Biological Sciences Certificates

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Biological Sciences Certificates beginning Summer 2023; available to Biology majors
Biological Sciences Certificates prior to Summer 2023; available to students from any major who started at Georgia Tech prior to Summer 2023

Biological Sciences Certificates

The certificate programs below are available to all Biology majors. These certificates replace all previous Biological Sciences certificates as of Summer 2023.

Biological Sciences Certificates offer an option for Biology majors to focus their elective coursework around a specific biological subdiscipline. Certificate programs are offered in:

Cellular and Molecular Biosciences
Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology
Genetics, Genomics, and Bioinformatics
Microbial Systems
Physiology and Biomedical Sciences
An option for a customized, student-proposed certificate also exists

All Biological Sciences certificates are subject to the following requirements:

Minimum 12 credits from the list of approved courses for each certificate
Minimum 9 credits BIOS coursework
Minimum 9 credits of 3xxx or higher coursework
Maximum 6 credits of Special Topics
Maximum 3 credits Transfer Credit
Courses may not be double-counted toward more than one certificate or minor
Only courses fulfilling Biology electives or Free electives, or appearing in Fallthrough, may be counted toward a certificate
Research (eg BIOS 4699), TA experiences (eg BIOS 4697), or Internships (eg BIOS 4695), may not be applied to certificates

To complete a certificate, select and complete at least 12 credits that correspond to the desired certificate from the list below. A completed Certificate Application form must be submitted at least two weeks prior to the end of your graduating semester. The Certificate Application may be accessed from the Biology Majors Portal site in Canvas.

Certificate in Cellular and Molecular Biosciences

12 credits from:
Minimum 9 credits of BIOS coursework from the list below:

BIOS 3380 Microbiology
BIOS 3381 Microbiology Lab*
BIOS 4012 Protein Biology
BIOS 4015 Cancer Biology & Biotechnology
BIOS 4225 Molecular Evolution
BIOS 4238 Ion Channels in Health and Disease
BIOS 4340 Medical Microbiology
BIOS 4418 Microbial Physiology
BIOS 4464 Developmental Biology
BIOS 4500 Drug Discovery
BIOS 4510 Epigenetics
BIOS 4530 Human Evolutionary Genomics
BIOS 4545 Genetics of Complex Human Traits and Diseases
BIOS 4550 Origin of Complex Life
BIOS 4560 RNA Biology and Biotechnology
BIOS 4565 Chromosome Biology & Human Disease
BIOS 4570 Immunology
BIOS 4607 Molecular Biology of Microbes
BIOS 4620 Aquatic Chemical Ecology
BIOS 4744 Microbial Symbiosis and Microbiomes
BIOS 4746 Signaling Molecules
BIOS 4803 Human Body: Aging
BIOS 4803 Proteomics: Technology & Applications
BIOS 4803 Sexual Differentiation in Humans
BIOS 4803 Virology

Maximum 3 credits of non-BIOS coursework from the list below:

CHEM 3511 Survey of Biochemistry
CHEM 3521 Biochemistry I
CHEM 3522 Biochemistry III
NEUR 3001 Cell and Molecular Neuroscience

*note lab courses are 1 credit each

Certificate in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology

12 credits from:
Minimum 9 credits of BIOS coursework from the list below:

BIOS 3380 Microbiology
BIOS 3381 Microbiology Lab*
BIOS 4221 Biological Oceanography
BIOS 4225 Molecular Evolution
BIOS 4340 Medical Microbiology
BIOS 4410 Microbial Ecology
BIOS 4417 Marine Ecology
BIOS 4418 Microbial Physiology
BIOS 4428 Population Dynamics
BIOS 4432 Conservation Biology
BIOS 4471 Behavioral Biology
BIOS 4515 Community Ecology
BIOS 4550 Origin of Complex Life
BIOS 4620 Aquatic Chemical Ecology
BIOS 4746 Signaling Molecules
BIOS 4803 Urban Ecology
BIOS 4813 Biodiversity on a Changing Planet
BIOS 4813 Biology of Terrestrial Vertebrates

Maximum 3 credits of non-BIOS coursework from the list below:

EAS 4300 Oceanography
EAS 4305 Physical and Chemical Oceanography
EAS 4350 Paleoclimatology and Paleoceanography
EAS 4410 Climate and Global Change
EAS 4420 Environmental Field Methods
EAS 4602 Biogeochemical Cycles

*note lab courses are 1 credit each

Certificate in Genetics, Genomics, and Bioinformatics

12 credits from:
Minimum 6 credits of BIOS coursework from the list below:

BIOS 4015 Cancer Biology & Biotechnology
BIOS 4150 Genomics and Applied Bioinformatics*
BIOS 4505 Programing in Biological and Life Sciences
BIOS 4510 Epigenetics
BIOS 4530 Human Evolutionary Genomics
BIOS 4545 Genetics of Complex Human Traits and Diseases
BIOS 4560 RNA Biology and Biotechnology
BIOS 4565 Chromosome Biology & Human Diseases
BIOS 4607 Molecular Biology of Microbes
BIOS 4803 Proteomics: Technology & Applications

*The course fulfilling the Quantitative Requirement cannot be applied to the Certificate; the QR may be fulfilled by BIOS 3400 or BIOS 4401 for BIOS 4150 to be applied to the certificate

Maximum 6 credits of non-BIOS coursework from the list below:
Note that a maximum of 3 credits may be at the 1xxx or 2xxx level

BMED 4477 Bio Networks & Genomics
CS 4400 Introduction to Database Systems
CS 4710 Intro to Computing Concepts in Bioinformatics Applied Combinatorics

Certificate in Microbial Systems

12 credits from:
3 credits required coursework:

BIOS 3380 Microbiology

Minimum 9 credits from the list below:

