BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES (BSCI)
—is a Limited Enrollment Program (LEP), meaning there are gateway requirements that students need to complete BEFORE they can apply and then declare the major.
NOTE: If you are a high school student or a student with fewer than 12 semester hours or 18 quarter hours of university-level credit beyond secondary school, you should get started by applying to the University as a Freshman Applicant. Learn more through UMD’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions.
LEP Policies
1. Only one gateway course may be repeated to earn the required grade (of C- or better) and that course may only be repeated once.
2. When more than one course can satisfy a gateway requirement, taking a second course from the list will count as a repeat. Please note that a grade of "W" is considered an attempt and must be repeated.
3. Students may apply once to an LEP.
4. Students who were directly admitted and fail to meet the performance review criteria will be dismissed from the major and may not reapply.
5. Students must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.00 after admission to an LEP. Failure to do so will result in dismissal from the major.
6. Any student denied admission or dismissed from the major may appeal in writing to the individual LEP.
LEP-Gateway Courses
—need to be completed with a minimum grade of C- BEFORE applying to the major.
MATH135 (OR) MATH140 [Discrete Math or Calculus I]
BSCI170 + BSCI171 [Molecular & Cell Biology w/ lab]
BSCI160 + BSCI161 [Ecology and Evolution w/ lab]
CHEM131 + CHEM132 [General Chemistry I w/ lab]
CHEM231 + CHEM232 [Organic Chemistry I w/ lab]
A minimum grade point average of 2.7 in all courses taken at the University of Maryland and all other institutions is required for internal and external transfer students.
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—and learn next steps to declare Biological Sciences based on your current major / student type.
Current UMD Students (Any Major / Letters & Sciences)
—who want to switch their degree program to Biological Sciences (leave current major) or want to add Biological Sciences as a second major or degree:
REVIEW the Specializations for Biological Sciences and choose the one you want to pursue
MEET with a CMNS Peer Mentor (a student worker) to create a rough grad plan for Biological Sciences
Ensure that the rough plan follows the Expectations for responsible grad planning posted on bsci.umd.edu/gradplan and that courses are appropriately sequenced using the Model Grad Plan (MGP) for your specific BSCI specialization
EMAIL a copy of your rough grad plan to bscique@umd.edu and it will be proofread by an Academic Advisor from the Biological Sciences Program
Academic advisors will document whether students’ grad plans are responsible or must be revised by email (no meeting is necessary until students are declared)
COMPLETE the LEP-Gateway Courses (see under header above)
SUBMIT the Limited Enrollment Program (LEP) application.
Students must apply by the 5th business day of January for Spring semester admission, and the 5th business day of June for Fall semester admission
Do NOT submit the LEP application until all LEP-Gateway course requirements are satisfied
The Biological Sciences Program does NOT administer the LEP application. All inquiries about the application itself and related deadlines should be emailed to lep@umd.edu
Current UMD Students in Qualifying LEP Programs
—applicable to current majors in Chemistry (CHEM), Biochemistry (BCHM), and Neuroscience (NEUR):
REVIEW the Specializations for Biological Sciences and choose the one you want to pursue
MEET with a CMNS Peer Mentor (a student worker) to create a rough grad plan for Biological Sciences
Ensure that the rough plan follows the Expectations for responsible grad planning posted on bsci.umd.edu/gradplan and that courses are appropriately sequenced using the Model Grad Plan (MGP) for your specific BSCI specialization
EMAIL a copy of your rough grad plan to bscique@umd.edu and it will be proofread by an Academic Advisor from the Biological Sciences Program
Academic advisors will document whether students’ grad plans are responsible or must be revised by email (no meeting is necessary until students are declared)
COMPLETE the LEP-Gateway Courses (see under header at top of webpage)
SUBMIT a major change form via TerpEngage
Incoming Transfer Students (accepted to UMD)
CONSULT with an academic advisor from the College of Letters and Sciences about their Interim Advising Program (IAP), pending your LEP Application to the Biological Sciences major
Prospective Transfer Students (still applying to UMD)
CONNECT with an academic advisor from the University’s Pre-Transfer Advising Program
Transfer Students may also use the Transfer Course Database to determine how past, current or future courses may transfer to the University of Maryland
