Zoology Undergraduate Major (BS, HBS)
This program is available at the following locations:
- Corvallis
- Ecampus
Administered by the Department of Integrative Biology under the School of Life Sciences.
The Zoology major offers scientific training in the diversity, organismal biology, ecology, and evolution of animals. The major core provides a solid foundation in the biological sciences while electives allow students to cater course work to meet specific interests in animal biology. Undergraduate research, internship, teaching and study abroad experience are strongly recommended, and credits can be integrated with major requirements.
Zoology majors enter such varied fields as animal care and husbandry, curatorial and museum management, laboratory animal research, field biology and conservation, and environmental management and policy. The Zoology major is not suitable for pre-veterinary medicine students as it does not include the required prerequisite course work (see the option in Pre-Veterinary Medicine in the Biology major).
Major Code: 620
Upon successful completion of the program, students will meet the following learning outcomes:
- Explain and apply the fundamental concepts of the biological sciences, including Cell and Molecular Biology, Genetics; Animal Physiology and Diversity; Ecology and Evolution; and Conservation Management and Policy.
- Identify and access information (from primary literature and other relevant works) for a particular topic and evaluate the scientific content and context of these sources.
- Generate relevant and testable scientific questions, formulate testable hypotheses, and identify measurable predictions based on observations or previous research.
- Design and implement observational or experimental investigations to collect relevant data, and employ appropriate analytical methods to analyze that data.
- Interpret data and/or observations to support or refute hypotheses, draw conclusions, put findings in the context of current scientific knowledge and literature, and/or suggest future avenues of research.
- Use effective formal and informal communication (i.e., written, oral, graphical, multimedia) to convey scientific information in ways that are appropriate for scientific and non-scientific audiences.
- Integrate and analyze information within and across spatial and temporal scales as well as levels of biological organization.
- Identify, reflect upon, and evaluate assumptions, biases, and alternative hypotheses or interpretations for their own scientific claims or those of others.
- Justify the importance of science and science literacy for individuals and society.
- Integrate biology with other disciplines to make evidence-based decisions on socio-scientific issues.
- Explain how biases and societal factors affect the processes of science (and vice versa), access to participation in science, and the differential outcomes and impacts (both positive and negative) of science on individuals.
- Explain and justify the ethical standards of their discipline, evaluate the ethics of published science, and articulate their personal code of ethics.
- Use effective and appropriate forms of collaboration.
- Produce a self-assessment of interpersonal and academic behaviors needed to achieve their individual career goals.
Students in the Biology major must complete BI 221, BI 222, and BI 223 (or the honors version of this series) with a C– or better to continue on to upper-division Biology (BI) and Zoology (Z) coursework. Students must also complete their General Chemistry series and CH 331 with a C– in each term to move on to other Chemistry (CH) coursework.
