Biology
A Biology major introduces you to the wonder of life in all its forms and at all levels, from molecules to ecosystems.
Mātai Koiora—Biology
A Biology major begins with courses that introduce cell, plant and animal biology. During your second and third years, you’ll be able to follow your passion and choose courses that span the spectrum of biological disciplines. You can also combine elements of other majors for a more flexible and broader degree.
A major in Biology serves as a foundation for broad and diverse career options. There are also pathways for postgraduate study and further specialisation. Although if you think you might want to continue your studies, make sure you include the prerequisite courses for entry into your postgraduate programme of interest.
Major requirements
- BIOL 111, 113, 114, STAT 193 (or equivalent)
- 60 points from BIOL/BMSC/BTEC 201–299
- 60 points from BIOL/BMSC/BTEC 301–399.
An example programme of study for an undergraduate Biology major is shown below, which also meets the entry requirements for our Cell and Molecular Bioscience (CBIO) and our Molecular Microbiology (MBIO) postgraduate programmes.
Example programme of study
Required courses for the Biology major are highlighted in bold.
Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | BIOL 113: Biology of Plants BIOL114: Biology of Animals BTEC101: Introduction to Biotechnology CHEM121: Chemistry of life | BIOL244: Introductory Biochemistry BIOL228: Animal Diversity BIOL252: Cell & Developmental Biology | BIOL340: Genes and Genomes BIOL325: Global Change Biology BMSC301: Medical Microbiology |
| T2 | BIOL111: Cell Biology BMSC117: Biology of Disease BIOL132: Biodiversity and Conservation STAT193: Statistics in Practice | BIOL236: Microbes & their Environments BIOL241 Genetics BTEC201: Molecular Biotechnology | BIOL329: Evolution BMSC334: Cell and Immunobiology BMSC339: Cellular Regulation |
The Biology explore page has more details about majoring in Biology, including degree requirements and course advice.