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Biology is organized around processes
Rutgers does not present Bio 115 as a pile of vocabulary. The syllabus outcomes repeatedly ask students to sequence, compare, diagnose, and connect processes across topics.
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01:119:115 · Biological Sciences · School 01 — New Brunswick School of Arts and Sciences
General Biology I is the first half of Rutgers' life-science gateway sequence for majors and pre-health students. Official Rutgers materials frame it as a workshop-backed survey of cell biology, genetics, evolution, and ecology that expects students to practice organizing concepts, not just memorize isolated facts.
Can I take it?
Intermediate Algebra · Precalculus Part I · Precalculus College Mathematics
How hard?
Students rate teaching
SIRS · 8,335 responses · 2014–2025
Spring 2027
18 open in snapshot · 1 instructor
When it meets
Busch
Checked-in sections · current seat counts are unavailable.
MTh 12:10 PM · Busch · 18 sections · 18 open
AI-generated overview
Higher means more demanding · AI summary
5 units · topic sequence may vary by instructor
The opening stretch establishes how the course wants students to learn biology: by following scientific reasoning, recognizing levels of biological organization, and tying chemistry to living systems. The syllabus explicitly starts with Biology and Learning before moving into the scientific process and foundational chemistry.
Once the foundations are in place, the course turns to how cells are built and how they move matter and energy. Rutgers' topic list and syllabus schedule group cell structure, transport, metabolism, photosynthesis, and respiration into one long systems unit rather than treating them as unrelated chapters.
The middle of the course links the cell cycle to meiosis, Mendelian genetics, chromosomes, and patterns of inheritance. This is where students start translating diagrams and processes into organizer-style comparisons and sequences that later feed directly into exam questions.
After inheritance, the sequence moves into DNA structure, replication, gene expression, gene regulation, DNA technology, and human genetics. The syllabus emphasizes process tracing here: students are expected to follow information flow from DNA to RNA to protein and understand how laboratory tools such as PCR and gels fit into that framework.
The final block zooms from genes and populations up to species, communities, ecosystems, and human impact. Official Rutgers materials place population genetics, speciation, phylogenetics, ecology, and conservation together so students can connect micro-level variation to macro-level biodiversity and environmental change.
Public r/rutgers discussion usually describes Bio 115 as demanding but manageable when students keep up with the course's organizer and workshop rhythm. The recurring theme is that the class feels much harder when students treat it like passive memorization or let workshop-related tasks pile up.
Rutgers does not present Bio 115 as a pile of vocabulary. The syllabus outcomes repeatedly ask students to sequence, compare, diagnose, and connect processes across topics.
Cell parts, membranes, enzymes, chromosomes, and ecosystems all matter because their structure shapes what they can do.
The genetics unit works best when you see meiosis, chromosomes, DNA, and gene expression as one chain of causation rather than as separate chapters.
The later units make the strongest sense when you treat evolution as the bridge between molecular variation, species differences, ecological relationships, and conservation questions.
Common pitfall
Instead
Sort material into comparisons, sequences, and cause-and-effect diagrams the way the workshop system expects.
Common pitfall
Instead
Study them as one energy story: where energy enters, how it is transformed, and how cells capture it in usable form.
Common pitfall
Instead
Redraw crosses, chromosome behavior, and phylogeny-style relationships as you go so later units do not feel like a reset.
