Bachelor of Science in Biology

Catalog Year 2024-2026

Based on VCCS Curriculum for BIOLOGY

Transfer Guidance

Guaranteed Admission Agreement Requirements

• By meeting the following criteria, you are guaranteed admission to W&M:

• Earn a transfer-oriented associate degree at a VCCS institution.

• Earn a minimum GPA of 3.4 at a VCCS institution. W&M will follow VCCS's course repeat policy.

Important Links & Dates

• University Transfer Center: wm.edu/transfer.

• Register Intent to Transfer: Submit Letter of Intent by Feb. 1 for Fall, or Sept. 1 for Spring admission through College Connect at www.TransferVirginia.org.

• Admission Application: Common Application for Transfer by March 1 for Fall or October 1 for Spring.

• Financial Aid: www.wm.edu/admission/financialaid/index.php.

• FAFSA - Free Application for Federal Student Aid: October 1 for Fall at studentaid.gov https://www.wm.edu/admission/financialaid/announcements/fafsacss-profile...

What Should I Consider When Selecting Courses?

• A typical workload is 2-3 BIOL courses per semester.

• Create a schedule for all required courses, pay attention to prerequisites and when courses are offered, complete your first math and English courses in your first year. For help, see Transfer Steps and Resource Center at www.TransferVirginia.org.

• Connect with an advisor at your community college and William & Mary within your first year. College Connect is available in your account of www.TransferVirginia.org.

Is This Degree Right For Me?

• Subjects within the field of biology range in scale from molecular genetics to global biodiversity to biostatistics.

• The major encourages and facilitates independent thinking and creative investigation in both the laboratory and classroom, developing well-trained biologists and scientifically literate thinkers.

• The biology program has a focus on hands-on research, encouraging independent work and internships with experts in the field.

• Our graduates share a degree in biology but work in diverse fields such as medicine, environmental management, research, education, industry, science writing, and law.

What Is The Impact On My Degree Of Work I Have Already Completed?

• Associate Transfer Degree Completion: An Associate Degree results in lower-division gen ed and proficiency requirements being met except the Foreign Language proficiency.

• Dual Enrollment -- Completion of Associate Degree in HS: W&M does not guarantee admissions to high school students earning a transferable associate degree through dual enrollment.

• Credit for Prior Learning: Credits applied toward the associate degree but not earned at the VCCS institution will be reviewed in accordance with W&M academic policy as outlined in the Undergraduate Catalog. Other types of credit, such as military training, ACE recommendations, and CLEP, will be assessed in accordance with W&M policy at the time of student matriculation.

• Catalog Year: Catalog year is determined by your first post high school enrollment at a VCCS school.

Is This College Right For Me?

• W&M is a top research university grounded in the liberal arts and sciences.

• W&M offers 54 undergraduate majors and 62 minors.

• Learn more about our college at www.TransferVirginia.org

Did You Know That…

• Completing your Associate transfer degree post-high school satisfies all lower division general education requirements and increases the chance of completing your bachelor's degree?

• Exceeding 3 years or 90 credits at your community college means you may have exhausted your financial aid at that college and have limited your future financial aid at William & Mary?

What Can I Do With This Degree?

• Explore possible careers, salaries, and job outlook at www.TransferVirginia.org

Program Successes & Highlights

• Student biology-related organizations coordinate activities and invite speakers to participate in seminars and workshops, and build community around topics such as botany, birdwatching, biomedicine, and biochemistry and molecular biology.

• Biology majors engage in interdisciplinary research through connections to other programs, including Computational and Mathematical Science, Data Science, Environment and Sustainability, Marine Science, Neuroscience, and Public Health.

• Biology's Pre-Med Advanced Track for Health-career Success (PATHS) Program provides experiential learning opportunities and career preparation for students considering medical careers. These experiences are taken as 1-credit courses that consist of classroom training combined with either supervised clinical experience, conversations with experienced physicians, deep investigation into the diagnostic process, or summer biomedical research.

• Biology majors can gain credit for serving as learning assistants and peer-mentors.

What Are My Chances For Getting Accepted?

• Of students who applied in fall of 2021 for transfer admissions, 53% were admitted.

• Any transfer student accepted at W&M may major in Biology. No additional application is necessary.

Other Than Classes, Are There Other Program Requirements?

• There are no other program requirements for the Biology major.

• Most Biology majors complete extensive faculty-mentored undergraduate research projects.

• Students co-author published research in peer-reviewed scientific journals and present their research at regional, national, and international conferences.

• Many Biology majors obtain competitive summer and post-baccalaureate research internships through NIH and NSF.

Foreign Language Proficiency

• All undergraduate students must demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language at the 202/203 level at W&M. Students may satisfy this requirement by:

• Taking the 4th level of one foreign language in high school

• Receive AP, IB or transfer credit for the 202 level or higher

• Receive a score of 600 or better on the SAT II achievement test in a modern foreign language (650 or better in Latin)

• Complete a college-level course at the 202 level or above

Arts Proficiency

• This requirement will be satisfied by two credits with an Arts Proficiency attribute in the same creative or performing art. The purpose of this proficiency is to understand the artistic process. Accordingly, by actively involving students in exercises that require artistic choices, these courses aim for an experience-based understanding of how the artist communicates. A course that satisfies this proficiency requires a student to begin to understand an art at the foundation level through artistic activities involving each of the following: developing their artistic skills; and applying the principles of the art through projects and/or exercises.