Fall 2026 Advising Update

• Check if you have holds preventing you from enrolling in Enroll & Pay.   
• Visit the Jayhawk Academic Advising website to view the most common holds and the steps to remove them to enroll for the Spring semester.  

• BIOL 105 Biology Orientation Seminar (1 credit hour)* 
• BIOL 150 Principles of Molecular and Cellular Biology (3 credit hours)* 
  • If you haven’t completed the co-requisite of CHEM 130, but are eligible for CHEM 130, contact Lindsey Deaver (ldeaver@ku.edu) or Lauren Spain-Eddington (lse@ku.edu) for permission to register.   
• BIOL 154 Intro Biology Lab for STEM majors (2 credit hours) 
• BIOL 240 Fundamentals of Human Anatomy (3 credit hours)* 
• BIOL 241 Human Anatomy Observation Lab (2 credit hours) 
• BIOL 350 Genetics (4 credit hours) 
• BIOL 370 Biostatistics (4 credit hours)*  
• BIOL 400 Fundamentals of Microbiology (3 credit hours)*  
• BIOL 402 Fundamentals of Microbiology Lab (2 credit hours) 
• BIOL 416 Cell Structure and Function (3 credit hours)*  
• Check with instructor if you are an honors student about an honors contract for this course 
• BIOL 418 Laboratory in Field Botany (2 credit hours)  
• BIOL 418 Laboratory in Herpetology (3 credit hours) 
• BIOL 426 Laboratory in Cell Biology (3 credit hours) 
• BIOL 600 Biochemistry (3 credit hours)* 
• BIOL 660 Summer Field Ecology (3 credit hours) 
  • For more information about these courses and the dates/times that these courses are offered, search the Schedule of Classes at classes.ku.edu.  

*Courses that will be offered online 

Spring 2026:  

• Apply for Spring 2026 graduation now by going to Enroll & Pay>Degree Progress and Graduation.  
• Every student must apply through Enroll & Pay to graduate. The final deadline to apply is March 2, 2026. 
• The Biology Graduation Ceremony will be held on Saturday, May 16, 2:30-4 PM in Allen Fieldhouse. More information, including a link to RSVP, will be shared on our graduation website in late February. There will be no limit on the number of guests. Please also see additional information about the University commencement ceremony. 

Summer 2026 

• Apply for Summer 2026 graduation now by going to Enroll & Pay>Degree Progress and Graduation.  
• Every student must apply through Enroll & Pay to graduate.  
• The final deadline to apply is July 15, 2026, but we strongly encourage you to apply by April 17, 2026 to have your Spring and Summer enrollment and graduation requirements reviewed before the summer semester begins in case any changes need to be made.   
• The Biology Graduation Ceremony will be held on Saturday, May 16, 2:30-4 PM in Allen Fieldhouse and is open to Summer 2026 graduates. More information, including a link to RSVP, will be shared on our graduation website in late February. There will be no limit on the number of guests. Please also see additional information about the University commencement ceremony. 

Fall 2026:  

• Apply for Fall 2026 graduation by going to Enroll & Pay>Degree Progress and Graduation.  
• Every student must apply through Enroll & Pay to graduate.  
• The final deadline to apply is November 2, 2026 but we strongly encourage you to apply by July 3, 2026 to have your Spring, Summer, and Fall enrollment and graduation requirements reviewed before the fall semester begins in case any changes need to be made.    
• The Biology Graduation Ceremony will be held on Saturday, May 17, 2:30-4 PM in Allen Fieldhouse and is open to Fall 2026 graduates. More information, including a link to RSVP, will be shared on our graduation website in late February. There will be no limit on the number of guests. Please also see additional information about the University commencement ceremony. 
• Fall 2026 graduates also have the option to attend the Spring 2027 biology graduation ceremony, and/or the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Fall 2026 graduation ceremony. Check back at this link in late February for updates about the Undergraduate Biology recognition ceremony.  

Infrequently Taught Courses:  

• Summer 2026:  
  • BIOL 418: Field Botany (2 credits; all credits count towards 400+ lab electives) 
    • BIOL 418: Herpetology (3 credits; all credits count towards 400+ lab electives) 
• Fall 2026:  
  • BIOL 420: Programming in R (3 credits) 
    • Email Dr. Jamie Walters for permission 
  • BIOL 420: Machine Learning in Biology (3 credits) 
    • Email Dr. Dan Reuman for permission 
  • BIOL 441: Ecological Research Tools in Field and Lab (3 credits) 
    • Replaces BIOL 415 Ecology Lab 
  • BIOL 480: Medical Parasitology (3 credits) 
  • BIOL 481: Medical Parasitology Lab (2 credits; all credits count towards 400+ lab electives) 
  • BIOL 509: Biology of Spiders (3 credits) 
  • BIOL 520: Marine Biology (3 credits) 
  • BIOL 550: Plant Anatomy and Development (1 credit) 
  • BIOL 551: Plant Anatomy and Development Laboratory (3 credits; all credits count towards 400+ lab electives) 
  • BIOL 578: Entomology (2 credits) 
  • BIOL 579: Entomology Laboratory (2 credits; all credits count towards 400+ lab electives)  
  • BIOL 593: Ornithology (3 credits; 1 credit counts towards 400+ lab electives) 
  • BIOL 648: Systematics and Macroevolution (3 credits)  

