Majors & Minor Information
students in lab
- Biological Sciences Major
- Microbiology Major
- How to Change Primary Major
- Adding/Removing a Secondary Major
- Adding/Removing a Biological Sciences Minor
- Progress Towards Degree (Policy 91) Information
Biological Sciences is the study of life. Our majors receive a broad education in the fundamentals of biology from the molecular scale to the global scale. Students take required courses in genetics, cell function biology, evolutionary biology and ecology, and then may choose elective courses. All students within the biological sciences major are required to take General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Calculus, Physics, English, and Statistics. The options within the biological sciences major offer students the opportunity to tailor their elective courses to specific aspects of biology they enjoy. All students will receive a Biology degree upon meeting the requirements for graduation.
This option offers the most flexibility for students when choosing their biology electives. Students are required to take lab courses and upper-level elective courses, but have a wide variety of courses to select from. Students have the option to take approved biology related courses from related departments such as Wildlife Conservation and Neuroscience. Elective availability allows students to pursue complementary minors or supplemental courses of interest. This major no option prepares students for post-secondary graduate programs in research or health professional programs like medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, and veterinary medicine. Students are also prepared to enter industry immediately following graduation in a variety of work fields including medical assistant and technicians, pharmaceutical sales, workplace safety, and public sector.
This option is designed for students who are interested in pursuing a medical career post college. Elective options are tailored to human and cellular biology topics such as immunology, histology, cancer biology, and bioinformatics. Students pursuing this option typically pursue medical professional programs post college such as medical or dental school. Students also seek lab sciences research employment positions as this option places an emphasis on lab skills and undergraduate research involvement.
This option is ideal for students who are interested in studying the plant and animal fields of biological sciences. Going deeper than the required ecology and evolutionary biology courses, these tailored electives include freshwater, plant, chemical, and global change ecology, and evolutionary genetics. Elective options also include animal behavior and physiology, zoology, biomonitoring, and entomology. There is an emphasis on undergraduate research and hands-on learning in this major option. Students who graduate with the Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior option are prepared to pursue post-secondary masters or doctoral research programs and careers ready for fieldwork, public sector, or lab assistant industry positions.
This option is perfect for students who have an interest in teaching biology or sciences courses at the middle and high school level. Elective requirements include courses in zoology, microbiology, anatomy, and geosciences. Students are then given the flexibility to take biology electives that interest them most and include a mix of lecture and lab courses. Upon completing this major option, students are prepared to enter education master’s programs or seek state teaching certifications. This option alone does not certify students to be accredited teachers. This major option also prepares students for post-secondary graduate programs in research or health professional programs like medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, and veterinary medicine. Students are also prepared to enter industry immediately following graduation in a variety of work fields including medical assistant and technicians, pharmaceutical sales, workplace safety, and public sector.
Microbiology is the study of microorganisms. Our majors receive an education in the fundamentals of biology from the molecular scale to the global scale with a heavy emphasis on lab skills. Students take required courses in Genetics, Cell Function Biology, Microbiology, Microbial Genetics, Microbial Physiology, and Biochemistry, and then may choose elective courses. All students within the Microbiology major are required to take General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Calculus, Physics, English, and Statistics. The options within the Microbiology major offer students the opportunity to tailor their elective courses to specific aspects of Microbiology they enjoy. All students will receive a Microbiology degree upon meeting the requirements for graduation.
This major offers the most flexibility for students when choosing their electives. Students are required to complete more lab electives than is required of the Biological Sciences degree. Of the elective choices, the curriculum focuses on different subject areas, such as Food Microbiology, Environmental Microbiology, and Virology, allowing students to tailor their curriculum to their interests. This major option prepares students for post-secondary graduate programs in research or health professional programs like medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, and veterinary medicine. Students are also prepared to enter industry immediately following graduation in a variety of work fields including medical lab assistant and technicians, pharmaceutical sales, biosafety, and public sector.
This major is designed for students who are interested in pursuing a medical career post college. Elective options are tailored to human and cellular biology topics such as Bacteriology, Inflammation Biology, and Parasitology. Students pursuing this option typically pursue medical professional programs post college such as medical or dental school. Students also seek lab sciences research employment positions as this option places an emphasis on lab skills and undergraduate research involvement.
Primary Major Change
When a change of major time opens up, students can request a new primary major through Hokie SPA. Each college will run its own process to determine if it can accept the student and will then notify the student of the decision. This process applies to students who wish to change their primary major. Requests for adding secondary majors will still follow the current paper process.
There are two types of majors at Virginia Tech, restricted and non-restricted. Restricted majors have specific criteria students must meet to be eligible to declare. Please review the restricted majors section below for a complete list of restricted majors and their criteria.
Step-by-step instructions available on how to apply for a new primary major.
| Take Note |
Summer 2025 | Fall 2025 | Spring 2026 | Summer 2026 |
| Change of Major Opens |
April 19, 2025 | August 4, 2025 | December 1, 2025 | April 24, 2026 |
| Deadline to Apply for Major Change |
May 21, 2025 | August 17, 2025 | January 7, 2026 | May 20, 2026 |
The department of Biological Sciences accepts and processes requests for second majors and options at any time.
To add or remove a Biological Sciences option or second major, you must download and complete the College of Science Change of Second Major/Minor/Option Form and schedule an appointment with an advisor in Biological Sciences to make a plan for enrolling in those courses.
Steps to schedule an appointment with an advisor in Biological Sciences:
- Login to Navigate
- Click Schedule an Appointment
- Select Advising
- Select Biological Sciences Major Advising
Once you discuss the plan with the advisor, you must submit the Change of Second Major/Minor/Option Form to the advisor's Document Submission Portal who will then submit it to the College of Science Dean’s Office for processing.
The department of Biological Sciences accepts and processes requests for minors at any time.
To add or change a Biological Sciences minor, you must download and complete the College of Science Change of Second Major/Minor/Option Form and schedule an appointment with an advisor in Biological Sciences to make a plan for enrolling in those courses.
Steps to schedule an appointment with an advisor in Biological Sciences:
- Login to Navigate
- Click Schedule an Appointment
- Select Advising
- Select Biological Sciences Minor Advising
Once you discuss the plan with the advisor, you must submit the Change of Second Major/Minor/Option Form to the advisor's Document Submission Portal who will then submit it to the College of Science Dean’s Office for processing.
The Department of Biological Sciences will accept internal transfer requests for the Biological Sciences and Microbiology major during the common change of major periods. See the University Registrar's web page for change of major dates. Adding a second major, minor, or option to your degree may be completed at any time, using the COS form.
Students in the Biological Sciences or Microbiology majors must:
1. Biological Sciences & Microbiology Students: Complete each of the following courses (or equivalents) with a grade of “C” or better: BIOL 1105, BIOL 1115, BIOL 1106, BIOL 1116, CHEM 1035 and CHEM 1036. Only two graded attempts, including “W” grades, are allowed for each course.
2. Microbiology Students: Complete BIOL 2604 and BIOL 2614 with a grade of "C " or better
3. Biological Sciences & Microbiology Students: Have an overall GPA of at least 2.0 & have an in-major GPA of 2.2 (major specific courses in BIOL, BCHM, CHEM, MATH, PHYS, & STAT)
Contact the Biological Sciences Undergraduate Advising Office located in 2089 Derring Hall, by email: bioadvising@vt.edu, or via phone 540-231-6407 with questions.
Once a student transfers into Biological Sciences or Microbiology, they must meet Progress Towards Degree (Policy 91) requirements and maintain at least an in-major 2.2 GPA for each semester, including the semester of transfer.
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