BSc in Biology (Bhopal)
From molecules to ecosystems — understand patterns and processes of life.
Introduction
For centuries, human beings have been fascinated with questions about life, how it propagates and where we come from. Biology studies living organisms and life processes to answer these questions.
Our programme encourages you to observe and explore the life around you while making connections across disciplines. We equip you with quantitative skills and the ability to conduct independent work.
Our programme is focused on understanding the uses and relevance of biology and education. We train you to read biological texts, learn skills for conducting experiments, data analysis and visualisation, and understand how knowledge is created in this scientific discipline.
iThink Biology is a new online textbook for undergraduate biology students. The website is free, prioritizes the development of essential skills of the student over memorizing content, and is based completely on Indian examples. We invite you to use this book to study and teach biology through an interdisciplinary lens, with an emphasis on the importance of biology for society and the environment.
A COMMON CURRICULUM FOR ALL STUDENTS
You will meet all your classmates at the beginning of your degree to build all the tools you need for your four years of study. This includes foundational courses, minors, and creative expressions courses.
WE OFFER ACADEMIC ASSISTANCE
We provide active academic assistance and ensure that you are able to meet the requirements of the academic programme to fulfil your aspirations.
WE ENSURE FINANCIAL SUPPORT
We ensure that no student has to drop out of university because of financial trouble or social disadvantage. We provide financial assistance to deserving students.
Living on campus
We believe that learning happens both inside and outside the classroom. In living together, you can meet and encounter diverse people from different social and cultural backgrounds and experiences. Our campus has a range of activities from discussion groups to sports and clubs for our students and faculty to interact with each other and build meaningful relationships over their years of study.
Know more about the Bengaluru campus, here.
Know more about Azim Premji University at Bhopal, here.
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Theremins, theatre and other aspects of undergraduate life
Gia Goes (BSc Physics) and Kalyani Pawar (BSc BEd), budding scientists, open up about what it is like to study science at Azim Premji University. Watch out for the Rapid Fire round!
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Field practice stories from our undergraduates
A series of articles by the students of Azim Premji University in Nature inFocus, as part of a field practice and writing workshop for their sustainability minor
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Biology Research: The curious case of the ant-mimicking spider
Nandita Jayaraj explores how one crafty arachnid and two inquisitive ecologists, Divya Uma and Krishnapriya Tamma, inspired Nimish Anil, an undergraduate student of biology, to pursue a life in research.
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From flatworms to diagnostics: Praveen Talari’s story
Nandita Jayaraj explores how an undergraduate research project shaped Praveen Talari’s (BSc in Biology, 2017 – 19) journey in science.
Course structure
Our courses provide a rigorous and integrative exposure to the life sciences. Our programme ensures that you:
- Learn about length and time scales: from molecules to ecosystems, from milliseconds to millenia.
- Understand the relationship of disciplines within biology and the field of biology to other branches of science.
- Are aware of the relevance of biological tools and techniques to understand how to sensitively address the relationship between the life sciences and society.
- Read biological texts and work with experimental skills to work in academia and the laboratory.
- Grow familiar with data analysis and visualisation techniques.
Please visit this page to learn more about our four-year undergraduate programmes.
Listen to our graduates of 2019 talking about their Honours projects. The honours project is designed for students to be able to apply their knowledge in a synthesized piece of work. This involves working closely with a faculty member on a specific topic, developing a research question and writing a thesis.
The Common Curriculum will introduce students to the study of the themes and areas that emphasise and build critical and analytical abilities, and sensibilities for dialogue, reflection and cooperative learning. The Common Curriculum has three sub-components organised as below:
Foundations: Build capacity for critical thinking, reasoning and communication.
Understanding India: India’s history, society and possible futures
Creative Expressions: Explore music, visual art, theatre, dance, martial arts, yoga, pottery, sport, and other creative areas.
In the core courses, we help you build all the tools you need for an appreciation of literature. We explore rigorous writing, language training and an exploration of theory, cultural studies and translation. We include quantitative reasoning into our course work.
