A month after the government department announced it would significantly modify its undergraduate degree requirements, two more of the College's largest concentrations--biology and biochemical sciences--are making sweeping changes to their courses of study.

The proposed changes, which were announced to biochemical concentrators in an e-mail message yesterday, significantly alter the introductory sequence of classes for both concentrations.

The changes will affect incoming members of the Class of 2004.

Current undergraduates will not be directly affected by the new requirements, though some course offerings will be modified as a result of the plan.

Professor of Molecular and Cell Biology William M. Gelbart, who is the head tutor of the biology concentration, said the changes aim to keep the curriculum up to date.

"Part of the discussion was rethinking what should be expected of biologists in the twenty-first century," Gelbart said.

Under the new plan, both regular and honors biology concentrators will be required to take one fewer course than the College currently mandates. The changes will also make the regular honors and neurobiology honors tracks more similar.

As a part of this change, both departments will also make significant modifications to the introductory classes taught by the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology (MCB) and the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology (OEB).