Students majoring in Biology, BioHealth Sciences, Fisheries, Wildlife & Conservation Sciences, or Zoology cannot seek a dual or double major in any combination of these four majors. Zoology majors cannot seek the Biology minor.
For further information, see MyDegrees or the Integrative Biology website.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core | ||
| BI 198 | PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT I: BIOLOGY AND ZOOLOGY | 1 |
| BI 298 | PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR BIOLOGISTS II | 1 |
| Baccalaureate Core Communications Course | ||
| COMM 111Z | *PUBLIC SPEAKING | 4 |
| Baccalaureate Core Writing II Course | ||
| WR 227Z | *TECHNICAL WRITING | 4 |
| or WR 362 | *SCIENCE WRITING | |
| Quantitative and Physical Sciences Core | ||
| Select one of the following MTH series: | 8 | |
| *DIFFERENTIAL CALCULUS and INTEGRAL CALCULUS | ||
| *CALCULUS AND PROBABILITY FOR THE LIFE SCIENCES I and CALCULUS AND PROBABILTITY FOR THE LIFE SCIENCES II | ||
| Select one of the following CH series: | 15 | |
| Series 1 | ||
| GENERAL CHEMISTRY and *LABORATORY FOR CHEMISTRY 231 | ||
| GENERAL CHEMISTRY and *LABORATORY FOR CHEMISTRY 232 | ||
| GENERAL CHEMISTRY and *LABORATORY FOR CHEMISTRY 233 | ||
| Series 2 | ||
| GENERAL CHEMISTRY and *GENERAL CHEMISTRY and *GENERAL CHEMISTRY | ||
| CH 331 & CH 332 | ORGANIC CHEMISTRY and ORGANIC CHEMISTRY | 8 |
| CH 337 | ORGANIC CHEMISTRY LABORATORY | 3-4 |
| or CH 390 | ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY | |
| ST 351 & ST 352 | INTRODUCTION TO STATISTICAL METHODS and INTRODUCTION TO STATISTICAL METHODS | 8 |
| or ST 351 & ST 411 & ST 412 | INTRODUCTION TO STATISTICAL METHODS and METHODS OF DATA ANALYSIS and METHODS OF DATA ANALYSIS | |
| Biological Sciences Core | ||
| Select one of the following series: | 12 | |
| Series 1 (Corvallis students) | ||
| *PRINCIPLES OF BIOLOGY: CELLS and *PRINCIPLES OF BIOLOGY: ORGANISMS and *PRINCIPLES OF BIOLOGY: POPULATIONS | ||
| Series 2 (Ecampus students) | ||
| *INTRODUCTORY BIOLOGY I and *INTRODUCTORY BIOLOGY II and *INTRODUCTORY BIOLOGY III | ||
| BI 370 | ECOLOGY | 3 |
| BI 311 | GENETICS | 4 |
| BB 314 | CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY | 4 |
| Z 361 & Z 362 | INVERTEBRATE BIOLOGY and INVERTEBRATE BIOLOGY LABORATORY | 4-5 |
| or Z 364 | DIVERSITY OF LIFE: INVERTEBRATES | |
| or Z 461 | MARINE AND ESTUARINE INVERTEBRATE ZOOLOGY | |
| Z 371 & Z 372 | VERTEBRATE BIOLOGY and VERTEBRATE BIOLOGY LABORATORY | 5 |
| or Z 374 | DIVERSITY OF LIFE: VERTEBRATES | |
| Z 423 | ENVIRONMENTAL PHYSIOLOGY | 3 |
| BI 445 | EVOLUTION | 3 |
| BI 483 | POPULATION BIOLOGY | 3 |
| Writing Intensive Course (WIC) | ||
| Select one course from the following: | 3-15 | |
| ^THEORY, PRACTICE AND DISCOURSE IN THE LIFE SCIENCES | ||
| ^ECOLOGICAL METHODS | ||
| ^FIELD METHODS IN MARINE ECOLOGY | ||
| Senior Biology Field Test | ||
| Students are required to take a comprehensive, two-hour Biology Major Field Test in their final OSU term (or spring term if they will graduate in summer): | ||
| BI 498 | SENIOR ASSESSMENT AND SURVEY | 0 |
| Electives | ||
| Organismal, Physiology and Systematics Electives | ||
| Select two courses from the following: | 6-8 | |
| SYMBIOSES AND THE ENVIRONMENT | ||
| MONSTER BIOLOGY | ||
| PLANT SYSTEMATICS | ||
| BIOLOGY AND CONSERVATION OF MARINE MAMMALS | ||
or FW 311 | ORNITHOLOGY | |
or FW 315 | ICHTHYOLOGY | |
or FW 317 | MAMMALOGY | |
or FW 331 | ECOLOGY OF MARINE AND ESTUARINE BIRDS | |
| GENERAL PARASITOLOGY | ||
| ANIMAL BEHAVIOR | ||
| BIOLOGY OF INSECTS | ||
| COMPARATIVE/FUNCTIONAL VERTEBRATE ANATOMY | ||
| EMBRYOLOGY AND DEVELOPMENT | ||
| VERTEBRATE PHYSIOLOGY I | ||
| BEHAVIORAL NEUROBIOLOGY | ||
| HERPETOLOGY | ||
| AQUATIC ENTOMOLOGY | ||
| Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Electives | ||
| Select two courses from the following: | 6-8 | |
| *HUMAN IMPACTS ON ECOSYSTEMS | ||
or BI 348 | *HUMAN ECOLOGY | |
| MARINE ECOLOGY | ||
| PACIFIC NORTHWEST COASTAL ECOSYSTEMS (taught at Hatfield Marine Science Center) | ||
| FIELD METHODS IN ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION (taught at OSU-Cascades) | ||
| PALEOBIOLOGY | ||
| BIOGEOGRAPHY | ||
| DISEASE ECOLOGY | ||
| PLANT ECOLOGY | ||
| WILDLAND FIRE ECOLOGY | ||
| ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION | ||
| INTRODUCTORY POPULATION DYNAMICS | ||
or FW 421 | AQUATIC BIOLOGICAL INVASIONS | |
or FW 427 | PRINCIPLES OF WILDLIFE DISEASES | |
or FW 479 | WETLANDS AND RIPARIAN ECOLOGY | |
| *BIODIVERSITY: CAUSES, CONSEQUENCES, AND CONSERVATION | ||
| Natural Resource, Management and Policy Electives | ||
| Select two courses from the following: | 6-8 | |
| *INTRODUCTION TO ENVIRONMENTAL ECONOMICS AND POLICY | ||
or AEC 253 | *ENVIRONMENTAL LAW, POLICY, AND ECONOMICS | |
| ENVIRONMENTAL LAW | ||
| COMPANION ANIMAL MANAGEMENT | ||
| *OCEANS IN PERIL | ||
| *HUMAN ECOLOGY | ||
or BI 301 | *HUMAN IMPACTS ON ECOSYSTEMS | |
| FOREST ENTOMOLOGY | ||
| BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION IN MANAGED FORESTS | ||
| *CONSENSUS AND NATURAL RESOURCES | ||
| WILDLAND FIRE SCIENCE AND MANAGEMENT | ||
| FOREST POLICY ANALYSIS | ||
| *ENDANGERED SPECIES, SOCIETY AND SUSTAINABILITY | ||
| AVIAN CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT | ||
| MAMMAL CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT | ||
| ECOSYSTEM SERVICES | ||
| ENVIRONMENTAL POLITICS AND POLICY | ||
| INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLITICS AND POLICY | ||
| *SOCIETY AND NATURAL RESOURCES | ||
| WILDERNESS MANAGEMENT | ||
or TRAL 357 | *PARKS AND PROTECTED AREAS MANAGEMENT | |
| Experiential Learning or Skills Elective | ||
| Select one of the following two tracks: | 3 | |
| Track I Experiential Learning Credits | ||
| Select any combination of three credits from the following: | ||
| TEACHING PRACTICUM (by approval) | ||
| RESEARCH AND SCHOLARSHIP (by approval) | ||
| PROJECTS: CURATORIAL ASSISTANT (by approval) | ||
| ADVANCED TEACHING PRACTICUM (by approval) | ||
| INTERNSHIP (by approval) | ||
OSU international internships (INTL credits) by approval | ||
| Track II Skills Course | ||
| Select one course from the following: | ||
| APPLIED ANIMAL BEHAVIOR | ||
| FIELD METHODS IN ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION (taught at OSU-Cascades) | ||
| FLORA OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST | ||
| FIELD METHODS IN PLANT ECOLOGY | ||
| COMPUTER PROGRAMMING FOR NON-CS MAJORS | ||
| FOREST AS CLASSROOM | ||
| FIELD SAMPLING OF FISH AND WILDLIFE | ||
| INTRODUCTION TO SCIENTIFIC DIVING | ||
| AQUACULTURE LABORATORY | ||
| GISCIENCE I: GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND THEORY | ||
| ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT | ||
| EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE SCIENCE | ||
| FOUNDATIONS OF ADVENTURE LEADERSHIP | ||
| SCIENTIFIC METHODS FOR ANALYZING NATURAL RESOURCE PROBLEMS | ||
| WILDLAND PLANT IDENTIFICATION | ||
| VEGETATION MONITORING AND ANALYSIS | ||
| ENVIRONMENTAL INTERPRETATION | ||
| Remaining Bacc Core and Electives | 33-63 | |
| Total Credits | 180 | |
- *
Baccalaureate Core Course (BCC)
- ^
Writing Intensive Course (WIC)
Major Code: 620
Degree plans are subject to change and the following is only an example of how students may complete their degree in four years. Students should consult their advisor to determine the best degree plan for them. Contact details for advisors can be found on the Academic Advising page.
