#  CPB Concentration Requirements 

 



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 Please see the [CPB website](https://www.mcb.harvard.edu/undergraduate/chemical-and-physical-biology/requirements/?course-button=coursechecklists) or [Student Handbook](http://handbook.fas.harvard.edu/book/chemical-and-physical-biology) for the most up-to-date information on concentration requirements.

Sort    REQUIREMENTS

 

  SELECTIONS

 

    **Foundational courses**  
2 half courses

 

  LS 1a(or LPS A) AND LS 1b

 

  or

 

  LS 50a AND LS 50b

 

    **Intermediate biology**  
2 half courses

 

  MCB 60

 AND

 MCB 63, 65, 66, 68, or 80

 

    **General or Inorganic Chemistry**  
1 half course

 

  PS10, PS11, Chem 40, or Chem 160

 

    **Physical Chemistry\*\***  
1 half course

 

  MCB 65\*, MCB 199, CHEM 60, or CHEM 161

 

    **Organic Chemistry**  
2 half courses

 

  Chem 17 AND Chem 27 or

 Chem 20 AND Chem 30

 

    **Mathematics\*\***  
2 half courses

 

  From two out of three categories of linearalgebra and/or differential equations(MATH 19A, MATH 21B, APMTH 22A); statistics (STAT 100, STAT 102, STAT 110); and computer science (CS 50, CS 32, AM 10)

 

    ****Physics\*\*****  
1 half course in mechanics

 

  PS 2, PS 12a, Physics 15a or 16, or Applied Physics 50a

 

    ****Physics\*\*****  
1 half course in electricity and magnetism

 

  PS 3, PS 12b, Physics 15b, or Applied Physics 50b

 

    **Upper level natural sciences\*\***  
3 half courses

 

  3 courses in the natural sciences, engineering, and/or math

 (e.g., 100-level CHEM, MCB, or Physics)

 

    **Research**  
1 semester

 

  At least one upper level project lab course chosen from: LS 100, CHEM 100, CPB 91, and CPB 99. For more information on getting started in research, [click here](/research). For a list of MCB faculty and their research interests, [click here](https://www.mcb.harvard.edu/faculty/faculty-profiles/).  

    **Tutorial**

 

  [Click here](/file_url/348) for more information.

 

 



 \*MCB 65 cannot double-count as both an intermediate biology course and as a physical chemistry course ****Computational requirement**: at least one concentration course must include substantial computational content like PS 12, PHYSICS 15, APMTH 10, APMTH 111, APMTH 115, APMTH 126,CS 50, CS 109, MCB 111, MCB 112, MCB 131, MCB 199, or a class approved by the concentration advisors.