 4 or 5 on the AP Biology exam receive 10 credits for BIOL 161-162. If your major requires BIOL 180, 200, 220, you will still need to take those three courses in addition to the 161-162 credit. See our AP tables for the more information.
Students with scores or 5, 6,or 7 on the International Baccalaureate Biology exam (Higher Level) receive 10 credits for BIOL 161-162. If your major requires BIOL 180, 200, 220, you will still need to take those three courses in addition to the 161-162 credit See our IB tables for more information.
Biology Transfer Credit
If your biology courses transferred as direct equivalents — they are posted as BIOL 180, etc. — then you may register for the next course in the sequence. If your courses transferred as "X credit" — BIOL 1XX, etc. — you need to speak with the biology advising office to determine which course you should take next. Contact the advising office at bioladv@u.washington.edu for an appointment.
If you are enrolled in biology courses at another college and planning to transfer to the UW, we strongly encourage you to finish your biology sequence before transferring. The topics are seldom taught in exactly the same order at different colleges, and if you transfer mid-sequence you may miss some topics and duplicate others.
The transfer equivalencies for courses taken at Washington community colleges are listed in the Equivalency Guide.
