Category B Patent Bar Eligibility: 2026 Coursework Requirements
Category B is the USPTO pathway for applicants who hold a bachelor's, master's, or Doctor of Philosophy degree in a subject that is not listed under Category A, but who can still demonstrate scientific and technical training equivalent to a recognized technical degree. If your degree is on the list of Category A qualifying degrees, you generally do not need the coursework analysis on this page.
Under the August 2026 General Requirements Bulletin, Category B includes four defined coursework options plus other training and other education routes that OED may evaluate on the evidence submitted.
The four coursework options are exact. You only need to satisfy one complete option, but partial completion of different options should not be combined unless the current bulletin expressly allows the coursework to fit one of the listed paths.
Category B Requirements at a Glance
| Option | Required coursework | Key rule |
|---|---|---|
| Option 1 | 24 semester hours in physics | Physics courses must be for physics majors |
| Option 2 | 32 semester hours total: 8 hours in chemistry and/or physics + 24 hours in biology, botany, microbiology, or molecular biology | At least one of the chemistry/physics courses must include a lab; courses must be for science or engineering majors |
| Option 3 | 30 semester hours in chemistry | Chemistry courses must be for chemistry majors |
| Option 4 | 40 semester hours total: 8 hours in chemistry, physics, and/or biology + 32 hours in approved science/engineering coursework | At least one of the first 8 hours must include a lab; all acceptable coursework must be for science or engineering majors |
Option 1 – 24 Semester Hours in Physics
Option 1 requires 24 semester hours in physics. The current USPTO bulletin states that only physics courses for physics majors will be accepted.
The important point is not simply that a course has the word “physics” in the title. OED evaluates whether the coursework is the type of physics training used toward a physics major.
Applicants relying on Option 1 should submit the official transcript and the official course descriptions required by the bulletin for each course used to meet the 24-hour total.
Option 2 – 32 Semester Hours in Physical and Biological Sciences
Option 2 requires 32 semester hours in a specific combination:
- 8 semester hours in a combination of chemistry or physics, with at least one course including a laboratory; and
- 24 semester hours in biology, botany, microbiology, or molecular biology.
Only courses for science or engineering majors are accepted under this option.
This is not a general 32-hour science requirement. The 8-hour and 24-hour components must satisfy the subject distribution stated in the bulletin.
Option 3 – 30 Semester Hours in Chemistry
Option 3 requires 30 semester hours in chemistry. Only chemistry courses for chemistry majors are accepted.
Do not assume that every course offered by a chemistry department will count automatically. The course description must support that the course provides the type of scientific and technical training OED accepts under the bulletin.
Option 4 – 40 Semester Hours Across Approved Sciences and Engineering
Option 4 is the most flexible of the four coursework routes, but it also has the largest total credit requirement.
It requires:
- 8 semester hours in a combination of chemistry, physics, or biology, with at least one course including a laboratory; and
- 32 semester hours in chemistry, physics, biology, botany, microbiology, molecular biology, or engineering.
Only courses for science or engineering majors are accepted.
Computer science coursework may also count under the special “Other Acceptable Course Work” rules described by the USPTO, but it does not replace the required 8-hour chemistry/physics/biology component.
How Computer Science Can Count Under Category B
Under Option 4, the General Requirements Bulletin says that computer science courses stressing theoretical foundations, analysis, and design – and including substantial laboratory work such as software development – may be accepted.
The bulletin gives examples including:
- Algorithms and data structures
- Software design with a laboratory
- Programming languages with a laboratory
- Computer organization and architecture
- Artificial intelligence and robotics
- Networking
- Operating systems
- Software methodology and engineering
Computer science courses cannot be substituted for the required initial 8 semester hours in chemistry, physics, or biology under Option 4.
Grades: C- or Better
The August 2026 General Requirements Bulletin states that only courses with a grade of C- or better will be accepted for Category B.
That means a course can have the correct subject matter and still fail to count if the grade does not meet the USPTO threshold.
Official Transcripts Are Required
Category B applicants must provide official transcripts showing both the awarded degree and each course relied on for scientific and technical training.
A diploma, a copy of a diploma, or an unofficial transcript is not sufficient. The USPTO accepts an official transcript submitted by the applicant as long as it includes the college or university stamp or seal.
Official Course Descriptions Are Also Required
For each course used under Options 1 through 4, the applicant must furnish an official course description that is concurrent with the year in which the course was taken.
The bulletin requires the supporting material to include the relevant catalog cover page, the page describing the major requirements, and the complete pages describing the courses relied on.
This documentation matters when a course title is broad or ambiguous. OED reviews what was actually taught, not just the name printed on the transcript.
Quarter and Trimester Credits Must Be Converted
The USPTO expresses the Category B thresholds in semester hours. If your school used quarter or trimester credits, the current bulletin says to multiply those credits by two-thirds to convert them to semester hours.
Do the conversion before assuming you have enough technical coursework.
Courses That Commonly Do Not Count
The General Requirements Bulletin gives a long list of typical non-acceptable coursework. Examples include:
- Mathematics courses
- Management information systems and data-management courses
- Courses on how to use computer software
- Science courses for non-science majors
- Public health courses
- Psychology and sociology
- Business and management courses
- Patent law courses
- Vocational training
- Pass/fail coursework
- Audited courses
This list is one reason Category B applicants should avoid counting credits based only on department names or course titles.
Other Training and Other Education
Category B is broader than the four coursework options alone. The current bulletin also allows OED to consider other scientific and technical training or other education on a case-by-case basis when objective evidence shows training equivalent to that received in a Category A subject.
Examples described in the bulletin include certain foreign education, college credit granted for qualifying prior learning, military technical education when equivalent college credit is established, and other documented education that meets the USPTO's equivalency standard.
These routes are evidence-heavy and cannot be reduced to a simple checklist. If you are relying on them, follow the current USPTO General Requirements Bulletin closely.
What Category B Is Not
- It is not a general “32 science credits” rule.
- It is not satisfied by mixing incomplete parts of multiple options unless the coursework fits one complete option.
- It does not automatically accept every engineering, biology, chemistry, physics, or computer course.
- It does not replace the requirement to hold a bachelor's, master's, or Ph.D. degree in another subject under the current Category B heading.
- It does not mean OED will accept a course without the required documentation.
Category B vs. Category C
Category B is based on a degree in another subject plus qualifying scientific and technical training shown through coursework or other accepted education/training evidence.
Category C is different. Under the August 2026 bulletin, an applicant relying on practical engineering or scientific experience may establish the required training by passing the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) test and submitting the required official result and bachelor's-degree transcript.
If you have passed the FE exam, review the Category C FE exam pathway rather than trying to force that credential into Category B.
Build Your Category B Application Carefully
Start with the current General Requirements Bulletin, choose the one Category B option that best matches your transcript, convert the credits correctly, confirm every grade, and collect the required official course descriptions before starting the Patent Bar application process.
If your background does not fit Category B cleanly, review Category C or contact OED rather than relying on a simplified prep-site interpretation. For the broader decision path, see our guide to Patent Bar eligibility.