• BIOL 370 Biostatistics. We encourage students to take this course early in their college career, preferably by sophomore year when possible. 
• BIOL 402 Microbiology lab. BIOL 402 should be taken in the fall semester when possible. There are very limited seats in this course in the spring semester, and enrollment unfortunately cannot be guaranteed. 
• BIOL 418/420 Courses. Click on the Notes link at classes.ku.edu to the left of each course to view a full course description and prerequisites. 
• BIOL 420: Exploring Genetics. We are offering a supplemental reviewcourse for BIOL 350 Genetics, which if you are a biology major, can count towards your BIOL 400+ electives. Genetics is a challenging course, soBIOL 350 Genetics and BIOL 420 Exploring Genetics are intended to be taken together and offers additional instruction and class time with a professor for students who may enjoy and benefit from the extra practice of genetics course material. If you are interested in this course, request permission via our permission request form. 
• BIOL 599 permission. You may request permission for BIOL 599 through our permission request form. Fall 2026 graduates will be prioritized first. 
• BIOL 489 Intro to Honors Research. BIOL 499 Intro to Honors Research (2 credit hours) has changed to BIOL 489 Intro to Honors Research (1 credit hour). If you are interested in research, consider taking BIOL 489 Intro to Honors Research (1 credit hour) in Fall 2026 as one of your BIOL 400+ electives. If you are considering departmental honors, BIOL 489 is a requirement for biology departmental honors https://biology.ku.edu/departmental-honors. 

• Some course options under certain categories are no longer being offered in other departments, such as Applied Behavioral Science, Psychology, and Anthropology.   
  • If you have any difficulty finding courses to satisfy a certain category, please schedule an appointment with your biology advisor to discuss possible substitutions.  
• MATH 116. MATH 116 is no longer required for BA Human Biology majors. If you have questions about this change, please check with your advisor. 
• BIOL 370 Biostatistics. We encourage students to take this course early in their college career, preferably by sophomore year when possible. 
• BIOL 402 Microbiology lab. BIOL 402 should be taken in the fall semester when possible. There are very limited seats in this course in the spring semester, and enrollment unfortunately cannot be guaranteed. 
• BIOL 420: Exploring Genetics. We are offering a supplemental reviewcourse for BIOL 350 Genetics, which if you are a biology major, can count towards your BIOL 400+ electives. Genetics is a challenging course, soBIOL 350 Genetics and BIOL 420 Exploring Genetics are intended to be taken together and offers additional instruction and class time with a professor for students who may enjoy and benefit from the extra practice of genetics course material. If you are interested in this course, request permission via our permission request form. 
• BIOL 480 and 481. BIOL 480, Medical Parasitology, and BIOL 481, Medical Parasitology Lab, can count towards the Human Disease category and the lab requirement (for BIOL 481). 
• BIOL 489 Intro to Honors Research. BIOL 499 Intro to Honors Research (2 credit hours) has changed to BIOL 489 Intro to Honors Research (1 credit hour). If you are interested in research, consider taking BIOL 489 Intro to Honors Research (1 credit hour) in Fall 2026 as one of your BIOL 400+ electives. If you are considering departmental honors, BIOL 489 is a requirement for biology departmental honors https://biology.ku.edu/departmental-honors. 
• BIOL 599 permission. You may request permission for BIOL 599 through our permission request form. Fall 2026 graduates will be prioritized first. 

