There are gateway courses that students must pass before they can apply and declare Biological Sciences (BSCI).

Learn how to declare the Biological Sciences major at bsci.umd.edu/declare

If you are a high school student or have fewer than 12 semester hours or 18 quarter hours of university-level credit beyond secondary school, then you must apply to the University of Maryland as a first-year before you can be considered for admission into Biological Sciences Program.

Get started on bsci.umd.edu/credit

Mastering STEM takes time, effort, and practice both inside and outside the classroom.

If a student earns a midterm grade of U or below C-, then they are expected to report to their instructors’ office hours for learning enrichment. Come prepared and bring specific questions about course topics for discussion.

Stuck on a question? Have a challenge? Explore and enroll in a University Learning Enrichment Program.

None of the specializations for the Biological Sciences major can be combined with the Neuroscience (NEUR) major due to a significant overlap in the requirements for both programs.

However, the Neuroscience minor can be combined with any of the BSCI specializations (except PHNB: Physiology & Neurobiology).

Students can use the Advanced Placement Exams for GenEd Guide to assess how incoming AP scores may be marked as academic credit. 

If a student has already sent their AP exam scores from the College Board to the University Registrar, then those credits will be processed and posted to their unofficial transcript, usually during the month of July. Students may review their unofficial transcript in Testudo.

Undergraduate Teaching Assistants (UTAs) are hired for some lower-level and upper-level biological sciences (BSCI) classes. Each UTA works under the supervision of the lab/discussion coordinator or class instructor.

UTA work varies depending on the course assignments. Duties include teaching lab or discussion sections, facilitating in-class learning activities, holding review sessions, and grading exams, papers, worksheets, and problem sets. UTAs are expected to be mature, responsible, and attentive to requirements.

UTA work requires an average of 10 hours per week, depending on the course. New UTAs will also be required to attend a weekly 1-credit teaching seminar. The stipend is determined by the current minimum wage policy at UMD and is paid as an hourly wage for 150 hours per semester. Application information is available on Canvas.

If you have questions, email DR. DANIELLE ADAMS at dadams37@umd.edu.

For other UTA opportunities in the College of CMNS, go to this webpage.

Current students who are looking to change their specialization can submit a request form through TerpEngage at go.umd.edu/majorchange.  The request will be reviewed and become effective in the subsequent academic semester. A major change is not complete until the CMNS Dean's Office has approved it.

Prospective students or those enrolled in the College of Letters & Sciences who are interested in declaring Biological Sciences: go to bsci.umd.edu/declare for next steps.

Academic advisors are not course schedulers.

Students are responsible for their own course scheduling: this includes adding, dropping, and waitlisting for courses based on the options that are available to all students on Testudo. Academic advisors do not “force add” or “oversubscribe” students into closed sections.

If no open seats are available:

—then students must add themselves to any available waitlists once they have been opened by the appropriate academic department. Check Testudo periodically if a waitlist has yet to open.

No, students cannot waitlist for a course they are already registered for. Do not drop a course to waitlist—especially an LEP-Benchmark Requirement—as being on the waitlist does not guarantee admission into a course.

Being on the waitlist does not guarantee admission into a course. Students must complete the waitlist check-in daily to reserve their spot on the waitlist and to maximize their chance of being admitted into a course.

If a course expected for registration during the Fall or Spring is not attempted on time—especially an LEP-Benchmark Requirement—then an attempt during the Summer or Winter Session‍ may be expected to get back on track.

In most cases, new seats are added or a waitlist is opened when every section of a specific course is shown as filled on the Schedule of Classes (SOC).

Check Testudo periodically to monitor the opening of new seats.

Students must register for what is open, available, and what can be added to their schedule first. Students are expected to drop and add alternate sections of their other courses (wherever there is flexibility) to incorporate STEM lectures or labs that have limited seats.

If no open seats are available:

—then students must add themselves to any available waitlists once they have been opened by the appropriate academic department. Check Testudo periodically if a waitlist has yet to open.

Academic advisors do not administer course waitlists.

After following the instructions above, students may contact the academic department that administers a specific course for assistance. Go-to bsci.umd.edu/register for a list of contacts.

Students may take a maximum of 17 credits per fall or spring semester, 4 credits per winter semester, and 8 credits in a single summer session under the College of CMNS Maximum Credit Limit.