Introduction to Biology I
Core
How does life work? Answers from molecular, cellular and evolutionary perspectives.
Introduction to Biology II
Core
Observe, explore and characterise biodiversity
Molecular Biology and Biochemistry
Core
Learn about the molecular components of life, how they interact, and how we experiment with them.
Introduction to Genetics
Core
A study of one of the cornerstones of modern biology and the life sciences.
Understanding Plants
Core
Do plants see, hear, feel and smell?
Evolutionary Biology
Core
Theodosius Dobzansky, a prominent biologist, says "nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution". Here, we explore why.
Quantitative Methods in Biology
Core
The ability to use quantitative information to understand the world around us is essential to human functioning.
Calculus for Biologists
Core
Understanding calculus for a study of biological systems.
General Chemistry
Core
An introductory course in chemistry to explore a conceptual foundation to understand biochemistry and material science.
General Physics
Core
A course to help you understand and appreciate the relevance of physics.
Laboratory and Field Techniques
Core
For deeper hands-on practical experience in Biology.
You can choose additional subjects in biology according to your interests in areas you want to learn more about. You can also select three courses from elective courses in Ecology and Environment or Computational and Integrative Biology.
Introduction to Biophysics
Elective
Explore this new and exciting area of research in which physicists and biologists work together in interdisciplinary ways.
Introduction to Ecology
Elective
How are the interactions between organisms influenced by physical, chemical and biological features?
Animal Behaviour
Elective
Understanding behaviour of animals from an evolutionary and ecological perspective.
Calculus for Biologists
Elective
Understanding calculus for a study of biological systems.
Discover Biology
Elective
A course for non-biology majors to explore the wide ranging relevance of the study of biology in our everyday lives.
Ecology and Environment
This track is designed for students who are interested in ecology and environmental biology. It will build upon fundamental concepts of ecology covered in the Introduction to Biology courses and allow students to gain a deeper understanding of methods used to study our natural surroundings and the effect of human activity on our environment.
Environmental Science
Elective
Looking at the major environmental concerns of our times.
Introduction to Ecology
Elective
A study of the abundance and distribution of organisms.
Statistical Methods in Ecology
Elective
A course that introduces undergraduate students with an interest in biology and ecology to basics of ecological study design and statistics.
Computational and Integrative Biology
This track is designed for students who are keen on understanding molecular and cellular scale processes through multiple perspectives including computational analysis and physical laws. Students will be able to appreciate why multiple perspectives are needed to study phenomena operating at a range of time and length scales (such as development).
Introduction to Biophysics
Elective
Explore this new and exciting area of research in which physicists and biologists work together in interdisciplinary ways.
Cell and Developmental Biology
Elective
Looking at the molecular components of cells.
R Programming for Biology
Elective
Learn programming skills for addressing problems in biology.
Students must be prepared for the world of work at the end of the programme should they choose to enter it. We aim to provide the required skills and competencies for this through a Minor featuring courses in an Occupational or Interdisciplinary theme. These sets of courses are aimed to provide both conceptual understanding and skills and tools that will allow students to contribute through work and further study.
Students can opt for a minor in any one of the indicative areas listed below:
- Education
- Media and Journalism
- Data and Democracy
- Sports and Fitness
- Climate Studies
- Arts
The selection of these indicative areas is based on the availability of courses and our evaluation of the student’s interests and academic needs. For each cohort, a final list of available courses will be announced at the end of their second semester.
Occupational Tracks at Bhopal might be from any of the indicative areas listed above and will be announced at the end of the second semester of the programmes.
Students can craft their own educational experience by selecting courses in the following ways:
- Students will have the option to take additional courses in their Disciplinary major
- Interdisciplinary minor that will enable them for their further higher studies or career pathways.
These courses could also be selected to enhance and broaden their
- Language skills and Quantitative reasoning capacities/programming skills
- Understanding of themes outside their Major subject.