• BIOL 370 Biostatistics. We encourage students to take this course early in their college career, preferably by sophomore year when possible. 
• BIOL 405 Genetics Lab Permission. If all sections or the section you need fills up, please fill out this permission form with your preferred section. Preference will first be given to seniors graduating in Fall 2026. 
• BIOL 420: Exploring Genetics. We are offering a supplemental reviewcourse for BIOL 350 Genetics, which if you are a biology major, can count towards your BIOL 400+ electives. Genetics is a challenging course, soBIOL 350 Genetics and BIOL 420 Exploring Genetics are intended to be taken together and offers additional instruction and class time with a professor for students who may enjoy and benefit from the extra practice of genetics course material. If you are interested in this course, request permission via our permission request form. 
• BIOL 435, Fall only. BIOL 435 is only offered in fall semesters. If you are graduating in Fall 2026, Spring 2026, or Summer 2026, enroll in this course in Fall 2026 if you haven’t already completed it.  
• BIOL 489 Intro to Honors Research. BIOL 499 Intro to Honors Research (2 credit hours) has changed to BIOL 489 Intro to Honors Research (1 credit hour). If you are interested in research, consider taking BIOL 489 Intro to Honors Research (1 credit hour) in Fall 2026 as one of your BIOL 400+ electives. If you are considering departmental honors, BIOL 489 is a requirement for biology departmental honors https://biology.ku.edu/departmental-honors. 
• BIOL 595 Human Genetics. BIOL 595 can substitute for the BIOL 650/672/688 requirement for BS MCDB majors and the BIOL 435/672/688 for BA MCDB majors. Talk to your advisor about counting this course towards this requirement.  

• BIOL 402 Microbiology lab. BIOL 402 should be taken in the fall semester when possible. There are very limited seats in this course in the spring semester, and enrollment unfortunately cannot be guaranteed. 
• BIOL 420: Exploring Genetics. We are offering a supplemental reviewcourse for BIOL 350 Genetics, which if you are a biology major, can count towards your BIOL 400+ electives. Genetics is a challenging course, soBIOL 350 Genetics and BIOL 420 Exploring Genetics are intended to be taken together and offers additional instruction and class time with a professor for students who may enjoy and benefit from the extra practice of genetics course material. If you are interested in this course, request permission via our permission request form. 
• BIOL 489 Intro to Honors Research. BIOL 499 Intro to Honors Research (2 credit hours) has changed to BIOL 489 Intro to Honors Research (1 credit hour). If you are interested in research, consider taking BIOL 489 Intro to Honors Research (1 credit hour) in Fall 2026 as one of your BIOL 400+ electives. If you are considering departmental honors, BIOL 489 is a requirement for biology departmental honors https://biology.ku.edu/departmental-honors. 
• BIOL 503 and 518 Conflict. One of the BIOL 503 Immunology Lecture sections conflicts with BIOL 518 Bacterial Genetics Lecture. There is second section of BIOL 503 Immunology from 10-10:50 AM that does not conflict with BIOL 518. If you need both courses to graduate, please take the earlier section of BIOL 503.  
• BIOL 504 permission. Microbiology students graduating in Fall 2026, Spring 2026, or Summer 2026 should fill out this permission request form. For students graduating in Fall 2027 or later, fill out the permission form and we’ll add you to a waiting list until we know if we have additional seats. Graduating seniors will be prioritized first, and we may not have additional seats for juniors due to lab capacity. 
• BIOL 519. If all sections or the section you need fills up, please fill out this permission request form with your preferred section. Preference will first be given to seniors graduating in Fall 2026, Spring 2026, or Summer 2026. For students graduating in Fall 2027 or later, fill out the permission form and we’ll add you to a waiting list until we know if we have additional seats. Graduating seniors will be prioritized first, and we may not have additional seats for juniors due to lab capacity. 
• BIOL 519 and BIOL 600 Conflict. BIOL 519 lab conflicts with BIOL 600 lecture. Students needing both classes have the option to take BIOL 600 either in the summer or spring. BIOL 519 is a fall-only class. 

• BIOL 420: Exploring Genetics. We are offering a supplemental reviewcourse for BIOL 350 Genetics, which if you are a biology major, can count towards your BIOL 400+ electives. Genetics is a challenging course, soBIOL 350 Genetics and BIOL 420 Exploring Genetics are intended to be taken together and offers additional instruction and class time with a professor for students who may enjoy and benefit from the extra practice of genetics course material. If you are interested in this course, request permission via our permission request form. 
• BIOL 489 Intro to Honors Research. BIOL 499 Intro to Honors Research (2 credit hours) has changed to BIOL 489 Intro to Honors Research (1 credit hour). If you are interested in research, consider taking BIOL 489 Intro to Honors Research (1 credit hour) in Fall 2026 as one of your BIOL 400+ electives. If you are considering departmental honors, BIOL 489 is a requirement for biology departmental honors https://biology.ku.edu/departmental-honors. 
• BIOL 637. If all sections or the section you need fills up, please fill out this permission form with your preferred section. Preference will first be given to seniors graduating in Fall 2026, Spring 2026, or Summer 2026. For students graduating in Fall 2027 or later, fill out the permission form and we’ll add you to a waiting list until we know if we have additional seats. Graduating seniors will be prioritized first, and we may not have additional seats for juniors due to lab capacity. 
• BIOL 638 Pre-Reqs. BIOL 638 Biochemistry II (offered Spring only) requires a grade of C or higher in both BIOL 636 and CHEM 335.  
  • If you do not earn a C or higher in CHEM 335 or BIOL 636, check with the BIOL 638 instructor about being able to take this course 
  • The chemistry department also uses grade-based prerequisites for some of their courses. 
• MATH 125+MATH 116. Students that have completed MATH 125 can either complete MATH 126 and 127 or MATH 116 to satisfy their calculus requirement. If you choose to complete MATH 116, it may appear you do not receive 4 credit hours for MATH 125, but these credit hours will be retroactively applied at the end of the semester. The DPR will also be updated at this time to show that you have satisfied your calculus requirement. Check with your advisor if you have any questions. 

