Advising

All students in the Biosciences Advising Center are assigned to an academic advisor. Students are welcome and encouraged to schedule an appointment with their academic advisor on a regular basis not just in the weeks proceding the registraton process.

Academic advising goes beyond the clerical functions of scheduling classes and preparing degree plans. It is a decision-making process in which the sharing of information between student and advisor promotes responsible and appropriate choices and facilitates a successful academic experience.

Good academic advising assists students in clarifying personal and career goals, developing consistent educational goals, and evaluating the progress toward established goals. Academic advising utilizes the resources of the University and refers students to the appropriate academic support services.

Degree Planning Tools

To view how your courses are being applied to your degree - Interactive Degree Audit

To view if a course at another Texas institution has a UT-Austin equivalent - Automated Transfer Equivalency

To view detailed information about course content and approximate course schedule - Syllabi Search

For information on testing services and claiming academic credit - Student Testing Services

To petition a course for the UT- Austin Common Core.

To petition a course for a UT- Austin Flag requirment.

Deadlines, Procedures, and Polices

Please use this link to see calendar information regarding universty wide deadlines.
Learn more about dropping a course at UT-Austin. Including one-time exception drop information.
For information on withdrawing from the University of Texas.
Pass/Fail Information -
- Students should not take a course pass/fail if it is needed to fulfill a degree requirement. If a degree requirement is taken pass/fail it then becomes an elective. Courses taken pass/fail do not count towards the GPA (unless an F is earned) and may not fulfill prerequisite requirements.
- For the 2014-16 catalog, College of Natural Sciences BA students may only count 16 pass/fail hours toward their degree, and may only take two courses pass/fail per semester.
- For the 2014-16 catalog, College of Natural Sciences BSA and BS students may only count 6 pass/fail hours toward their degree, and may only take two courses pass/fail per semester.

Third-Time Repeat -

- Students may not enroll in any course offered in the College of Natural Sciences more than twice, even if the course is needed to meet degree requirements, without first obtaining the written consent of the major advisor and the department that offers the course; students in colleges other than the College of Natural Sciences need only departmental approval. A symbol of Q or W counts as enrollment in a course unless it has been approved by the Dean's office for nonacademic reasons. Some departments in the College of Natural Sciences may have additional restrictions for students who repeat courses.

Transfer Students

If you would like to major in Biology please visit the CNS Transfer page.

TRANSFER STUDENTS

Important Information for Transfer Students

UT Austin Science prerequisites and typical course progression

FIRST SEMESTER:	SECOND SEMESTER:	THIRD SEMESTER:
M 408N or M 408C	M 408S or M 408D	CH 320M (if required)
CH 301	CH 302, 204	BIO 325 (Genetics)
BIO 311C	BIO 311D	BIO 206L or 208L (if required)

Math is the foundation course for all other Natural Sciences courses at UT!
Credit or registration for Calculus (M 408N or C) is the prerequisite for CH 301
Credit or registration for CH 301 is the prerequisite for BIO 311C
A grade of C or better in BIO 311C is the prerequisite for BIO 311D
Grades of C or better in BIO 311C and 311D is the prerequisites for BIO 325
BIO 325 (Genetics) is the minimum prerequisite for all other upper division Biology courses

Transferring to UT presents a unique set of issues and challenges for Biology majors. Biology courses rarely transfer to UT directly. Sometimes, transfer students must start the UT Biology sequence from the beginning (BIO 311C) once arriving at UT.

Most often, students with previous Biology coursework have to submit a complete syllabus for the course(s) they took to be evaluated by a UT Biology faculty member. If you are interested in transferring to UT and have taken Biology courses at another institution, it is STRONGLY advised that you keep your syllabi from those courses, or obtain copies of them from your school before arriving at UT.

BIOLOGY COURSES WHICH TRANSFER WITH A GENERIC COURSE DESIGNATION, SUCH AS THE FOLLOWING, MUST BE SUBMITTED FOR FACULTY REVIEW:

BIO 4FLAB
BIO 3FRMN
BIO 4SLAB
BIO 3SOPH
BIO 3ADV
BIO 1LBADV

Students may e-mail electronic copies of syllabi to bsac@austin.utexas.edu or turn in a hard copy at the BIOSCIENCE ADVISNG CENTER in MBB 1.220. Syllabi will be reviewed by UT Biology faculty members, who will determine if the material covered in the course(s) is equivalent to the material covered in UT Biology courses. This process typically takes 4-6 weeks.

Syllabi should include information about the textbook used, the topics covered, and the amount of time devoted to each topic. Lab manuals for courses with labs should be turned in along with course syllabi. Students with more than one course to be evaluated should submit all syllabi at the same time.

Approval of transfer course credit to count for specific course requirements for UT Biology degrees is not guaranteed.

To look up how Biology courses from other Texas colleges and universities will transfer to UT, visit the UT Admissions Office's Automated Transfer Equivalency website.

UT/AUSTIN COMMUNITY COLLEGE BIOLOGY TRANSFER EQUIVALENCIES:

BIOL 1406 = BIO 311C + BIO 105L (1-hour version of BIO 205L)
BIOL 1407 = BIO 311D + BIO 106L (1-hour version of BIO 206L)

Students transferring only BIOL 1406 have credit for BIO 311C only and must take BIO 311D next. Students transferring only BIOL 1407 have credit for BIO 311D only and must take BIO 311C next. Students transferring both BIOL 1406 and 1407 are ready to take BIO 325 next. Please visit the UT Admissions Office's Common Transfer Credit Problems website for more information.

HELPFUL TIPS FOR PROSPECTIVE TRANSFER STUDENTS:

College of Natural Sciences transfer students are expected to have completed calculus or to be calculus ready before enrolling at UT - Austin. Transfer students who have not completed calculus or are not prepared to take calculus will find themselves at a disadvantage and may be delayed in beginning their chemistry and biology courses. Transfer students with no previous calculus coursework will be required to take the UTMA math placement exam prior to enrolling in a calculus course at UT -Austin.
Finish your science sequences before transferring. Take both semesters of a two-semester chemistry, physics, or biology sequence; don't transfer in the middle.
ATTEND ORIENTATION! Many of your questions will be answered at orientation, plus you will get a helpful day planner, a free t-shirt, and earlier registration times! New UT students have advising bars that must be removed before registering for classes; speaking to an advisor at orientation will remove this bar.

Academic Advising

Degree Planning Tools