Biology launches new curriculum in León: 240 credits and four courses

The University of León has made public the curriculum leading to the degree of Bachelor’s in Biology, approved by a Rectorate resolution signed on November 6, 2026, by the rector Nuria González Álvarez. The publication appears in the Official Gazette of Castilla y León (Boletín Oficial de Castilla y León) no. 217, dated November 10, 2026, within section I.D of other provisions, with the official reference BOCYL-D-10112026-217-24 and content extending from page 291. The plan, identified as Plan 2026, organizes a degree of 240 ECTS credits distributed over four courses.

The official status of the degree was established by an Agreement of the Council of Ministers on September 15, 2026, published in the BOE on September 22, 2026. Previously, the plan obtained verification from the Council of Universities, a favorable report from the Agency for the Quality of the University System of Castilla y León, and authorization from the Autonomous Community of Castilla y León. The resolution is based on article 27.4 of Royal Decree 822/2021, of September 28, which regulates the organization of university education and the quality assurance procedure.

A 240-credit degree assigned to Sciences

The annex published in the gazette assigns the degree to the branch of knowledge of Sciences, with the field of study of Biology and Genetics and the RUCT code 1500693. The distribution by type of subject is as follows:

• Basic Training (FB): 60 credits.
• Compulsory (OB): 126 credits.
• Electives (OP): 42 credits.
• External Academic Internships (PAE): 0 credits.
• Final Degree Project (TFG): 12 credits.
• Total credits: 240.

The first course focuses on fundamentals such as Animal and Plant Cytology and Histology (9 credits), Geology (9), Genetics (9), Chemistry (6), Mathematics (6), and Physics of Biological Processes (6), along with Cryptogamic Botany (9) and Structure of Biomolecules (6). In the second course, Population Ecology, General Microbiology, Fundamental Zoology, Animal Physiology I, and Plant Physiology appear, all with 9 credits, in addition to Biochemistry, Physical Anthropology, and Applied Statistics.

Broad electivity and external internships

The third year incorporates subjects such as Advanced and Applied Genetics, Community and Ecosystem Ecology, Advanced and Applied Zoology, Applied Plant Physiology, Animal Physiology II, Animal and Plant Microscopic Organography, Metabolism Regulation, Diversity and Importance of Microorganisms, and Phanerogamic Botany, supplemented by 6 elective credits. The catalog for this level includes three 3-credit subjects: Computer Tools Applied to Biology, Sampling Techniques and Experimental Designs in Biology, and Study Techniques for Biological Molecules.

The fourth year reserves 12 credits for the Final Degree Project, which is annual in nature, and 36 credits for electives, divided into two blocks of 18. These are completed with Immunology: Bases of Immunity, Introduction to Projects in Biology, Deontology and Professional Practice of the Biologist, and Evolution, each worth 3 credits. Among the electives at this level are Conservation Biology, Cell Biology, Human Genetics, Ethology, Entomology, Limnology, Plant Genetic Improvement, Environmental Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems, Data Analysis for Biology, and External Internships, the latter worth 6 credits.

Credit Recognition and Verification

The plan provides that students obtain academic recognition for participating in university cultural, sporting, student representation, solidarity, and cooperation activities, in accordance with article 10.9.c) of Royal Decree 822/2021, up to a maximum of 6 ECTS credits. Likewise, it warns that elective subjects may undergo modifications due to exceptional circumstances, provided that the Vice-Rectorate with competencies in academic organization authorizes it before the start of the course. For further information, the text refers to the University of León website.

The publication of the plan closes the administrative itinerary of a degree called to organize the training of future biologists trained in León and to occupy a stable place on the educational map of Castilla y León. For pre-university students, the document precisely defines subjects, credits, and semesters; for the university system, it provides official record of the degree’s verification and its assignment to the field of Biology and Genetics.

Source: Official Gazette of Castilla y León, no. 217, November 10, 2026, section I.D Other Provisions, page 291 (official reference: BOCYL-D-10112026-217-24).