Does a B.A. in Biology qualify, or only a B.S.?

The bulletin's Bachelor-of-Science requirement applies only to Computer Science. For Biology it accepts a bachelor's, master's or Ph.D. degree in the subject, shown on an official transcript.

Is Molecular Cell Biology a Category A degree?

The bulletin uses Molecular Cell Biology as an example of a degree that may be equivalent to Biology. OED makes that call from your transcript, so include course descriptions.

Which USPTO Technology Center examines biology patents?

Mostly Technology Center 1600 (Biotechnology and Organic Chemistry). Agriculture and plant and animal husbandry are in Technology Center 3600, Group 3640.

Patent bar eligibility by degree

Biology and the Patent Bar

Biology is a Category A subject in the USPTO General Requirements Bulletin, as are Biological Science (since 2021) and Botany. A bachelor's, master's or Ph.D. in any of them qualifies you to apply for the patent bar.

Check your eligibility Full eligibility guide

At a glance

USPTO category: Category A
Listed subjects: Biology, Biological Science, Botany
Degree levels: Bachelor's, master's or Ph.D.
Main Technology Centers: TC 1600, TC 3600

Checked against the August 2026 bulletin

Eligibility

Does a Biology degree qualify?

Yes. The USPTO General Requirements Bulletin (August 2026 edition) lists Biology, Biological Science, Botany in Category A, the degree-based route to the registration exam. An applicant with a bachelor's, master's or Doctor of Philosophy degree in a listed subject from an accredited U.S. college or university, or the foreign equivalent, meets the scientific and technical requirement without a course-by-course review.

The bulletin's Bachelor-of-Science requirement applies only to Computer Science, so a B.A. in Biology is assessed like a B.S.: the transcript must show the degree awarded.

Your OED application

Exactly what to submit

An official transcript from the college or university that shows the degree was awarded. A transcript issued to you is accepted if it carries the school's stamp or seal.
Not a diploma or a letter. A diploma, a copy of a transcript or a registrar's letter naming your degree does not meet the requirement.
Course descriptions if the title isn't an exact match. If your degree title differs from the listed subject, OED checks equivalence; the OED FAQ suggests sending course descriptions with the first application to avoid delay.
Foreign degrees: objective evidence of U.S. equivalence, such as an evaluation from a foreign-credential evaluation service, alongside the transcript.

The rest of the application (forms, fees and the moral-character questions) is covered step by step in the OED application guide.

Practice

Patent work for biology graduates

Registered practitioners usually draft and prosecute applications in the technology they trained in. In this field that means work such as:

Technology area	Example inventions
Agricultural biotechnology	Drought-tolerant crops, new plant varieties, biopesticides.
Diagnostics	Biomarker assays, pathogen detection kits.
Therapeutics	Antibodies, cell-based therapies.
Research tools	Cell lines, assay systems, model organisms.
Animal husbandry and aquaculture	Breeding systems, feed compositions, pest control.

USPTO

Which Technology Centers examine this work

The USPTO routes each application to one of its Technology Centers by its classification. For biology subject matter, these are the ones you will deal with most:

Technology Center	Why it applies
TC 1600 Biotechnology and Organic Chemistry	Biotechnology, including diagnostics, therapeutics and cell lines.
TC 3600 Transportation, Construction, Electronic Commerce, Agriculture, National Security and License and Review	Its Group 3640 covers agriculture and plant and animal husbandry.

Routing follows each application's classification, so a single application can land outside these centers.

Patent law

Plant patents and products of nature

Biology is where the exam's special patent types live. Plant patents protect asexually reproduced plants (35 U.S.C. 161; MPEP chapter 1600), and the product-of-nature and law-of-nature exceptions to eligibility (MPEP 2106.04, built on Myriad and Mayo) decide what living material can be claimed.

The registration exam itself tests patent law and USPTO procedure from the MPEP, not your technical field. See the patent bar exam overview for format and scoring.

Other routes

If your degree title differs

Category A is matched on the subject your transcript names. Titles close to biology are handled like this:

Molecular Cell Biology: The bulletin gives this as an example of a degree that may be equivalent to Biology. OED decides from the transcript.
Ecology, Zoology or Marine Biology: Not printed in the bulletin. OED decides equivalence; if not, Category B Option 2 (8 hours chemistry or physics plus 24 hours of biology-type courses) is the usual route.
Biomedical Science or Neuroscience: Each is listed in Category A in its own right.

If you don't qualify under Category A, Category B counts science and engineering coursework (courses for science or engineering majors, grade C- or better):

Option 1: 24 semester hours in physics (physics courses for physics majors).
Option 2: 32 semester hours: 8 in chemistry or physics plus 24 in biology, botany, microbiology or molecular biology.
Option 3: 30 semester hours in chemistry (chemistry courses for chemistry majors).
Option 4: 40 semester hours: 8 in chemistry or physics plus 32 in other listed science and engineering subjects.

Category C is for applicants with a bachelor's degree who pass the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam. Run your transcript through Do I Qualify? for a quick check, then read the full eligibility guide.

FAQ