Zoology, BS

Requirements for Students Matriculating in or before Academic Year 2024-2025. Learn more about University Academic Regulation 3.1.

Minimum Overall Grade Point Average: 2.00
Total Hours: 120

General Education Requirements
English Composition
See Academic Regulation 3.5
ENGL 1113Composition I3
or ENGL 1313 Critical Analysis and Writing I
Select one of the following:3
Composition II
Critical Analysis and Writing II
Technical Writing
American History & Government
HIST 1103Survey of American History3
or HIST 1483 American History to 1865 (H)
or HIST 1493 American History Since 1865 (DH)
POLS 1113American Government3
Analytical & Quantitative Thought (A)
MATH 1813Preparation for Calculus (A) (or higher) 13
STAT 4013Statistical Methods I (A) 13
or STAT 2013 Elementary Statistics (A)
or STAT 3023 Statistical Reasoning for Medical Applications (A)
Humanities (H)
Courses designated (H)6
Natural Sciences (N)
Must include one Laboratory Science (L) course
PHYS 1114College Physics I (LN) 14
or PHYS 2014 University Physics I (LN)
PHYS 1214College Physics II (LN) 14
or PHYS 2114 University Physics II (LN)
Social & Behavioral Sciences (S)
Course designated (S)3
Additional General Education
Courses designated (A), (H), (N), or (S)6
Hours Subtotal41
Diversity (D) & International Dimension (I)
May be completed in any part of the degree plan
Select at least one Diversity (D) course
Select at least one International Dimension (I) course
College/Departmental Requirements
First Year Seminar
(Transfer students with 15 hours exempt)1
Arts & Humanities
See note 2.a.3
Natural & Mathematical Sciences
CHEM 1314Chemistry I (LN)4
CHEM 1515Chemistry II (LN)5
Foreign Language
See note 3
0-6 hours
Upper-Division General Education
Select 6 hours outside major department
See note 2.c.
Hours Subtotal13
Major Requirements 2
Minimum grade of “C” in each course.
Core Courses
BIOL 1113
BIOL 1111
Introductory Biology (N)
and Introductory Biology Laboratory (LN)
4
or BIOL 1114 Introductory Biology (LN)
BIOL 1604Animal Biology4
BIOL 3023General Genetics 23
BIOL 3034General Ecology4
BIOL 3104Invertebrate Zoology4
BIOL 3114Vertebrate Zoology4
BIOL 3204Physiology4
BIOL 4133Evolution 23
BIOL 4700Undergraduate Research Problems (1 hour)1
or BIOL 4710 Internships in Integrative Biology
or BIOL 4730 Collaborative Research in Integrative Biology
MICR 2123Introduction to Microbiology3
or MICR 3033 Cell and Molecular Biology
Select one of the following:5
Survey of Organic Chemistry
and Survey of Organic Chemistry Laboratory
Organic Chemistry I
and Organic Chemistry Laboratory
and Organic Chemistry II
Select 10 hours upper-division BIOL courses with a laboratory in at least one course (excluding general education courses)10
Supplemental Courses
Select 2 of the following from different prefixes:6
Survey of Biochemistry
Medicinal Organic Chemistry
Technical Writing
Ecological Methodology
Environmental Sampling and Analysis
Climatology (N)
Conservation of Natural Resources (S)
Health and Maps
Biogeography, Biodiversity, and Humankind
Climate Change: Past, Present, and Future
Grasslands and Savannas: Evolution and Environmental Issues
Fundamentals of Geographic Information Systems
Remote Sensing
GEOL 3043
GEOL of the National Parks
Environmental Geology (N)
Hydrogeology
Introduction to Oceanography (N)
Marine Geology
Health Issues in Diverse Populations (D)
Understanding HIV (DS)
History of Medicine (H)
American Environmental History (H)
Immunology
Foundations of Cancer
Principles of Wildlife Ecology and Management
Fish and Wildlife Population Biology
Restoration Ecology
Ecology Of Invasive Species
Natural Resource Administration and Policy
Watershed Hydrology and Water Quality
Wildlife Management Techniques
Ethics & Animals (H)
Environmental Ethics (H)
Biomedical Ethics (H)
Philosophy of Science (H)
Philosophy of Biology (H)
Environmental Law And Policy
Comparative Psychology (N)
Psychopathology (S)
Sociology of Health and Illness
Environmental Sociology (S)
Environmental Inequality (S)
Hours Subtotal55
Electives 2
Select 11 hours11
May need to include 6 hours of a foreign language. See note 3
MATH 1513 required for students who do not place directly into MATH 1813.
PSYC 1113 and SOC 1113 recommended.
May need to include 6 hours upper-division general education outside major department (see note 2.c.) and 4 additional upper-division hours
Hours Subtotal11
Total Hours120
1

College and Departmental Requirements that may be used to meet General Education Requirements.

2

With approval from the advisor and department head and a minimum GPA of 3.0, a maximum of 30 hours from an accredited doctoral health program may be substituted for electives or major requirements other than BIOL 3023 General Genetics and BIOL 4133 Evolution.

Other Requirements

  • See the College of Arts and Sciences Requirements.
  • Minimum 2.0 GPA in all BIOL courses.
  • Upper-Division Credit: Total hours must include at least 40 hours in courses numbered 3000 or above.

