Strong Hall houses the General Biology labs (101, 102, and 159) and is also the office responsible for adding, dropping or changing lab sections for ALL General Biology classes. For questions regarding General Biology class schedules, contact Dr. Randy Brewton (974-6225, rbrewton@utk.edu).
404 Hesler is the office of Morgan Ridgell (mridgel1@utk.edu), Biological Sciences Advisor. If you are not yet eligible to declare your concentration, Morgan can assist you with advising questions.
410 Hesler is the office of the Dr. James Caponetti (974-0365, jcaponet@utk.edu), Biological Sciences Advisor. Anyone wanting to declare a concentration in biological sciences (BCMB, EEB, or Microbiology) should contact Dr. Caponetti regarding scheduling an appointment. Also, Dr. Caponetti can answer questions regarding transfer credits and substitutions for major prerequisite courses.
In addition to the advising offices, 402 Hesler is the Biological Sciences office (974-6841, biology@utk.edu). The Director of Biology Teaching and Learning, Dr. Randy Small, is located in this office and is responsible for the General Biology program.
Form for declaring a Biology major or minor
Students who enrolled prior to Fall 2013 and all transfer students
To declare biological sciences as a major, CHEM 120 – CHEM 130 and BIOL 111 – BIOL 112 or BIOL 130 must be completed with a minimum grade of C. When these requirements have been fulfilled, contact Dr. Caponetti (974-0365, jcaponet@utk.edu) to declare your major. He will also assign you a departmental advisor at that time. To see if you are eligible to declare biology as a minor, check the catalog for the requirements for minors. Contact Dr. Caponetti if you have completed the requirements.
First time Freshman beginning Fall 2013 or later
You will officially declare your concentration (BCMB, EEB, or Microbiology) during your third term after your advising appointment with Morgan Ridgell. Please contact Shanna (mridgel1@utk.edu) if you have any questions.
Undergraduates who are not eligible to declare their concentration can contact Morgan Ridgell (mridgel1@utk.edu) for advising assistance.
Pre-health advising is done through A&S Advising.
If you are unsure of which concentration you should choose, please refer to the following majors’ guides found on the A&S Advising web page:
If you’re still unsure after reading the majors’ guides or if you have more questions, contact Dr. Caponetti (974-0365, jcaponet@utk.edu).
All course descriptions are located in the undergraduate catalog.
Biology 101 is offered every fall and summer and Biology 102 is offered every spring and summer. Biology 111 is offered every fall and Biology 112 is offered every spring. Biology 130, 140, 240 and 250 are offered every semester (fall, spring, and summer). Biology 138 and 148 are offered only in fall and spring, respectively. For past course offerings, go to Timetable of Classes
Contact Dr. Randy Brewton (974-6225, rbrewton@utk.edu) for information regarding adding or changing a section. Because enrollment is limited to the number of lab spaces available in each section, do not drop a section if the section you want is closed. If a section is closed, it means all lab spaces for that section are filled.
For drops, contact your instructor to sign your drop form.
If the lecture and lab are one course, yes.
The Biological Sciences Majors Study Room is located in 417 Hesler. There are computers and a printer in this room (you must provide your own paper). The hours for the room are 8:00 am to 8:00 pm, Monday – Friday. This room is a place for quiet study. You can reserve the room after 5:00 pm for study groups. Contact Jamie Neill for reservations (jneill3@utk.edu).
Yes, in the study room (417 Hesler).
General Biology does not have its own tutorial center. The Student Success Center on campus is a good resource for extra help. (https://studentsuccess.utk.edu/)
Not usually, but be sure to check the course comments in the timetable for the course in question.
Although not required, it is strongly recommended that 101 and 102 be taken in sequence and the same for Bio 113 and Bio 114. Bio 150 and Bio 160 may be taken out of sequence, although they are typically taken in sequence. Bio 240 and Bio 260 may be taken out of sequence. Always check pre-requisites for any course you’d like to take in the future to plan your coursework appropriately.
For information regarding transfer and articulation, please refer to the following links on the Registrar’s web page:
For courses required for a BS degree in biological sciences, please refer to the Majors Guide links listed in question 5 (scroll to the bottom to see the sample curriculum for that concentration).
Because the capacity for general biology sections is set by the number of lab spaces available, once a section is closed, no more students can be added. Students can be wait-listed in case space becomes available. You can still graduate on time if you take other graduation / degree requirements, such as chemistry, calculus, foreign language, or other general education courses required for a degree in Arts and Sciences. For help in selecting alternatives, please contact Morgan Ridgell.
Freshmen – you will be able to participate in advance registration during fall semester for the following spring semester, and during the spring semester, you will be able to register for classes for the following fall semester. You will be registering ahead of incoming freshmen so there is a better chance you will be able to register for your preferred classes. If you have tried for two sequential semesters to register for a course and haven’t been able to get in, please see Morgan Ridgell to determine the next course of action.