Biology Department Academic Advising

FAQ – Advising and Registration for Spring 2025

Who is my advisor?

Your major/academic advisor’s name is listed on your myUSF account. Advisor email addresses and links to book appointments were included in an email sent by the Biology Program Assistant, Christine Nguyen.
You may consult with any Biology faculty member for advice, but your assigned advisor must release your registration hold.

When and how can I make an appointment with my advisor?

October 23: Sign-up for advising appointments begins online. Instructions for making an advising appointment will be e-mailed to students. It is your responsibility to sign-up for an advising appointment. If you have an unusual scheduling need, email your advisor right away.
October 28 - November 8: Advising appointments are held. If you need to reschedule or cancel an appointment after booking online, please email your advisor or cancel the appointment 24 hours in advance.
November 11: Registration begins. Before you can register for classes the advising hold must be released by your major advisor, not an academic success coach from CASA or any other Biology faculty member. Do not wait until the last minute to schedule your advising appointment.

Do I need to see an advisor and why?

All first- and second-year students, students on probation or with science GPAs < 2.0 will have an automatic advising hold on their registration. If you are in one of these categories, you will not be able to register until you meet with your advisor who will release the hold.
All students are encouraged to see their advisor, but third- and fourth-year students with science GPAs ≥ 2.0 can register without first speaking with their advisor. Completing graduation requirements is your responsibility.

How can I prepare for my advising appointment?

Before you meet with your advisor, make a list of classes that you hope to take. Be sure that you have completed the prerequisites for each course and have checked for time conflicts.
You should develop an extended course plan for your entire time at USF to ensure you complete all Core and Biology major requirements. The Biology curriculum checklist is a convenient way to keep track of completed and remaining requirements in the Core and the Biology major. A summary of the Biology curriculum and the most recent version of the checklist are attached.
You can access the Spring 2025 schedule and your academic record and degree evaluation at myUSF.

When can I register?

You should have received a registration date and time along with instructions for web registration from the Registrar's Office by email. This information is also available under the Student tab at myUSF.

How do I get on a waitlist?

For lower division biology courses (courses with numbers in the 100s or 200s), complete this Google Form – Biology Lower-Division Waitlist Request.
For upper division biology courses (courses with numbers in the 300s or 400s), complete this Google Form – Biology Upper-Division Waitlist Request.
Waitlists will open if/when a course reaches its maximum enrollment but not before. Waitlists should not be used to request a different section of a course – students should arrange their schedules to enroll in open seats for a course. Priority will be given to students that require a class to graduate at the end of the Spring 2025 semester.

When should I apply to Graduate?

If you have completed 90 or more units, you should apply to graduate with the Graduation Center. (Do not wait until the semester you plan to graduate.)
To graduate, total units including electives must be ≥128, and science GPA and overall GPA must each be > 2.0.

Can I take courses at another institution?

According to the USF catalog, all Core courses and courses required for the major must be taken at USF.
The Biology Department Chair cannot approve a Petition to Enroll at Another Institution (PEAI) submitted to take a course elsewhere for reasons of affordability, convenience, continuation of course sequences already started at other institutions, making future course loads more manageable, or the need to graduate on time (i.e., due to a change in major, transfer to USF, not taking courses according to the suggested schedule, or withdrawing from courses).

Important information for completing a Biology major at USF

Students must earn a minimum grade of C or higher in the following courses required for the Biology major:

General Biology - Molec of Life (BIOL 105)
General Biology - Diversity of Life (BIOL 106)
Cell Physiology (BIOL 212)
Genetics (BIOL 310/311)
Evolution (BIOL 414)
General Chemistry I (CHEM 111/112)
General Chemistry II (CHEM 113/114)
Introductory Physics I (PHYS 100)

Required courses for the Biology major can only be taken twice. If the minimum grade is not achieved on the second attempt, you will be disqualified from the major.
In addition, failure to earn the minimum grade in more than two required courses in the Biology major will result in disqualification from the major.

