Hardest courses in Biology Core Curriculum

Plan ahead for courses where students have earned lower grades.

Lowest historical GPA first. At least 100 letter grades over the five years through the selected term. Grades reflect past outcomes, not workload or a guaranteed result.

Find your fit

3 courses

Ranked courses have at least 100 recorded letter grades.

#1 ·BIOCORE 383

Cellular Biology

3 credits

An intermediate-level course on the cellular and molecular basis of life, covering cell structure, energy flow, and the regulation of genetic information.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Erik Dent

The class felt very self-directed, requiring students to learn much of the content independently because material was covered quickly and important concepts were not always explained clearly.

Jeff Hardin Shelby O'Connor+1 more

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2023–Spring 2026

#2 ·BIOCORE 587

Biological Interactions

3 credits

Capstone course integrating Biocore knowledge through analysis of primary literature. Topics include signaling pathways, systems biology, genetic disease, and cancer.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Han Wang Anne Griep+1 more

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2023–Spring 2026

#3 ·BIOCORE 384

Cellular Biology Laboratory

2 credits

A writing-intensive cellular biology lab featuring research projects in subcellular fractionation, protein structure, enzyme catalysis, C. elegans genetics, and yeast signal transduction.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Michelle Harris

The course was rated as very difficult, with a difficulty score of five out of five.

Seth Mcgee Anna Kowalkowski+1 more

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2023–Spring 2026