College Life

Private Schools That Are Well Known for This Major

• Brigham Young University
• University of Miami
• Gettysburg College
• Chapman University
• Ithaca College

State Schools That Are Well Known for This Major

• University of Texas
• University of South Carolina
• University of Florida
• University of Massachusetts
• University of California—Davis

Classes in the Major

Biology: Your Biology courses will be invaluable throughout your education. They will teach you about the basis of all known life: the cell. Some curricula will have you taking Microbiology while others require normal Biology. Either way, you will learn about transfer proteins, the components of a cell, and DNA. 

Much of the material you study later on will be based on the knowledge you gain here, so put away the phones in class and pay attention.

Chemistry: In terms if physiology, chemistry goes hand in hand with biology. Think of them as two halves of one whole. If that's too abstract, then just smash the two titles together and you've got one of the other classes you'll have to take: biochemistry. 

You'll take the intros for chemistry so that you understand the chemical side of things before trying to understand them in terms of the body. It is kind of like watching a YouTube video on how to paint a picture before you're expected to paint the next Mona Lisa. You'll be perfectly prepared.

Nutrition: Many physiology students go on to become trainers or physical therapists, so the nutrition aspect is about as important as a ball is to…sportsball. The bulk of physiology revolves around knowing how things affect the body, and nutrition is one of the most important aspects of this. Understanding why eating five cups of sugar for breakfast every day is bad (and delicious) is the sort of knowledge you really hope a physiology major can recite if asked.

Statistics: Although most of the curriculum for Physiology majors is in science, statistics often appears as well. Typically you will only need the first level of statistics in order to get back to all of that exciting biochemistry, so don't panic if you're not much of a numbers person. Having a background knowledge of statistics is an integral part of understanding the studies you will be learning from.

Anatomy: This is a no-brainer. If you are studying Physiology, you have to study human anatomy. In a way, it all began with those Biology courses and came full circle with Anatomy. You will learn the different parts of the body including muscles, bones, ligaments and even the brain. If you're saying to yourself "I better not have to learn every bone in the body" then we have bad news for you: yes. Yes you will.