• Lab options. The below courses include infrequently taught courses that would count towards the BIOL 400+ Lab Electives for the BA Biology major. The lab hours for each course are in parentheses. 

Summer 2026: 

• BIOL 418: Laboratory in Field Botany (2 credit hours)  
• BIOL 418: Laboratory in Herpetology (3 credit hours)  

Fall 2026: 

• BIOL 441: Ecological Research Tools in Field and Lab (3 credit hours towards lab) 
• Requires enrollment in BIOL 414, Ecology 
• BIOL 481: Medical Parasitology Lab (2 credit hours towards lab) 
• Requires enrollment in BIOL 480, Medical Parasitology lecture 
• BIOL 551: Plant Anatomy and Development Laboratory (3 credits; all credits count towards 400+ lab electives) 
• Requires enrollment in BIOL 550: Plant Anatomy and Development (1 credits) 
• BIOL 579: Entomology Laboratory (2 credits; all credits count towards 400+ lab electives) 
• Requires enrollment in BIOL 578: Entomology (2 credits) 
• BIOL 593: Ornithology (3 credits; 1 hour counts towards 400+ lab electives)  

• BIOL 370 Biostatistics. We encourage students to take this course early in their college career, preferably by sophomore year when possible. 
• BIOL 402 Microbiology lab. BIOL 402 should be taken in the fall semester when possible. There are very limited seats in this course in the spring semester, and enrollment unfortunately cannot be guaranteed. 
• BIOL 413 The Tree of Life. When BIOL 413 is used in the BIOL 400+ electives, 2 credit hours can count towards the lab requirement. If BIOL 413 is used towards the BIOL 413/414/428 requirement, then it cannot double count towards the lab requirement. 
• BIOL 420: Exploring Genetics. We are offering a supplemental reviewcourse for BIOL 350 Genetics, which if you are a biology major, can count towards your BIOL 400+ electives. Genetics is a challenging course, soBIOL 350 Genetics and BIOL 420 Exploring Genetics are intended to be taken together and offers additional instruction and class time with a professor for students who may enjoy and benefit from the extra practice of genetics course material. If you are interested in this course, request permission via our permission request form. 
• BIOL 489 Intro to Honors Research. BIOL 499 Intro to Honors Research (2 credit hours) has changed to BIOL 489 Intro to Honors Research (1 credit hour). If you are interested in research, consider taking BIOL 489 Intro to Honors Research (1 credit hour) in Fall 2026 as one of your BIOL 400+ electives. If you are considering departmental honors, BIOL 489 is a requirement for biology departmental honors https://biology.ku.edu/departmental-honors. 
• BIOL 599 permission. You may request permission for BIOL 599 through our permission request form. Fall 2026 graduates will be prioritized first. 

Sophomores, juniors, and seniors who are interested in research and intend to complete the departmental honors requirements should enroll in BIOL 489 in the Fall 2026 semester. Honors requirements include an independent research project, an honors thesis, an oral presentation, and a 3.5 major GPA. Additionally, 1 credit hour of BIOL 424 Independent Lab Study can fulfill the BIOL 489 requirement for departmental honors.  

 Please note that BIOL 499 Intro to Honors Research (2 credit hours) has changed to BIOL 489 Intro to Honors Research (1 credit hour) beginning in Fall 2026. If you previously took BIOL 499, this will still apply towards the departmental honors requirement.  

 Seniors intending to graduate Fall, Spring, or Summer 2027 with departmental honors should enroll in BIOL 699 in the Spring 2027 semester. 

 Benefits of Pursuing Departmental Honors:   

• Build a relationship with a faculty member in Biology—great for asking for letters of recommendation when applying to graduate programs  
• Use your departmental honors thesis when applying to graduate schools (master’s programs or PhD programs)   
• Add departmental honors on your resume when applying for full-time positions after graduation or when applying to graduate school!  
• Gain valuable lab experience which is applicable to applying for employment!  

The Biology Majors Advisory Committee (BMAC) is a group of undergraduate biology students that represent and provide feedback about their academic experience and environment to the Undergraduate Biology Program and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Molecular Biosciences departments.  

 If you have feedback you would like to share about the KU biology program, you can email the BMAC at biomac@ku.edu