General Institute Requirement

General Institute Requirement

All undergraduate students are required to complete the Biology General Institute Requirement (GIR).  There are two ways for you to complete this requirement: core class 7.01x or the Biology Advanced Standing Exam.

Core class 7.01x

Every semester we offer several versions of the Biology GIR: 7.01x. All of the classes cover the same core material, as well as distinctive material.

The core material focuses on function at a molecular level including:

  • The structure and regulation of genes
  • The structure and synthesis of proteins
  • How these molecules are integrated into cells
  • How cells are integrated into multicellular systems and organisms
  • Computational and genomic approaches to biology

Subject options

Subjects 7.012, 7.013, and 7.014 require a certain level of chemistry knowledge. You are encouraged to take the Chemistry Self-Evaluation before registering for one of these subjects. You can make changes to your recitation section in your 7.01x Canvas site.

Lottery information

All biology classes where the number of students registered surpasses the number of seats available will be subjected to a general lottery.

To be considered for an over-enrolled 7.01x course, first year students should register by the fall registration deadline, the last Thursday in August before Labor Day.

Please note that students who are not lotteried into a class may need to enroll in a Biology GIR: 7.01x class in a subsequent semester.

If you have additional questions about the lottery process, contact biogir@mit.edu.

GIR Video