Majors

UConn offers five undergraduate biology majors housed in three academic departments in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Students can personalize their biology education by choosing to study broadly or specialize in a subfield. No matter what you choose, your major will prepare you for a variety of careers and graduate education.

Compare Major Options

What you’ll study: Our most flexible biology major. You’ll learn about core biology concepts across subdisciplines—everything from molecules and genes to biomes and ecosystems. You can also dive deeper into topics that interest you most.

For students interested in: A broad biology education.

Offered by: Biological Sciences Program

What you’ll study: You will learn about the diversity of life and the ecological and evolutionary processes that sustain it. Coursework spans ecology, evolution, animal biology (zoology), plant biology, and applications of these to topics, including conservation biology, animal behavior, and global environmental change. You can also pursue a joint BS/MS in biodiversity and conservation.

For students interested in: How plants and animals interact, behave, evolve, and adapt.

Offered by: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

What you’ll study: You’ll explore topics related to molecular biology, cell biology, biochemistry, microbiology, and genetics. You’ll also learn about genomes - or an organism’s complete set of DNA - and the developmental biology of living organisms.

For students interested in: The structure and function of cells, the basic units of life; and molecules, which carry out essential biological activities in living organisms.

Offered by: Department of Molecular and Cell Biology

What you’ll study: You’ll learn how humans and animals work by studying their bodily parts and nervous systems. Coursework spans the fields of comparative physiology, neuroscience, molecular and reproductive endocrinology, and neurochemistry.

For students interested in: How organisms function, and how systems of cells, molecules, nerves, and organs interact to make life possible.

Offered by: Department of Physiology and Neurobiology

What you’ll study: You’ll examine the structure, function, and interactions of biological molecules such as viruses, DNA, RNA, and proteins. Coursework spans the fields of chemistry, biochemistry, and biophysical chemistry.

For students interested in: The physical and chemical aspects of molecules at an atomic level, using techniques such as X-ray crystallography, nuclear magnetic resonance, and cryogenic electron microscopy.

Offered by: Department of Molecular and Cell Biology

Major Restrictions

Students must maintain a cumulative GPA in their major of 2.0 or higher. In addition, the following course restrictions apply to all majors:

  • PNB 2264 and PNB 2265 (and PNB 92501, non-equivalent transfer credit) do not count toward the 24-credit group in the BIOL or PNB majors.
  • With approval of your advisor, students can use PNB 2264 and PNB 2265 (and PNB 92501, non-equivalent transfer credit) as related courses for the BIOL major for Catalog Year 2018 & earlier. Students can also use these as related courses for the MCB and EEB major.
  • Students may earn no more than 12 credits of 1000-level coursework in biology (BIOL 1102, 1107, 1108, 1110, 91500).
  • No more than eight transfer credits can count toward the 24 or 36 credits in the biological sciences major.

More Resources

Declare a Major

Students at the Storrs and regional campuses can declare or change their major online at the Program Plan Change (PPC) website.

This system allows you to:

  • Change from one CLAS major to a different CLAS major.
  • Change from another UConn school or college into most majors within CLAS.
  • Declare most minors.

Students who wish to change their major should meet with your assigned academic advisor to develop a preliminary plan of study.

Major Requirements Worksheets

Major requirements worksheets help you track your progress toward your degree. Your requirements may differ depending on which year you entered the University. View all of the biology major requirements worksheets on our Forms page.