Information about how biology and zoology courses from other schools transfer to OSU is found in OSU single course search and outlined in more detail below. If a course is not found in the tables or single course search, or students have a concern about a course articulation found there, they should consult with their major academic advisor before petitioning. A biology or zoology course/series equivalency petition is only required if a transfer course is needed as a prerequisite for other biology or zoology courses (and some others), and many other situations are resolved without a petition. Petitions will only be considered for currently enrolled OSU students and final approval is at the discretion of the Department of Integrative Biology.
Petitions for the introductory, general, or principles of biology series or Bacc Core courses
OSU Admissions articulates transfer biology courses as one of the following:
Lower Division Transfer – LDT or LDT*
Any courses listed with a * on OSU transcripts or on the OSU Advanced Standing Report count for the Baccalaureate Core Biological Science with Laboratory requirement.
Transfer courses do not need to be listed as a specific course in the Baccalaureate Core Biological Science with Laboratory to count.
Courses without a * will not count for the Baccalaureate Core, and these courses generally do not count because their content is too specialized, or they did not include a laboratory.
LD1*
If a series of courses is listed in the OSU single course search as LD1 it is taught at the same level as the non-majors BI 101, 102 and 103 series here at OSU, but it is not equivalent to any of those courses. If LD1 courses have a * they count for the Baccalaureate Core Biological Science with Laboratory requirement. Read more about the LD1 articulation.
LD2*
If a series of courses is listed in the OSU single course search as LD2 it is equivalent to the BI 221, 222 and 223 (22x) if the entire listed LD2 series (and labs) are taken before transferring to OSU. Complete LD2 series will also work for the online BI 204, 205, 206 series for online majors that include that series.
It is rare that terms match up perfectly between other schools and OSU, and students who switch schools before completing an LD2 series may need to take all or much of their biology series at OSU after they transfer. Read more about the LD2 articulation.
Equivalent courses
Some important criteria for approval of courses as being equivalent to the BI 221, 222 and 223 Principles of Biology or the BI 204, 205, 206 Introductory Biology series or include:
- Is it a course for science majors?
- Does it have a laboratory?
- Does it cover all of the content of the OSU 20x or 22x series?
Other course petitions for IB students
Students seeking approval for courses offered by other departments in the life sciences at OSU such as biochemistry and biophysics (BB) or microbiology (MB) need to contact those departments directly regarding course equivalencies.
Students wishing to approve other biology or zoology courses outside of the series above should talk to their advisor and look at the OSU single course search to see how they are listed and if they can count the course for their degree requirements.
If a course is not listed or there are concerns about the articulation of the course, and the advisor indicates they should petition, students can use the Biology or Zoology Course/Series Equivalency Petition.