A request for high credit load (credit overload) is an exception to policy that is ruled on by the College of CMNS. Exceptions to College and University policy (such as credit overload) are approved only under rare and extenuating circumstances.

Students are instructed to discuss any requests for credit overload with their academic advisor during mandatory advising or via email BEFORE submitting any forms to the College of CMNS.

After the student has shared a list of specific courses with the total number of credits requested, the academic advisor will evaluate their case and then elect either of the two options below. Once elected, the decision by the program is final, and students shall continue submitting the College’s petition form to process the request:

A note signed on behalf of the program in support of an exception for credit overload

OR

A note signed on behalf of the program that objects to an exception for credit overload

The student’s academic advisor is expected to document whether the Biological Sciences Program supports or objects to an exception in TerpEngage.

Factors considered by the program when evaluating support or objection for a credit overload exception:

• NECESSITY OF THE EXCEPTION

• THE COMBINATION OF STEM COURSES REQUESTED

• WHETHER LEP-BENCHMARK COURSES ARE OUTSTANDING

• STUDENT’S FLEXIBILITY TO REPRIORITIZE COURSES IN GRAD PLAN (this includes leveraging options available during the UMD Summer or Winter Sessions)

• ACADEMIC STANDING AND PERFORMANCE

Students are responsible for filing their request with the College of CMNS to process the petition, and the College ultimately rules on the exception.

Students who have received a note of objection from the Biological Sciences Program may still submit their request to the College using the petition form on their website. Students retain the option to appeal a request that has been denied by the College, but may only appeal once.

• Refer to this webpage to access the petition form for credit overload. See under Request for High Credit Load.

Current and newly admitted students are matched with an academic advisor in mid-October or after Spring Break during their first Fall or Spring semester at UMD.

Students may log in to TerpEngage—Maryland’s central advising portal—to review their matched advisor under Success Team.

If a student has yet to be matched with an academic advisor (no advisor is listed under Success Team in TerpEngage), then they may email any questions to Biological Sciences Program at bscique@umd.edu until they are matched.

Students are first matched with a professional staff advisor while working on the major’s basic program (typically first-years and sophomores), and are later rematched to a faculty advisor based on their declared major specialization and as they begin to register for upper-level courses in the advanced program.

Students can expect a response within 1-3 business days (or less) for questions sent to their academic advisor by email. Faculty and staff are not expected to work and respond to student emails during the weekend or during University-recognized holidays or breaks.

If it has been longer than 3 business days and a student is without a response, then they shall:

1. Send their academic advisor another message (a follow-up in the same thread) to raise the query in their Inbox.

2. If the student is still without a response after the second attempt, then they may email the undergraduate director of the advisor’s department for assistance. Refer to the Biological Sciences Directory to find the appropriate undergraduate director to contact.

ALL STUDENTS WHO

• are still completing the degree’s Basic Program

• have a GPA below 2.5

• are UMD athletes

• or are in their first semester matched to a Faculty Advisor

Must report to mandatory advising before they can register for courses.

The mandatory advising requirement can be waived for students who do not meet this criteria, but students are encouraged to connect with their academic advisor whenever they have questions. Students must refer to notes sent by their academic advisor in either TerpMail or TerpEngage to confirm whether advising for the semester is mandatory.

After mandatory advising for Biological Sciences has been satisfied, a registration block is removed from the student’s account on Testudo, allowing them to register for courses during their University-assigned registration appointment.

The methods that academic advisors use to schedule appointments vary. If TerpEngage shows your academic advisor as Not Available, this means that either:

Your advisor has yet to set up appointment scheduling on TerpEngage.

OR

Your advisor schedules appointments using another platform that is not TerpEngage.

• Refer to any messages delivered by your academic advisor via TerpEngage Advising Note or TerpMail to learn what to expect for Biological Sciences advising.

On select dates, students enrolled in Biological Sciences can meet with an academic advisor for 15-minute drop-in advising during the Fall and Spring schedule adjustment period at

1210 BIOLOGY LOUNGE in the BIOLOGY-PSYCHOLOGY BUILDING (BPS)

After the schedule adjustment period has ended, students must email their matched academic advisor for assistance.

If you are a current student who has yet to be matched with an academic advisor and cannot attend a drop-in session, please email your question to bscique@umd.edu.

