Biology & Society (BA, BS)

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences

Program Website

Program Description

The Biology & Society major provides the skills and perspectives necessary to confront problems with biological, social, and ethical dimensions. The Biology & Society major is suited for students who wish to combine training in biology with perspectives from the social sciences and humanities aspects of modern biology. Because the Biology & Society major is multidisciplinary, students must attain a basic understanding of each of the several disciplines it comprises, by including courses in the fields of biology, humanities, social sciences, and mathematics. In addition, majors take core courses in Biology & Society, and a set of electives, and a special senior seminar that comprises their theme. Students are expected to select their theme courses to meet their own goals and interests in consultation with a faculty advisor. Some areas of interest may be genetic engineering, the right to medical care, health and society, biology and public policy, food and population, and environment and society.

The Biology & Society major, which involves faculty from throughout the university, is offered by the Department of Science & Technology Studies. Students in the College of Arts & Sciences and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences are eligible for the major. The major is coordinated for students in both colleges through the Biology & Society Office. 

Students who are admitted to Biology & Society as their major field of study graduate from Cornell with well-developed writing and analytical skills and a knowledge base that can lead to employment in a variety of fields. Many graduates have accepted positions as health counselors, writers, policy analysts and researchers for government organizations, medical institutions, consumer or environmental groups, or scientific research institutes. Students have found that Biology & Society is also excellent preparation for professional training in medicine, law, and health services administration and for graduate programs in such fields as genetic counseling, nutrition, clinical psychology, public health, environmental studies, anthropology, sociology, and other related fields.

Honors Program

The honors program is designed to provide independent research opportunities for academically talented undergraduate students whose major is Biology & Society (BSOC). Students who enroll in the honors program are expected, with faculty guidance, to do independent study and research dealing with issues in Biology & Society. Students participating in the program should find the experience intellectually stimulating and rewarding whether or not they intend to pursue a research career.

Biology & Society majors are considered for entry into the honors program at the end of the second semester of the junior year. Application forms, and more information about the honors program, are available on the Biology & Society webpage. The honors program is available to Biology & Society majors from the Colleges of Arts and Sciences and Agriculture and Life Sciences. To qualify for the Biology & Society honors program, students must have an overall Cornell cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.3, have formulated a research topic, and have found a project supervisor (with an academic appointment at Cornell) and another faculty member willing to serve as their project advisor. At least one of these must be a member of the Biology & Society major. Applications will be reviewed by a committee headed by the director of undergraduate studies, who will notify students directly of the outcome. Students will be permitted to register for the honors program only by permission of the department. Students must enroll for both the fall and spring semesters.

For additional information about the Biology & Society Major and Honors Program:

General Information: Contact the Biology & Society Advising Office, bsoc@cornell.edu.

Admission to the Major

Because of the interdisciplinary nature and flexibility of the Biology & Society major, we do not allow students to triple major. All students should have completed a year of college-level biology or two entry-level biology courses before submitting an application during their sophomore year. An application deadline is in effect each semester for A&S students declaring a major or any students changing their major to Biology & Society; please check with the department for deadline dates. CALS students admitted into the major are encouraged to submit a course plan via the major application during that time, but these course plans will be accepted after the Spring deadline of their sophomore year. Applying during this period will ensure an optimal advising experience prior to pre-enrollment. Juniors are considered on a case-by-case basis. Upper-division applicants should realize the difficulties of completing the major requirements in fewer than two years. The application includes 

  1. a one-page statement explaining the student's intellectual interests in the Biology & Society major and why the major is consistent with the student's academic goals and interests; 
  2. the theme the student wishes to pursue in the major; and
  3. a tentative plan of courses fulfilling Biology & Society requirements, including courses already taken and those the student plans to take.

A minimum average grade of C is required for the two introductory biology courses. Each course must be passed with a grade of at least C-. Sophomores and above in the process of completing this prerequisite may be admitted to the major on a provisional basis. It is the student's responsibility to assure that final acceptance is granted upon satisfactory completion of the introductory biology requirement. Although only introductory biological science is a prerequisite for acceptance, students find it useful to have completed some of the other requirements (listed below) by the end of their sophomore year, preferably by the end of the first semester. Students who are considering the major may also find it beneficial to take STS 2011 What Is Science? An Introduction to the Social Studies of Science and Technology, in their first or sophomore year.

Note: Biology and Society majors may not double major in Biological Sciences.