Department of Biological Science

For more information about degree offerings from the faculty of biological science, visit the Department of Biological Science webpage.

The undergraduate mission of the Department of Biological Science is to provide a broad foundation in the biological principles that will permit students to successfully pursue a variety of career options including academic work in a diversity of graduate and professional programs.

The Department of Biological Science offers Bachelor of Science in Biological Science (B.S.B.S.) , Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) , Master of Science (M.S.), and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees. The B.S.B.S. degree can be part of an accelerated master’s degree program. This is a five-year program that upon completion results in the awarding of B.S.B.S. and M.S. degrees in biological science. For additional information concerning M.S., Ph.D. or the accelerated master’s degrees see the Graduate Bulletin. Degree requirements are purposely flexible, providing the student with career choices in biotechnology, organismic biology, cellular biology, environmental biology, medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, or further graduate training. Coursework in the major, combined with studies in the University-wide Tulsa Curriculum, gives the student the background required to excel in writing and reasoning and to adjust to the complexity of modern society and its component technologies.

Biological science offers a personalized departmental advising system, ease of access to all professors, high quality student peers, student clubs, and research opportunities for undergraduate students to work in the laboratories of faculty members. Facilities include electron microscopes, equipment for studies in cellular and molecular biology, immunology, genetics, and field biology. Faculty research and expertise are diverse, spanning such areas as ecology and systematics, developmental biology, and molecular and cellular biology.

Program Objectives

Students who complete the Bachelor of Science in Biological Science (B.S.B.S.)  or Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)  degree program will demonstrate skills relevant to:

• Display fundamental understanding of basic genetics and evolution,
• Demonstrate basic knowledge of comparative organismic diversity,
• Demonstrate an understanding of basic organismal adaptations to ecological environments, and
• Analyze and evaluate scientific data and/or current literature

Health Sciences

Because of the variation and frequent changes in entrance requirements among professional schools, students interested in medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, optometry, physical therapy, or other professional fields should obtain a preprofessional advisor within the Department of Biological Science as early in their college careers as possible.

Oxley College of Health Sciences Majors

Students majoring in nursing, exercise and sports science, and speech-language pathology should consult with their faculty advisor to determine which courses are required to complete the Block III requirement. Most students will complete the BIOL 2151 , BIOL 2153 , BIOL 2171 , and BIOL 2173  sequence, but there are additional options for students in some programs.

Supplementary Area of Concentration for Biology Majors

Biology majors are required to complete a Supplemental Area of Concentration (SAC). Those majors pursuing a pre-professional track (pre-medical, pre-dental, or pre-veterinary medicine) must have a SAC in physical sciences (including inorganic/organic chemistry and physics) since many biology elective courses presume an understanding of basic organic chemistry and most professional and graduate schools require 16 hours of chemistry, eight hours of physics, and mathematics through calculus. Biology majors not on a pre-professional track may have a SAC in any subject; however, the physical sciences SAC is recommended.

Minor Fields for Biology Majors

Biological science majors are not required to have a minor; however, they may elect to pursue one in any subject. Minors that are particularly compatible with a biological science major include neuroscience , bioinformatics  and biomedical engineering .

Teacher Certification

Students seeking secondary teacher certification in biology should consult their academic advisors to determine subject area courses that are appropriate and the Oklahoma State Department of Education regarding alternative certification.

Programs

• Biology, B.A.
• Biology, B.S.B.S.
• Biology, Pre-Med Option, B.S.B.S.

• Biology Minor

• Biology, Accelerated Master’s

Courses

• BIOL 1001 Introduction to Biological Science
• BIOL 1003 Genetics and Human Diversity
• BIOL 1011 Plants and Society Laboratory
• BIOL 1013 Plants and Society
• BIOL 1031 The Environment and Humanity Laboratory
• BIOL 1033 The Environment and Humanity
• BIOL 1043 Biology: A Way of Knowing
• BIOL 1051 Plagues and Pestilence Laboratory
• BIOL 1053 Plagues and Pestilence
• BIOL 1113 The Human Body
• BIOL 1123 Introduction to Indoor Air Quality
• BIOL 1603 Introduction to Organismal and Evolutionary Biology
• BIOL 1611 Introduction to Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Laboratory
• BIOL 1703 Introduction to Molecular and Cellular Biology
• BIOL 1711 Introduction to Molecular and Cellular Biology Laboratory
• BIOL 2013 Ecology
• BIOL 2124 Genetics
• BIOL 2143 Evolution
• BIOL 2151 Human Anatomy Laboratory
• BIOL 2153 Human Anatomy
• BIOL 2171 Human Physiology Laboratory
• BIOL 2173 Human Physiology
• BIOL 2524 Field Botany
• BIOL 3084 Fundamentals of Microbiology
• BIOL 3164 Field Ecology
• BIOL 3174 Ornithology
• BIOL 3204 Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy
• BIOL 3224 Vertebrate Physiology
• BIOL 3254 Comparative Vertebrate Embryology
• BIOL 3314 The Fungi and Algae
• BIOL 3363 Medical Parasitology
• BIOL 3454 Plant Anatomy
• BIOL 3504 Plant Diversity
• BIOL 3513 Medical Entomology
• BIOL 3991-3 Independent Research
• BIOL 4003 Protein Structure and Function
• BIOL 4023 Environmental Microbiology
• BIOL 4054 Histology
• BIOL 4093 Population Ecology
• BIOL 4103 Tropical Ecology
• BIOL 4113 Pathogenic Microbiology
• BIOL 4123-4 Selected Topics in Microbiology
• BIOL 4133 Immunology
• BIOL 4143 Introduction to Virology
• BIOL 4153 Animal Behavior
• BIOL 4163 Experimental Techniques in Molecular Biology
• BIOL 4173 Principles of Neuroscience
• BIOL 4183 Biology of Cancer
• BIOL 4193 Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering
• BIOL 4213 Environmental Ethics and Conservation
• BIOL 4234 Comparative Animal Physiology
• BIOL 4243 Mechanisms of Animal Development
• BIOL 4253 Molecular Evolution
• BIOL 4263 Selected Topics in Molecular Genetics
• BIOL 4283 Selected Topics in Molecular Cell Biology
• BIOL 4333 Experimental Design
• BIOL 4343 Advanced Molecular Biology
• BIOL 4383-4 Selected Topics in Biological Science
• BIOL 4393 Introduction to Computational Neuroscience
• BIOL 4464 Plant Physiology
• BIOL 4473 Advanced Cell Biology
• BIOL 4603 Selected Topics in Invertebrate Zoology
• BIOL 4613 Selected Topics in Vertebrate Zoology
• BIOL 4623 Medical Botany
• BIOL 4643 Bioinformatics
• BIOL 4933 Senior Research in Biological Science I
• BIOL 4943 Senior Research in Biological Science II
• BIOL 4971 Senior Seminar
• BIOL 4991-3 Independent Research
• BIOL 5253 Seminar in Organismic/Environmental Biology
• BIOL 5263 Seminar in Cell/Molecular Biology
• BIOL 5333 Phylogenetic Theory
• BIOL 5863 Selected Topics in Biology