College of Arts and Sciences Requirements

  1. Hours in One Department: For B.A. and B.S. degrees, no more than 54 hours in one department may be required to meet degree requirements. Courses used to satisfy the General Education English Composition, U.S. History, American Government, and Mathematics or Statistics requirements will not count toward the 54-hour maximum required from one department.
  2. A&S College/Departmental Requirements
    1. Arts and Humanities are defined as any course carrying an (H) designation or courses from AMST, ART, DANC, ENGL (except ENGL 3323 Technical Writing) HIST, MUSI, PHIL (except PHIL 1313 Logic and Critical Thinking (A), PHIL 3003 Symbolic Logic (A) and PHIL 4003 Mathematical Logic and Computability), REL, TH, and foreign languages.
    2. Natural and Mathematical Sciences are defined as any course from the following prefixes: ASTR, BIOC, BIOL, CHEM, CS (except CS 4883 Social Issues in Computing), GEOL, MATH, MICR, PBIO, PHYS, and STAT; or courses from other departments that carry an (A) or (N) general education designation.
    3. Six upper-division hours are required from General Education or any CAS courses outside the student’s major department. This requirement may be satisfied by courses also used to satisfy any part of a student’s degree program (i.e., in General Education, College Departmental Requirements, Major Requirements or Electives).
    4. Non-Western Studies Requirement for B.A. and B.F.A.; One course in Non-Western Studies (N.W.). This requirement may be satisfied by courses also used to satisfy any part of a student's degree program (i.e., in General Education, College Departmental Requirements, Major Requirements or Electives).
    5. The College of Arts & Sciences requires a minimum 2.0 GPA in all major requirements and a minimum 2.0 GPA in all major-prefix courses applied to the degree.
  3. Foreign Language Proficiency
    1. The foreign language requirement for the B.A. may be satisfied by 9 hours college credit in the same language, which must include 3 hours at the 2000-level, or equivalent proficiency (e.g., passing an advanced standing examination; TOEFL exam; presenting a high school transcript which demonstrates the high school was primarily conducted in a language other than English; etc.). Computer Science courses may not be used to satisfy this requirement. Currently Arabic and Mvskoke are not offered at the 2000-level at OSU.
    2. The foreign language requirement for the B.S., B.M. and B.F.A. may be satisfied by presenting a high school transcript which demonstrates two years of study of a single foreign language (passing grades at second-year level of study). It may also be satisfied by 6 hours college credit in the same language, which must include language courses 1713 and 1813, or equivalent proficiency (e.g., passing an advanced standing examination; TOEFL exam; presenting a high school transcript which demonstrates the high school was primarily conducted in a language other than English; etc.). Computer Science courses may not be used to satisfy this requirement.
    3. In addition to a. and b., students pursuing teacher certification must meet novice-high foreign language proficiency by presenting a high school transcript which demonstrates two years of study of a single foreign language with no grade below B. Or, students may complete 3 hours college credit in a single language with no grade below C (or pass an advanced standing examination, College Level Examination Program (CLEP) exam, or Oral Proficiency Interview developed by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, equivalent to 3 hours of college credit.) Or, students may meet the requirement by transfer of documentation of meeting the foreign language competency from one of the teacher education programs in the State of Oklahoma approved by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.
  4. Exclusions. Courses with ATHL or LEIS prefixes and leisure activity courses may not be used for degree credit.

Additional State/OSU Requirements

  • At least: 60 hours at a four-year institution; 30 hours completed at OSU; 15 of the final 30 or 50% of the upper-division hours in the major field completed at OSU.
  • Limit of: one-half of major course requirements as transfer work; one-fourth of hours earned by correspondence; 8 transfer correspondence hours.
  • Students will be held responsible for degree requirements in effect at the time of matriculation and any changes that are made, so long as these changes do not result in semester credit hours being added or do not delay graduation.
  • Degrees that follow this plan must be completed by the end of Summer 2030.

Finish in Four Plan of Study

The plan below is an example of how students can successfully complete degree requirements in four years. This suggested class schedule plan may be used as a guide and can be adjusted based on individual needs. Students are required to meet with an academic advisor prior to enrollment each semester to plan their class schedule, and students are ultimately responsible for completing all degree requirements.

Plan of Study Grid
Freshman
FallHours
First Year Seminar 1
BIOL 1113
BIOL 1111
Introductory Biology (N)
and Introductory Biology Laboratory (LN)
4
MATH 1813 Preparation for Calculus (A) 3
General Education courses 7
 Hours15
Spring
BIOL 1604 Animal Biology 4
CHEM 1314 Chemistry I (LN) 4
General Education courses 7
 Hours15
Sophomore
Fall
BIOL 3034 General Ecology 4
CHEM 1515 Chemistry II (LN) 5
MICR 2123
Introduction to Microbiology
or Cell and Molecular Biology
3
General Education or Elective courses 3
 Hours15
Spring
BIOL 3104 Invertebrate Zoology 4
PHYS 1114 College Physics I (LN) 4
Major or Elective courses 7
 Hours15
Junior
Fall
BIOL 3114 Vertebrate Zoology 4
BIOL 4700
Undergraduate Research Problems
or Internships in Integrative Biology
or Collaborative Research in Integrative Biology
1
PHYS 1214 College Physics II (LN) 4
Major or Elective courses 6
 Hours15
Spring
CHEM 3053
Organic Chemistry I
or Survey of Organic Chemistry and Survey of Organic Chemistry Laboratory
5
Choose an upper division BIOL course with a lab 4
General Education or Supplemental courses 6
 Hours15
Senior
Fall
BIOL 3023 General Genetics 3
CHEM 3153
CHEM 3112
Organic Chemistry II
and Organic Chemistry Laboratory (If taking 8-hour sequence)
5
General Education, Major, or Supplemental courses 7
 Hours15
Spring
BIOL 3204 Physiology 4
BIOL 4133 Evolution 3
General Education, Major, or Supplemental courses 8
 Hours15
 Total Hours120
1

Speak with academic advisor about saving General Education electives and Humanities (H) for Upper-division courses with International (I) and Diversity (D) dimensions.