For more information about 15-minute drop-in advising, go to bsci.umd.edu/advising

Current and future students can get started on bsci.umd.edu/gradplan

When students’ registration generally follows the Model Grad Plan (MGP) for their specialization, then yes—the course loads in their grad plan are balanced and responsible. Students are best prepared to pass their courses the first time by using the pathways illustrated in the MGPs.

Biological Sciences is a 4-year program for almost all direct-admit freshmen.

Students who have several instances of STEM prior learning credit (BSCI, CHEM, MATH and/or PHYS) may submit a 3.5 year plan to their academic advisor for review.

Other accelerated grad plans must include STEM courses during the Summer or Winter sessions to maintain a balanced course load in the Fall and Spring. Go to bsci.umd.edu/exst for more information.

Grad plans are not responsible when:

• there is registration more than two labs a semester

• (or) the number of STEM credits per semester exceeds what is outlined in the Model Grad Plan (MGP)

This kind of registration is called a STEM overload, and the potential consequences can be serious.

STEM overloads can cause students to:

• Fail and repeat courses

• Earn lower final grades

• Lower their in-Major and Cumulative GPA

• (or) Fail to meet the major’s LEP-Benchmark Requirements on time

• Students who do not meet LEP-Benchmark Requirements on time become eligible for dismissal from the Biological Sciences Program

The Biological Sciences Program does not approve STEM overloads for students.

Students can register for courses they meet pre-requisites for; however, this autonomy does not change the academic policies or expectations of Biological Sciences Program.

Students bear the risk and responsibility of their decisions. Any registration or grad plan that is not balanced or responsible will be documented during academic advising.

MATH120, MATH121, MATH220, or MATH221 do not count towards the Biological Sciences degree. The following course combinations can satisfy the lower-level math requirement:

• MATH135 [Discrete Math] and MATH136 [Calculus for Life Sciences]. This is the preferred sequence for students who do not have MATH140 and MATH141

• MATH140 [Calculus I] and MATH141 [Calculus II]

• MATH140 and MATH135

• MATH130 [Calculus I for Life Sciences] and MATH131 [Calculus II for Life Sciences] (both courses are discontinued)

• MATH130 and MATH135, for students who took MATH130 before it was discontinued, but have not completed MATH131

The PHYS131/132 requirement is effective Fall 2013.

If the student completed PHYS121 before Fall 2013, then they may complete the physics sequence by taking PHYS122.

Any student who did not start their physics sequence before Fall 2013 must take PHYS131 and PHYS132 or a more advanced physics to fulfill the degree requirement.

Students who study abroad for a Fall or Spring semester, or who were away from the University (complete withdrawal / leave of absence) may be are eligible for an extension to their benchmark reviews. In any case, interrupting the completion of benchmark requirements is discouraged.

Degree requirements that were attempted at UMD must be completed at UMD.*

APPLICABLE TO MAJOR BSCI, CHEM, MATH, PHYS, and BCHM COURSES:

* Requests for Permission to Enroll (PTE) at another institution are processed and ultimately decided by the College of CMNS, not the Biological Sciences Program.

CMNS PTE POLICY #4 - Requests to repeat a course at another institution once it has been attempted at UMD will be automatically denied. If a student wishes to do this, then they may email the Office of Student Services at cmnsque@umd.edu to request an appeal form.

The appeal form is a second request. It does not guarantee permission to enroll.

To help freshmen and transfer students adjust to the University of Maryland, College Park, the following two exceptions allow for the cumulative GPA to be calculated so that only the higher grade is included:

When the repeated course was taken within the student's first semester at the University of Maryland, College Park

OR

When the repeated course was taken within the student's first 24 credit hours attempted (including transfer credits earned after high school) or within the semester during which the student reached the 24th credit hour attempted. Advanced Placement (AP) Exam credits do not count toward the 24-credit count. Read more under the section titled New Student Provision on this University Policies webpage.

All attempts of a course that was repeated [and the letter grade(s) earned] would remain on the student’s transcript.

If a benchmark course has not been passed with at least a C-, and the academic requirements cannot be met by the deadlines posted through Fall or Spring registration, then the student is expected to register and attempt any available repeat during a Winter or Summer Session to meet the major’s academic requirements on time.

Students are encouraged to discuss any course attempts during the Summer or Winter sessions with their academic advisor.