As a biological sciences major, you’ll have novel opportunities to jump into engaging research projects. With more than 300 faculty, our undergraduate program, jointly run by the College of Arts & Sciences and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, is one of the most highly regarded in the country. You can choose a concentration from multiple areas, including animal physiology; biochemistry; computational biology; ecology and evolutionary biology; general biology; genetics, genomics and development; human nutrition; insect biology; marine biology; microbiology; molecular and cell biology; neurobiology and behavior (neuroscience); plant biology; and systematics and biotic diversity.
Requirements
Transfer Student Admissions
Study the fundamentals of biology while concentrating on: animal physiology; biochemistry; biodiversity and systematics; computational biology; ecology & evolutionary biology; genetics & development; insect biology; marine biology; microbiology; molecular & cell biology; neurobiology & behavior; nutrition; and plant biology.
Academic Record
- Strong academic record at the college level. In general, competitive applicants have at least a minimum GPA of 3.5.
- CALS Required Coursework should be completed or in-progress with a “B” or better before applying.
- The most competitive applicants are full-time students who have met the GPA and course requirements.
- Students who transferred to Cornell University from another institution and are interested in changing their major to biological sciences must complete one semester at Cornell before they will be considered. They must also meet with an advisor from the Office of Undergraduate Biology to have their transfer credit reviewed to determine which major requirements have been met.
- Students who externally transfer to the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and seek to change their major to biological sciences will not be considered unless they were admissible to the major in accordance with the CALS transfer admissions criteria for biological sciences at the time of matriculation to Cornell.
For transfers entering as sophomores or transfers with two full-time college semesters of study (post-high school) completed or in progress at the time of application:
Required:
- One full academic year of Introductory Biology with labs - AP, IB & GCE credit in Biology not accepted
- Two College Writing/English Composition courses or one writing/composition and Public Speaking
- General (Inorganic) Chemistry I & II with labs
- Calculus I and either Calculus II or Statistics
Strongly encouraged (but not required):
- Organic Chemistry I & II
- Physics I with labs
For transfers entering as juniors or transfers with four full-time college semesters of study (post-high school) completed or in progress at the time of application:
Required:
- One full academic year of Introductory Biology with labs - AP, IB & GCE credit in Biology not accepted
- Two College Writing/English Composition courses or one writing/composition and Public Speaking
- Calculus I and either Calculus II or Statistics
- General (Inorganic) Chemistry I & II with labs
- Organic Chemistry I & II
- Physics I & II with labs
Strongly encouraged (but not required):
- Courses that meet the CALS social science and humanities requirements in Cultural Analysis, Historical Analysis, Knowledge, Cognition and Moral Reasoning, Literature and the Arts, Social and Behavioral Analysis and Foreign Language.
Sample classes
- Human Microbes and Health
- Marine Ecosystem Sustainability
- Hormones and Behavior
- Stem Cell Biology
Outcomes
All information below is based on the 2018 First-Destination Survey. Lists are not exhaustive; rather, they are a sampling of the data. If you would like more information, please email as_careers@cornell.edu
50% Employed
34% Attending Grad School
8% Seeking Employment
8% Other
National Institutes of Health was the top employer of 2018 Biological Sciences Graduates.
84% of the Class of 2014-2018 Biological Sciences graduates completed the survey. n = 118
Below, you will find:
- Top Employment Sectors
- Where Graduates Work
- Top Graduate Fields
- Where Graduates Study
Top Employment Sectors
- Health and Human Services (39%)
- Education (15%)
- Government (10%)
- Nonprofit Organization (10%)
- Biotech/Pharma/Life Sciences (7%), Technology (7%)
- Consulting/Prof. Practice (5%)
Where 2018 Biological Sciences Graduates Work
| Employer | Job Titles |
|---|---|
| Accurate Neuromonitoring | Neurophysiological Technologist |
| AKRF Inc | Water Resources Engineer |
| Baruch Blumberg Institute | Research Assistant |
| Boston Children's Hospital | Research Assistant |
| Cayuga Medical Center | Medical Scribe |
| Children's hospital of Philadelphia | Research Technician |
| CityMD | Medical Scribe (2) |
| Collective Health | Operations Associate |
| Continental Mapping Consultants, Inc. | Lidar Data Processor |
| Cornell University | Lab Manager Lab Technician |
| CVS Health | Strategy Analyst |
| Dr. Muller | Medical Intern |
| Foundation MEdicine, Inc. | Clinical Bioinformatics Analyst |
| Generation Next Fertility | Medical Scribe/Clinical Assistant |
| Legal Assistant | |
| Harvard Medical School | Researcher |
| Harvard University | Research Assistant |
| Hospital for Special Surgery | Research Assistant Research Technician |
| Hycor Biomedical | Research Assistant |
| Independence 360 | Activity Coordinator |
| InterSystems | Technical Career Development Program |
| Inova Fair Oaks Hospital | Scribe |
| Kuchnir Dermatology | Dermatological Assistant |
| Massachusetts General Hospital | Clinical Research Coordinator |
| MOKA Analytics | Software Engineer |
| Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research | Research Support Specialist |
| National Institutes of Health |
Research Assistant (2) |
| NYU Langone Medical Center | Project/Clinical Research Assistant |
| OrthoBethesda | Medical Assistant |
| Sagaponack Medical PC | Medical Assistant |
| ScribeAmerica | Medical Scribe (3) |
| SNBL USA | Verterinary Technician |
| Spanish Government | Auxiliar de Conversacion |
| Steadman Philippon Research Institute | Research Assistant |
| Teach for America | Teacher (2) Corps Member |
| UC - Sanf Fancisco | Staff Research Associate |
| Weill Cornell Medicine | Research Technician (4) |
| Young Center for Immigrant Children's Rights | Case Support Specialist |
| Zitter Health Insights | Research Analyst |
Top Graduate Fields Pursued
- Medicine (41%)
- Biological Sciences (7%)
- Dentistry (5%)
- Microbiology (5%)
- Public Health (5%)
- Architecture (2%), Biomathematics (2%), Business in Medicine (2%), Chemical Engineering (2%), Genetics (2%), Law (2%), Physician Assistant (2%), Ecology & Evolutionary Bio (2%)
Graduate Degrees Pursued
- MD (39%)
- PhD (29%)
- MA (5%)
- MPH (5%)
- MS (5%)
- DDS (2%), DMD (2%), JD (2%), MPhil (2%)
Where 2018 Biological Sciences Graduates Study
- Albert Einstein College of Medicine
- Brown University
- Case Western Reserve University
- Columbia University in the City of New York
- Cornell University
- Emory University
- Harvard University
- Johns Hopkins University
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Medical College of Georgia
- New York Medical College
- Northwestern University
- Ohio State University
- Pace University
- Rockefeller University
- Rutgers University-New Brunswick/Piscataway
- Seton Hall University
- SUNY Upstate Medical Center
- The University of Texas Southwestern
- Thomas Jefferson University
- University of California-Riverside
- University of California-San Diego
- University of California-Santa Barbara
- University of Cambridge
- University of Glasgow
- University of Hong Kong
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- University of Maryland School of Medicine
- University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- University of Oxford
- University of Pennsylvania
- University of Puerto Rico-Medical Sciences Campus
- University of Southern California
- Washington University in St. Louis
