Biosciences Office Procedures
Current CNS policies with procedures and timelines can be found here.
CNS policies can also be found in the academic catalog.
Q DROP, GRADE STATUS CHANGE (PASS/FAIL), AND WITHDRAWAL REQUESTS
CNS students wanting to make a Q Drop, Pass/Fail, or Withdrawal request should do so through this link.
Students pursuing a second major in another college may have difficulty accessing this link and should contact their advisor for further instructions.
Q Drop, Pass/Fail, and Withdrawal requests are due on the date specified by the academic calendar. Find more information from CNS about adding, dropping, and withdrawing here.
- Learn more about dropping a course at UT Austin here. If Q dropping a class will place you at under full-time enrollment (12 credit hours) for the semester, keep in mind that full-time status is usually necessary to receive financial aid, maintain employment on campus (like being a TA), live in on-campus housing, compete on a University athletic team, be covered under parents’ health or car insurance, receive Veterans’ Benefits, or be an international student.
- Some courses are offered on a letter-grade basis only. Refer to the Course Schedule for more information. See the Biosciences Advising Center’s FAQs for more information about taking a course on a Pass/Fail basis and speak with your advisor.
- Learn more about withdrawing from UT Austin here. Withdrawing from the University prior to the 1st Class Day is called a cancellation. Contact CNSinfo@austin.utexas.edu for information on cancelling your registration. Withdrawals after the 1st Class Day require an appointment with a CNS Non-Academic Counselor.
MAX HOURS REQUESTS
Contact your assigned advisor for instructions on how to request more than 17 hours in a long semester or 14 hours in a summer semester.
MAJOR CHANGE REQUESTS
The Biosciences Advising Center does not process major change requests by current or prospective Bioscience majors during registration periods. Major change requests and appointments for prospective students take place during the periods established by the college.
ADDING A RESEARCH COURSE
To add BIO 177/277/377, NEU 177/277/377, or BCH 369K, students can fill out the appropriate research form online for the upcoming semester.
- Registration forms with attached documentation and required signatures may be turned in during the early registration period but must be turned in by 4:00pm on the fourth class day of the term the course is taken.
- Retroactive enrollment in a research course is not allowed.
- Please check with your advisor for applicability toward your degree requirements.
LATE ADD PROCESS
Find the Late Add procedures for BIO, BCH, and NEU courses here.
TRANSFER COURSES
Transferring to UT presents a unique set of issues and challenges for Biology majors. Upper-division and out-of-state biology courses rarely transfer to UT directly. Sometimes, transfer students must start the UT Biology sequence from the beginning (BIO 311C) once they arrive 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.
Common Biology courses that transfer to UT 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 their academic advisor or turn in a hard copy at the Biosciences Advising 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 UT Admission's Automated Transfer Equivalency website.
UT/Texas Community College Lower-Division Biology Transfer Equivalencies:
- BIOL 1406 = BIO 311C + BIO 206LA*
- BIOL 1407 = BIO 311D + BIO 206LB*
*BIO 206LA and BIO 206LB can be petitioned by an advisor to count together as BIO 206L credit. Students with BIO 206LA and BIO 206LB credit will need prerequisite waivers when registering for upper-division Biology labs to meet degree requirements.
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 view UT Admission's Common Transfer Credit Problems document for more information.
REPETITION OF A COURSE
No student may enroll in any course offered in the College of Natural Sciences more than twice, even if the course is needed to meet degree requirements. A symbol of Q or W counts as enrollment in a course. Repetition of a course for a third time may be considered only in the case of documented non-academic circumstances. Some departments in the College of Natural Sciences may have additional restrictions for students who repeat courses.
GRADE REPLACEMENT
There is no grade replacement policy at The University of Texas at Austin. If a student repeats a course, both grades will appear on the student’s transcript and both will be calculated into the student’s overall GPA.
CONCURRENT ENROLLMENT
Concurrent enrollment refers to the act of enrolling simultaneously at more than one college or university, including through online education. Each college at UT has its own policy for the conditions in which you can be concurrently enrolled. Talk to your academic advisor to ensure you know the policy and options before you consider concurrent enrollment.
Math or science courses cannot be taken concurrently and counted toward a degree unless specifically approved in advance by the college. Students must see their academic advisor to obtain more information or to file an online petition requesting permission to be concurrently enrolled.
In the College of Natural Sciences, summer concurrent enrollment is permitted without conditions. Concurrent enrollment is permitted in limited circumstances during fall and spring semesters. You do not need advance approval if you meet both conditions A and B during a fall or spring semester:
A. You are registered in-residence at UT for a minimum of 9 hours, and
B. You want to concurrently enroll in a non-mathematics or non-science course.
To be certain that your courses will satisfy degree requirements, please consult with your academic advisor prior to any concurrent enrollment.
In addition, you do not need advance approval if you meet both conditions C and D:
C. You are registered in residence at UT for a minimum of 9 hours, and
D. You want to concurrently enroll in a mathematics or science course through UT Extension. However, UT Extension will not allow you to take a mathematics or science course through UT Extension if you have already enrolled in it twice at UT.
If you feel you have an academically sound reason to seek an exception to the fall and spring conditions, ask your advisor to initiate a petition prior to enrollment. The Dean's Office will make a final decision and notify you through the Natural Sciences Secure Web Services.
Multiple Degree Seekers: Please note that each college at the University has different policies regarding concurrent enrollment. If you are seeking degrees in more than one college, it is your responsibility to ensure that you are meeting the policies of both colleges.