Course description
Students majoring in Biology are provided a well-balanced background in the life sciences. The characteristics of life are examined at all levels, from the functions of a single cell to the dynamics of an ecosystem. The field- and laboratory-based curriculum includes significant writing, research, and analytical components designed to prepare students for careers in biology or for studies at the graduate level. To meet these objectives, the Department has established several degree concentrations, each with a different focus within the discipline. Each concentration requires the completion of a core curriculum (Concepts of Biology, Zoology, Botany, and Genetics) and cognate courses in chemistry, math, and in some concentrations, physics. A minor in biology consists of a minimum of 14 semester hours taken in courses numbered 2000 and above.
Undergraduate Advising
Advising for non-declared majors is performed in the General Studies Academic Advising Center but also requires that you attend one of the general advising sessions held in the Biology Department prior to registration. After completing English 1000 and 1100 and 30 semester hours, with a 2.0 GPA or better, you may declare your major at General Studies Academic Advising Center in 101 D.D. Dougherty. You will then have a Biology faculty advisor assigned to you. Each semester prior to registration, faculty members will post advising sign-up sheets at their office. Please come to that session prepared with your check sheet filled out for what courses you have taken and what courses you plan to take. Students are responsible for their own program of study, career planning and personal development; however, faculty advisors consider their role to be an important part of your college program and career preparation. Faculty have an open-door policy that encourages students to discuss all of these issues.
Bachelor of Science/Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology
This concentration is designed to prepare students for careers or graduate programs in organismal biology, environmental studies, or related disciplines. To accommodate the specific interests of students within the larger field of ecology and environmental biology, specific laboratories and field-based courses are completed within areas.