18 open · Busch
| Section | Status | Instructor | Meeting | Campus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0113557 | Open | Anne Keating | Monday 12:10 PM-1:30 PM at ARC 103; Thursday 12:10 PM-1:30 PM at ARC 103; Monday 2:00 PM-3:20 PM at BST 114AARC 103BST 114A | Busch |
| 0213558 | Open | Anne Keating | Monday 12:10 PM-1:30 PM at ARC 103; Thursday 12:10 PM-1:30 PM at ARC 103; Monday 3:50 PM-5:10 PM at BST 114AARC 103BST 114A | Busch |
| 0313559 | Open | Anne Keating | Monday 12:10 PM-1:30 PM at ARC 103; Thursday 12:10 PM-1:30 PM at ARC 103; Monday 5:40 PM-7:00 PM at BST 114AARC 103BST 114A | Busch |
| 0413560 | Open | Anne Keating | Monday 12:10 PM-1:30 PM at ARC 103; Thursday 12:10 PM-1:30 PM at ARC 103; Tuesday 12:10 PM-1:30 PM at BST 114AARC 103BST 114A | Busch |
| 0513561 | Open | Anne Keating | Monday 12:10 PM-1:30 PM at ARC 103; Thursday 12:10 PM-1:30 PM at ARC 103; Tuesday 2:00 PM-3:20 PM at BST 114AARC 103BST 114A | Busch |
| 0613562 | Open | Anne Keating | Monday 12:10 PM-1:30 PM at ARC 103; Thursday 12:10 PM-1:30 PM at ARC 103; Tuesday 3:50 PM-5:10 PM at BST 114AARC 103BST 114A | Busch |
| 0713563 | Open | Anne Keating | Monday 12:10 PM-1:30 PM at ARC 103; Thursday 12:10 PM-1:30 PM at ARC 103; Wednesday 8:30 AM-9:50 AM at BST 114AARC 103BST 114A | Busch |
| 0813564 | Open | Anne Keating | Monday 12:10 PM-1:30 PM at ARC 103; Thursday 12:10 PM-1:30 PM at ARC 103; Wednesday 10:20 AM-11:40 AM at BST 114AARC 103BST 114A | Busch |
| 0913565 | Open | Anne Keating | Monday 12:10 PM-1:30 PM at ARC 103; Thursday 12:10 PM-1:30 PM at ARC 103; Wednesday 12:10 PM-1:30 PM at BST 114AARC 103BST 114A | Busch |
| 1013566 | Open | Anne Keating | Monday 12:10 PM-1:30 PM at ARC 103; Thursday 12:10 PM-1:30 PM at ARC 103; Thursday 2:00 PM-3:20 PM at BST 114AARC 103BST 114A | Busch |
| 1113567 | Open | Anne Keating | Monday 12:10 PM-1:30 PM at ARC 103; Thursday 12:10 PM-1:30 PM at ARC 103; Thursday 3:50 PM-5:10 PM at BST 114AARC 103BST 114A | Busch |
| 1213568 | Open | Anne Keating | Monday 12:10 PM-1:30 PM at ARC 103; Thursday 12:10 PM-1:30 PM at ARC 103; Thursday 5:40 PM-7:00 PM at BST 114AARC 103BST 114A | Busch |
| 1313569 | Open | Anne Keating | Monday 12:10 PM-1:30 PM at ARC 103; Thursday 12:10 PM-1:30 PM at ARC 103; Tuesday 10:20 AM-11:40 AM at BST 114AARC 103BST 114A | Busch |
| 1413570 | Open | Anne Keating | Monday 12:10 PM-1:30 PM at ARC 103; Thursday 12:10 PM-1:30 PM at ARC 103; Wednesday 2:00 PM-3:20 PM at BST 114AARC 103BST 114A | Busch |
| 1513571 | Open | Anne Keating | Monday 12:10 PM-1:30 PM at ARC 103; Thursday 12:10 PM-1:30 PM at ARC 103; Wednesday 3:50 PM-5:10 PM at BST 114AARC 103BST 114A | Busch |
| 1613572 | Open | Anne Keating | Monday 12:10 PM-1:30 PM at ARC 103; Thursday 12:10 PM-1:30 PM at ARC 103; Wednesday 5:40 PM-7:00 PM at BST 114AARC 103BST 114A | Busch |
Historical student surveys
Teaching
4.10
Course quality
3.72
Response rate
46.4%
Coverage
95 offerings · 2014–2025
| Instructor | Offerings | Teaching | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anne Keating | 21 | 4.19 | 3.73 |
| Christy Beal | 12 | 4.48 | 4.12 |
| Daniel Stern Cardinale | 10 | 4.58 | 4.13 |
| Beal Christy | 3 | 4.37 | 4.03 |
| Stern-Cardinale D. | 3 | 4.50 | 3.97 |
| Wu F | 3 | 4.30 | 3.87 |
Catalog and planning context
Credits
4
Current campuses
Busch
Current availability
18 open of 18
Catalog terms
Fall, Spring, Summer
Core codes
NS
Loaded terms
2
((01:640:026 or 01:640:111 or 01:640:115) and (01:355:101)) <em> OR </em> ((01:640:135 or 01:640:151 or 01:640:191) and (01:355:101)) <em> OR </em> ((01:640:026 or 01:640:111 or 01:640:115) and (01:355:104)) <em> OR </em> ((01:640:135 or 01:640:151 or 01:640:191) and (01:355:104)) <em> OR </em> ((01:640:115 or 01:640:135 or 01:640:151) and (01:355:103)) <em> OR </em> ((01:640:026 or 01:640:111 or 01:640:115) and (01:356:156))
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