Biophysics Concentration Requirements:
Gateway Courses (not required, but recommended), one or two of:
Biophysics 115 (Inorganic Nutrition)
Biophysics 116 (Intro to Medical Imaging)
Biophysics 120 (Mysteries of the Double Helix)
Prerequisites to Concentration:
Math 115, 116, 215, 216
Chem 210, 211, 215
Physics 135 or 140, 141, 235 or 240, 241
Bio 162 or Bio 171 or Bio 172
Core in Biophysics:
Biophysics 290 (Physics of the Body and Mind)
Biophysics 370 (Physical and Chemical Principles behind Biology &
Medicine)
Biophysics 417 (Dynamical Processes)
Biophysics 454 (Macromolecular Structure and Function)
Biophysics 450 (Biophysics Laboratory)
Biophysics 495 (Senior Seminar)
Outside Core:
Chemistry 351 (Fundamentals of Biochemistry)
Bio 305 (Genetics)
Biophysics Elective:
One of: Biophysics 430 (Medical Physics)
Biophysics 433 (Biocomplexity)
Biophysics 435 (Biophysical Modeling)
Biophysics 440 (Biophysics of Diseases)
Biophysics 463 (Mathematical Modeling in Biology)
MCDB 411 (Protein Structure and Function)
Cognate:
One of: Physics 406 (Statistical Mechanics and Thermodynamics)
Chemistry 451 (Biochemistry I)
MCDB 427 (Molecular Biology)
Research:
At least two credits of Biophysics 399. Students wishing to do research in a
laboratory outside the Department must identify a co-sponsor.
Honors Concentration: In addition to completing all the Biophysics concentration requirements, a
concentration GPA of at least 3.4 and the completion of an honors thesis (Biophysics 499) with a
grade of B or better, and a second Biophysics elective are required. Approved honors electives are
all biophysics and cognate electives above, and Biop 440, Chem 453, MCDB 422, MCDB 428,
Physics 402, and Physics 453.
Double Majors:

For students pursuing a double major, the following rules for counting
towards both majors apply:
Students double majoring in Biophysics and any Physics concentration cannot use
Physics 402, Physics 406 or Physics 453 to satisfy the Biophysics cognate or Honors
elective requirement.
Rev. 5/11/11


Students double majoring in Biophysics and any Chemistry concentration cannot use
Chem 451, 452 or Chem 453 to satisfy the Biophysics cognate or Honors elective
requirement.
Students double majoring in Biophysics and any Biology concentration or Neuroscience
cannot use MCDB 422, MCDB 427 or MCDB 428 to satisfy the Biophysics cognate or
Honors elective requirement.
Minor in Biophysics: Physics 340, 341 (Heat and Waves) or Chem 210, 211 (Organic Chem.)
Bio 305 (Genetics) or Chem 451 or MCDB 310 (Biochemistry)
Biophysics 290 (Physics of the Body and Mind)
or Biophysics 440 (Biophysics of Diseases) or Biophysics 430 (Medical
Physics)
Biophysics 370 (Physical and Chemical Principles of Biophysics)
or Biophysics 417 (Dynamical Processes in Biophysics)
Rev. 5/11/11
Suggested 4-Year Course Plan
Year 1
Math 115 (4)
Chem 210 (4)
Chem 211 (1)
Language (4)
Biophys 120 (3)
Math 116 (4)
Chem 215 (3)
Physics 140 (4)
Physics 141 (1)
Language (4)
Year 2
Math 215 (4)
Physics 240 (4)
Physics 241 (1)
Bio 171 (4)
Language (4)
Bio 172 (4)
Physics 340 (3)
Physics 341 (2)
Biophys 290 (3)
Language (4)
Year 3
Math 216 (4)
Chem 351 (4)
Biophys 370 (3)
Distribution (3)
LS&A Elective (3)
Bio 305 (3)
Biophys 417 (3)
Biophys 450 (3)
Distribution (3)
LS&A Elective (3)
Year 4
Biophys 495 (2)
Biop. Cognate (3)
Biophys 399 (2)
Distribution (3)
Distribution (3)
Biophys 454 (3)
Biophys 498 (2)
Biop. Elective (3)
Distribution (3)
LS&A Elective (3)
Hours
Pre-req
(req. / recomm.)
9/0
Major
Hours non-Dept.
Total Hours
16
12/0
16
9/4
17
4/0
0/3
5
16
4
3/0
4
17
6/0
3
15
7/0
3
13
6/2
0
14
22/8
15
124
38/4
Bold: Required for Major
Rev. 5/11/11
Major
Hours Dept.
(req. / recomm.)
0/3
Italic: Recommended for Major