Department of Biological Science

Chair
Estelle Levetin

Professors
Charles R. Brown
Mark Buchheim
Glen E. Collier
Peggy S. Hill
Estelle Levetin
Richard L. Reeder
Harrington Wells

Associate Professors
Akhtar Ali
Ron Bonett
Mohamed Fakhr
Kenton S. Miller

Assistant Professor
Warren Booth

Instructors
Marsha J. Howard
Karen A. McMahon

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 (B.S.), Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Master of Science (M.S.), and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees. Both B.S. degrees can be part of a combined B.S./M.S. degree program. This is a five-year program that upon completion results in the awarding of B.S. and M.S. degrees in biology. For additional information concerning M.S., Ph.D. or the combined B.S./M.S. degrees see The University of Tulsa Graduate Bulletin. Degree requirements are purposely flexible, providing the student with career choices in biotechnology, organismic biology, cellular biology, environmental biology, medicine, dentistry, medical technology, or further graduate training. Course work 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 or Bachelor of Arts degree program will demonstrate skills relevant to:

Science literacy.
Critical thinking and communication, and
Ethical reasoning.

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.

Nursing and Allied Health Majors

Nursing, exercise and sports science, and athletic training students in consultation with a nursing advisor should enroll in the sequence BIOL 2151 , BIOL 2153 , BIOL 2171 , and BIOL 2173 .

Minor Fields for Biology Majors

Biology majors may minor in any subject. However, a minor in physical sciences (including inorganic/organic chemistry and physics) is strongly recommended since many biology elective courses presume an understanding of basic organic chemistry and most professional and graduate schools require 16 hours of chemistry, 8 hours of physics, and mathematics through calculus.

Teacher Certification

Students seeking secondary teacher certification in biology must also complete requirements for a second major in education described under the School of Urban Education . In addition, teacher certification requires proficiency in a second language at the novice level.

Programs

Major

Minor

Biological Science Minor

Courses

Biological Science

Common Questions

Colleges