Zoology

School/College: L & S


Field of Study

The study of animals and their role in the biosphere, ranging from the study of activities at the molecular and cellular level to whole organism and community interactions.

Possible Careers

The Zoology major is flexible and can be tailored to help students prepare for advanced study and careers in many different areas. Some closely related to Zoology include: medicine and allied fields; life sciences research in multiple disciplines within university, government, non-governmental organization and industrial settings; teaching in secondary school, college, museum, and environmental education settings; natural resource management; scientific writing; government service positions; sales and management positions in industry (e.g. biotechnology, pharmaceutical firms); museum curator, zookeeper; technical positions in biological supply houses; illustrator; environmental lawyer.

Special Opportunities & Additional Information

  • Summer research fellowships are available for outstanding zoology majors in the junior year.
  • Faculty advisors can help students choose courses appropriate for specialized areas (e.g., conservation, developmental biology, neurobiology, animal behavior, marine biology).

Selected Required Courses

Intro Biology:
Biology 151-152 (preferred); Biocore (preferred) or Zoology 101-102 (in addition, Botany 130 recommended)
Calculus:
Recommended; Statistics also recommended
General Chemistry:
General Chemistry equivalent to or more advanced than Chem 103-104
Organic Chemistry:
Recommended
Physics:
Physics 103-104; or Physics 201-202; or Physics 207-208 or any first and second semester combination

Recommended Course Sequence for Freshman Year

Prospective zoology majors are strongly urged to take chemistry and mathematics during their freshman year in preparation for intro biology sophomore year. Students are strongly encouraged to meet with an advisor to discuss course sequence.

Advisor

Departmental Office