BIOS 3381 Microbiology Lab*
BIOS 4340 Medical Microbiology
BIOS 4410 Microbial Ecology
BIOS 4418 Microbial Physiology
BIOS 4550 Origin of Complex Life
BIOS 4570 Immunology
BIOS 4607 Molecular Biology of Microbes
BIOS Aquatic Chemical Ecology
BIOS 4744 Microbial Symbiosis and Microbiomes
BIOS 4803 Geomicrobiology
BIOS 4803 Virology

*note lab courses are 1 credit each

Certificate in Physiology and Biomedical Sciences

12 credits from:
6 credits required coursework:

BIOS 3753 Human Anatomy
BIOS 3755 Human Physiology

Minimum 6 credits from the list below:

BIOS 3380 Microbiology
BIOS 3381 Microbiology Lab*
BIOS 3754 Anatomy Lab*
BIOS 3756 Physiology Lab*
BIOS 4015 Cancer Biology & Biotechnology
BIOS 4100 Exercise Physiology
BIOS 4200 Kinesiology
BIOS 4238 Ion Channels in Health and Disease
BIOS 4340 Medical Microbiology
BIOS 4400 Human Neuroanatomy
BIOS 4418 Microbial Physiology
BIOS 4440 Human Pathology
BIOS 4464 Developmental Biology
BIOS 4500 Drug Discovery
BIOS 4520 Health, Genes, and Society
BIOS 4540 Human Motor Control
BIOS 4565 Chromosome Biology & Human Diseases
BIOS 4570 Immunology
BIOS 4651 Bioethics
BIOS 4803 Endocrinology
BIOS 4803 Human Body: Aging
BIOS 4803 Integrative Physiology
BIOS 4803 Muscle Structure Intregrity
BIOS 4803 Neuromotor Physiology
BIOS 4803 Nutrition
BIOS 4803 Sexual Differentiation in Humans

*note lab courses are 1 credit each

Custom certificates: Special Studies in Biological Sciences

In addition to the certificates listed above, Biology undergraduates may propose their own custom certificate, subject to review and approval by the Biology Undergraduate Committee. Students are required to work with their Biology Academic Advisor in designing any customized certificate. The custom certificate must meet the following criteria to be considered by the committee:

The courses used to complete the certificate must be centered around a clear biological theme and/or subdiscipline
Students must propose an appropriate name for the certificate relevant to the theme, include justification for each proposed course in the certificate explaining how it relates to the theme, and explain why and how the proposed theme is sufficiently distinct from the above certificates
Minimum 12 credits, including minimum 9 credits of BIOS coursework and maximum 3 credits of non-BIOS coursework fitting within the proposed certificate theme
Minimum 9 credits of 3xxx or higher coursework
Maximum 6 credits of Special Topics
Maximum 3 credits Transfer Credit
Courses may not be double-counted toward more than one certificate or minor
Only courses fulfilling Biology electives or Free electives, or appearing in Fallthrough, may be counted toward a certificate
Research (eg BIOS 4699), TA experiences (eg BIOS 4697), or Internships (eg BIOS 4695), may not be applied to certificates

Students must submit a petition for the proposed certificate to the Biology Undergraduate Committee no later than the end of the first week of the student’s graduating semester. The committee will notify the student of its decision by email to the student and the Biology Undergraduate Academic Program Coordinator after grades are posted in the student’s graduating semester. The Biology Undergraduate Committee reserves the right to decline to review a petition in cases of excessive, repeated submissions of petitions from a single student. The Custom Certificate Petition Form can be accessed from the Biology Majors Portal in Canvas.

Biological Sciences Certificates prior to Summer 2023

The certificate programs below are available to students from any major who started at Georgia Tech prior to Summer 2023.

For Biology majors, the Certificate program is a way of customizing your Biology Electives to focus on a particular concentration in biology. For other majors, a Biology or Physiology certificate is a way of enhancing your degree to include an emphasis in biological concepts. Each certificate requires 12 credit hours of approved courses from that certificate’s list, at least 9 of which must be at the 3000 level or higher. All courses counting toward the certificate must be taken on a letter-grade basis. A maximum of 3 credits of Transfer credit may be applied toward a certificate. Major electives can be counted toward certificates, but courses required by name and number in a student’s major program of study will not be counted toward certificates. While students may complete more than one certificate, they may not double-count courses towards more than one certificate or minor. Non-Biology majors are required to include at least 9 credits of BIOL coursework for their certificate, except in the case of the Physiology certificate. Further information is available from School of Biological Sciences advisors.

To declare a certificate in Biology, select 12 credits that correspond to the desired certificate. Approved courses are listed below by certificate title. Students must also complete and submit a certificate application two weeks prior to the end of their last term.

For non-Biology Majors

Additional courses that can count towards any of the above certificates (with exception of the Physiology certificate): BIOS 1107 + 1107L, BIOS 1108 + 1108L, BIOS 2300/2301, BIOS 2310/2311, BIOS 2600/2601, BIOS 2610/2611, BIOS 3450/3451 (as long as these courses are not required for their major program of study, and only up to 3 credits of courses at the 1xxx-2xxx level can count). At least 9 credits of BIOS coursework are required for each certificate.

New special topics courses may be added to relevant biology certificates with approval from the School of Biological Sciences. Contact the Director of the certificate program: Dr. Mirjana Milosevic Brockett (mirjana.brockett@biology.gatech.edu) for any questions.

Certificates are available in the following areas of concentration

Biomedical Science
Biomolecular Technology
Bio-Inspired Design
Computational & Quantitative Biology
Environmental Science
Marine Science
Applied Physiology
Integrative Biology

Check the Georgia Tech course catalog to confirm credit hours and pre-requisites.