Welcome Class of 2028!

We offer students a range of courses that span from the subcellular to the ecosystem levels. There are a variety of options for beginning the study of Biology at Dartmouth and the Department offers a placement/advisory test to help students choose the appropriate starting point. The placement/advisory test will be available to members of the Class of 2028 over the summer via Canvas (please see details below). Areas of faculty research are diverse, ranging from cell signaling to neurobiology to animal behavior, utilizing a wide range of organisms including moss, rice, worms, flies and microorganisms. We welcome undergraduate researchers as active contributors to our faculty research programs. We also offer an extraordinary foreign study program in tropical ecology in Costa Rica and the Caribbean each Winter term.

Please click HERE for information about our 2024 Fall term course offerings.

Please click HERE for a list of the Biology 9, Biology 11 and Foundation Courses for the 2024-2025 winter and spring terms.

How to Choose Your First Biology Course at Dartmouth

The Biology curriculum is designed with numerous points of entry. We encourage students to choose their first Biology class to match their interests and background. For the 2024-25 academic year, there are three choices:  1) Biology 11 (introductory course for majors) - taught Fall, Winter and Spring; 2) Biology 9 (Researching Cellular Mysteries) - taught in Spring; or 3)  one of five foundation courses: Biology 12 (Cell Structure and Function) taught Fall and Spring, Biology 13 (Gene Expression and Inheritance) taught Winter and Summer, Biology 14 (Physiology) taught Winter and Summer, Biology 15 (Genetic Variation and Evolution), or Biology 16 (Ecology).

Here are some considerations regarding these choices.

Biology 11 versus a Foundation Course
    1     Subject matter. Choose a course that is of high intellectual interest to you. Nothing begets academic success like being genuinely interested in the subject matter. Read the course descriptions for Biology 11; each offering has a different intellectual theme customized by individual faculty to be timely and engaging. Biology 11 generally spans a broader spectrum of the science of biology than individual foundation courses. The content of the foundation courses is designed to cover core knowledge within specific topic areas.
    2     Work load. Both Biology 11 and the foundation courses have rigorous fast-moving lectures associated with technical readings and problem solving. The foundation courses also have a laboratory component, which substantially increases the contact hours and makes the foundation courses considerably more demanding than Biology 11.
    3     Probability of scholastic success. Biology 11, by virtue of not having a laboratory component, permits students to spend more hours per week gaining a mastery of material covered during class sessions.
 
Biology 11 versus Biology 9
    1     Approach. Biology 11 has standard "lecture" class sessions focused on understanding key concepts in Biology.  By contrast, the focus of the Biology 9 class sessions is on designing and interpreting experiments, and thus it is very hands-on.
    2    Work Load.  Both Biology 9 and Biology 11 are less demanding than the Biology Foundation courses.
    3    Probability of scholastic success. Biology 9 focuses on laboratory experiments and interpretation and de-emphasizes standard class "lectures".  This permits students to spend more hours per week gaining a mastery of how knowledge in biology is created through experimentation.

 

Overview of the Biology Placement/Advisory Test

The Biology Placement/Advisory Test is a 60 minute test that contains 30 multiple-choice questions that cover central concepts in molecular biology, cell biology, genetics, and evolutionary biology. We recommend that all students that are considering taking Biology at Dartmouth complete this test. As the name suggests, the result of the Biology Placement/Advisory Test is advisory, not binding.  Since there is no formal placement associated with the Biology Placement/Advisory Test, the score does not appear on your placement record in Banner Student.  If you are interested in studying Biology at Dartmouth, we strongly suggest that you take the Biology Placement/Advisory Test to help you decide which Biology course is most appropriate for you to begin study of Biology at Dartmouth. 

The Biology Placement/Advisory test can be accessed via the Canvas site at this- link.

What is Biology 11?

Biology 11 is a topics based introductory Biology course. There are several offerings of Biology 11 each year, each organized around a different topic. Each offering is designed to provide a synthetic overview of the life sciences, and to introduce the fundamental ideas, processes and theories on which the modern life sciences are built. Different offerings of Biology 11 have different themes that the instructors have chosen to introduce fundamental concepts and develop a perspective on the life sciences. Each offering may also be organized somewhat uniquely, based on how professors combine their approach to give the lectures, the scheduling of discussions, and the role of quizzes, exams and papers in student assessment. Students are free to choose the offering they prefer.

All Biology 11 offerings will cover the key basic principles and concepts in biology. For example, all Biology 11 offerings will cover the basics of cell biology, molecular biology, genetics, evolution, and energetics. However, the specific details of what you learn in one offering will be different from what students learn in other offerings of Biology 11. A useful analogy is to think about Biology 11 as a first year seminar in biology. Dartmouth's first-year writing seminars are focused on different topics, but all first-year seminars teach valuable writing skills. Similarly, Biology 11 offerings feature different specific information, but all will teach you how to think critically and in a more sophisticated way about biology.

There are several objectives of Biology 11. The first is to stimulate interest in the science of biology. The second is to encourage critical, analytical thinking in science. The third is to communicate key concepts in biology. The fourth is to develop an appreciation for the specific topic that is the focus of each offering. By the end of any offering of Biology 11, students will have acquired knowledge of key biological concepts such as evolution, the relationship between structure and function, information flow, and the interconnectedness of living systems. Students also will have developed analytical skills about how present-day research in biology is carried out and interpreted.

Link to Biology 11 offerings for the 2024-2025 academic year.

What is Biology 9?

Biology 9 (Researching Cellular Mysteries) is an introductory level course that will teach the fundamentals of cellular and molecular biology using a combination of hands-on experiments, off-line lectures, and class discussions. Most class meetings will occur in a laboratory setting where we will design and carry out experiments to address a novel question in Biology – not even the instructors know what the outcome will be! In the Spring of 2025, we will be studying how special cells in our immune system respond to signals. The course is specifically designed for students with a genuine interest in research opportunities in Biology and no prior experience is required.

Biology 9 is open to first year students interested in pursuing a biology major and counts as a course towards the major. Biology 9 serves as an excellent first Biology course and will prepare you well for the foundation courses, especially Bio12 and Bio13.  Importantly, Biology 9 is designated as a non-SLA course and can be taken alongside other SLA-designated courses.

Class will meet in the 10A time slot. We will have a discussion section that will meet during the 9S block. There are no planned activities for the X-hour, but students will have the option to use the lab space at that time.

Let us know if you are interested in this course or have questions by clicking on this link.