Individualized Cognate Courses


If you have questions regarding cognates or courses eligible to be used in individualized cognates, please log in to Navigate to schedule time to speak with your academic advisor.

Beginning in Fall 2021, UM students can fulfill the Areas of Knowledge general education requirement by creating an individualized cognate. Only courses (UM as well as transfer courses) with an Area of Knowledge course attribute in CaneLink can be used in an individualized cognate. All three courses in an individualized cognate must have the appropriate Area of Knowledge course attribute. Courses used in an individualized cognate cannot be double counted toward any other degree requirement. An individualized cognate must be a minimum of 3 courses (9 credit hours). Individualized cognates use the following academic plan codes: AT_0080 (Arts & Humanities), PS_0070 (People & Society), and ST_0026 (STEM). For information on thematic cognates, use the cognate search engine.

Below is a searchable list of current courses that can be used in an individualized cognate.

NOTE: The course a student takes to fulfill the quantitative skills proficiency requirement cannot be double counted by including it in an individualized cognate. Also courses with a grade of CR (except for test credits that are accepted with a UM equivalency from AP, IB, GCE, Cambridge Pre-U, CAPE, and CLEP programs) cannot be used to fulfill general education or other degree requirements like individualized cognates.

The courses below are currently effective for the: Spring 2026 Term

Subject Course No. Course Title Area of Knowledge Designation Typically Offered Credits (Min/Max)
BIL 352 Techniques in Scanning Electron Microscopy STEM By Announcement Only 3/3
BIL 354 Biology of Viruses STEM By Announcement Only 3/3
BIL 360 Comparative Physiology STEM Fall, Spring 3/3
BIL 365 Endocrinology STEM Fall 3/3
BIL 369 Biology of Aging STEM Fall 3/3
BIL 374 Seminar in Biology STEM Fall, Spring 1/1
BIL 384 Special Laboratory/Field Topics in Biology STEM By Announcement Only 1/4
BIL 385 Special Topics in Biology STEM By Announcement Only 2/6
BIL 390 Studies in Biology STEM By Announcement Only 1/5
BIL 395 Studies in Biology STEM By Announcement Only 1/5
BIL 402 Seminar in Biology STEM Fall, Spring 1/1
BIL 403 Neuroscience Laboratory STEM By Announcement Only 4/4
BIL 415 Coral Reef Science and Management STEM By Announcement Only 3/3
BIL 430 Tropical Ecology STEM By Announcement Only 3/3
BIL 441 Animal Behavior STEM By Announcement Only 3/3
BIL 442 Animal Behavior Laboratory STEM By Announcement Only 2/2
BIL 450 The Biology of Symbiosis STEM By Announcement Only 3/3
BIL 452 Evolution and Conservation Genetics STEM By Announcement Only 3/3
BIL 455 Developmental Biology STEM Fall 3/3
BIL 456 Developmental Biology Laboratory STEM By Announcement Only 2/2
BIL 467 Biology of Cancer STEM Fall 3/3
BIL 468 Developmental Neuroscience STEM Spring 3/3
BIL 484 Special Laboratory Topics in Biology STEM By Announcement Only 1/4
BIL 485 Special Topics in Biology STEM By Announcement Only 2/6
BIL 511 Advanced Biostatistics STEM Fall 4/4
BIL 514 Advanced Biological Writing STEM By Announcement Only 3/3
BIL 515 Object-Oriented Programming and Agent-Based Modelling STEM By Announcement Only 3/3
BIL 520 Evolution STEM By Announcement Only 3/3
BIL 521 Phylogenetics STEM By Announcement Only 3/3
BIL 523 Advanced Biology of Marine Invertebrates STEM By Announcement Only 4/4
BIL 526 Analyses in R STEM By Announcement Only 3/3
BIL 535 Molecular Ecology STEM By Announcement Only 3/3
BIL 536 Molecular Ecology Laboratory STEM By Announcement Only 1/1
BIL 537 Ecosystem Ecology STEM By Announcement Only 3/3
BIL 551 Population Genetics and Genomics STEM By Announcement Only 3/3
BIL 552 Bioinformatics Tools STEM By Announcement Only 3/3
BIL 553 Biomedical Data Science STEM Fall 3/3
BIL 554 Electron Microscopy STEM By Announcement Only 4/4
BIL 556 Ecological and Evolutionary Genomics Spring 3/3
BIL 556 Ecological and Evolutionary Genomics STEM Spring 3/3
BIL 565 Evolution and Development STEM Spring 3/3
BIL 565 Evolution and Development Spring 3/3
BIL 568 Evolution and development of Nervous Systems STEM By Announcement Only 3/3
BIL 575 Advanced Special Studies in Biology STEM By Announcement Only 1/6
BIL 591 Studies in Biology STEM By Announcement Only 1/5
BIL 592 Studies in Biology STEM By Announcement Only 1/5
BLR 100T Transfer Credit Elective STEM 1/10
BLR 200T Transfer Credit Elective STEM 1/10
BME 302 Cellular Engineering STEM Spring 3/3
BME 305 Biomedical Technology STEM Spring 3/3