Organic Chemistry:

Students can fulfill the Organic Chemistry requirement by taking either 1) Fundamentals of Organic Chemistry (CHEM 236) or 2) Organic Chemistry I (CHEM 230) and Organic Chemistry II (CHEM 231).
Students who enroll in Organic Chemistry I (CHEM 230) in the Fall must earn a minimum grade of C to progress onto Organic Chemistry II (CHEM 231) in the Spring semester. If you earn lower than a C in CHEM 230, the Chemistry Department will not allow you to take CHEM 231. In this scenario, you should enroll in Fundamentals of Organic Chemistry (CHEM 236) in the Spring semester.
You must complete Organic Chemistry II (CHEM 231) or Fundamentals of Organic Chemistry (CHEM 236) with at least a D- to satisfy Biology major requirements (this does not override Chemistry Department prerequisite requirements).
All Biology majors must take the Organic Chemistry I lab (CHEM 232), but this does not have to be completed in the same semester as Organic Chemistry I (CHEM 230) or Fundamentals of Organic Chemistry (CHEM 236) lecture.

Physics:

With few exceptions, Biology majors should register for Introductory Physics (PHYS 100), not the calculus-based General Physics (PHYS 110). It is not true that General Physics is better for medical school.
Calculus and Analytic Geometry I (MATH 109) is a co-requisite for General Physics I (PHYS 110) and a prerequisite for General Physics II (PHYS 210). A minimum grade of C is required in Introductory or General Physics I (PHYS 100/110) to progress to Introductory or General Physics II (PHYS 101/210).

Genetics:

Students enrolled in Genetics may concurrently enroll in only one upper division biology course — Ecology (BIOL 319). Genetics must be completed with a C or higher before enrolling in any other upper division Biology courses. Students who are repeating Genetics may not register for Ecology (BIOL 319).

Evolution:

Registration in Evolution (BIOL 414) is restricted to Biology majors who are in one of their last two semesters at USF and have already taken at least two upper division Biology courses in addition to Genetics.
If you meet these requirements and are unable to register for Evolution (BIOL 414), you should contact Professor Paul (jrpaul@usfca.edu).

Undergraduate Seminar:

Registration in Seminar (BIOL 490) is restricted to Biology majors who are in one of their last two semesters at USF; students cannot enroll in BIOL 490 the semester immediately following Genetics.
If you meet this requirement and are unable to register for Seminar (BIOL 490), you should contact Professor Paul (jrpaul@usfca.edu).

Biochemistry:

Up to 4 units of Biochemistry courses can be applied to the Biology major as upper division elective credit. However, Biochemistry classes cannot satisfy both Chemistry/Biochemistry minor AND Biology major requirements.
- Students who plan to apply Fundamentals of Biochemistry as an upper division elective for the Biology major should register for BIOL 357
- Students who plan to apply Fundamentals of Biochemistry as an upper division elective for the Chemistry minor should register for CHEM 356
If you are a Chemistry minor, you may NOT apply CHEM 350 or CHEM 356 as an upper division elective course for the Biology major. However, CHEM 351 could apply as an upper division Biology elective.
If you are a Biochemistry minor, you may NOT substitute any Biochemistry class for upper division Biology credit.

Important note about CEL courses:

While there are upper division Biology courses with a Community-Engaged Learning (CEL) designation, you are advised not to leave this graduation requirement to your last semester at USF expecting to take a Biology CEL class. The Biology CEL courses close very quickly and cannot accommodate all of our majors. Even if you are a senior, there are several groups of students who have the opportunity to register on the Friday before undergraduate registration officially starts (e.g., Honors College, ROTC, Dual Degree, Athletes, etc.). You should plan to complete the CEL requirement with a Core or minor course prior to your senior year. You can still take the Biology CEL courses, but this will alleviate stress in case the classes are closed at your registration time