Track I
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | |
| BI 198 | PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT I: BIOLOGY AND ZOOLOGY | 1 |
| CH 121 | GENERAL CHEMISTRY or GENERAL CHEMISTRY and *LABORATORY FOR CHEMISTRY 231 | 5 |
| COMM 111Z | *PUBLIC SPEAKING | 4 |
| MTH 111Z | *PRECALCULUS I: FUNCTIONS | 4 |
| Credits | 14 | |
| Winter | ||
| CH 122 | *GENERAL CHEMISTRY or GENERAL CHEMISTRY and *LABORATORY FOR CHEMISTRY 232 | 5 |
| MTH 112Z | *PRECALCULUS II: TRIGONOMETRY | 4 |
| WR 121Z | *COMPOSITION I | 4 |
| Bacc Core | 3-4 | |
| Credits | 17 | |
| Spring | ||
| BI 298 | PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR BIOLOGISTS II | 1 |
| CH 123 | *GENERAL CHEMISTRY or GENERAL CHEMISTRY and *LABORATORY FOR CHEMISTRY 233 | 5 |
| MTH 251 or MTH 227 | *DIFFERENTIAL CALCULUS or *CALCULUS AND PROBABILITY FOR THE LIFE SCIENCES I | 4 |
| Bacc Core | 3-4 | |
| Bacc Core | 3-4 | |
| Credits | 18 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| BI 221 or BI 204 | *PRINCIPLES OF BIOLOGY: CELLS or *INTRODUCTORY BIOLOGY I | 4 |
| CH 331 | ORGANIC CHEMISTRY | 4 |
| MTH 252 or MTH 228 | INTEGRAL CALCULUS or CALCULUS AND PROBABILTITY FOR THE LIFE SCIENCES II | 4 |
| Bacc Core | 3-4 | |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Winter | ||
| BI 222 or BI 205 | *PRINCIPLES OF BIOLOGY: ORGANISMS or *INTRODUCTORY BIOLOGY II | 4 |
| CH 332 | ORGANIC CHEMISTRY | 4 |
| Bacc Core | 3-4 | |
| Bacc Core | 3-4 | |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| BI 223 or BI 206 | *PRINCIPLES OF BIOLOGY: POPULATIONS or *INTRODUCTORY BIOLOGY III | 4 |
| CH 337 or CH 390 | ORGANIC CHEMISTRY LABORATORY or ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY | 3-4 |
| ST 351 | INTRODUCTION TO STATISTICAL METHODS | 4 |
| Bacc Core | 3-4 | |
| Credits | 15-16 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| BI 311 | GENETICS or CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY or ECOLOGY | 3-4 |
| ST 352 | INTRODUCTION TO STATISTICAL METHODS | 4 |
| Z 423 | ENVIRONMENTAL PHYSIOLOGY | 3 |
| Bacc Core | 3-4 | |
| Credits | 14-15 | |
| Winter | ||
| BI 311 | GENETICS or CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY or ECOLOGY | 3-4 |
| Writing Intensive Course or Organismal, Physiology and Systematics Elective | 3 | |
| Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Elective or Natural Resource, Management and Policy Elective | 3 | |
| WR 227Z or WR 362 | *TECHNICAL WRITING or *SCIENCE WRITING | 4 |
| Credits | 13-14 | |
| Spring | ||
| BI 311 | GENETICS or CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY or ECOLOGY | 3-4 |
| Z 361 | INVERTEBRATE BIOLOGY | 3 |
| Z 362 | INVERTEBRATE BIOLOGY LABORATORY | 2 |
| Writing Intensive Course or Organismal, Physiology and Systematics Elective | 3-5 | |
| Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Elective or Natural Resource, Management and Policy Elective | 3-4 | |
| Credits | 17-18 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| BI 445 | EVOLUTION | 3 |
| Z 371 | VERTEBRATE BIOLOGY | 3 |
| Z 372 | VERTEBRATE BIOLOGY LABORATORY | 2 |
| Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Elective or Natural Resource, Management and Policy Elective | 3-4 | |
| Credits | 12 | |
| Winter | ||
| BI 483 | POPULATION BIOLOGY | 3 |
| Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Elective or Natural Resource, Management and Policy Elective | 3-4 | |
| Writing Intensive Course or Organismal, Physiology and Systematics Elective | 3-5 | |
| Experiential Learning or Skills Elective | 3-4 | |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| BI 498 | SENIOR ASSESSMENT AND SURVEY | 0 |
| Experiential Learning or Skills Elective | 3-4 | |
| Electives | 8 | |
| Credits | 12 | |
| Total Credits | 180-184 | |
Track II
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | |
| BI 198 | PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT I: BIOLOGY AND ZOOLOGY | 1 |
| BI 221 or BI 204 | *PRINCIPLES OF BIOLOGY: CELLS or *INTRODUCTORY BIOLOGY I | 4 |
| CH 121 | GENERAL CHEMISTRY or GENERAL CHEMISTRY and *LABORATORY FOR CHEMISTRY 231 | 5 |
| COMM 111Z | *PUBLIC SPEAKING | 4 |
| HHS 231 | *LIFETIME FITNESS FOR HEALTH (or any PAC course) | 2 |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Winter | ||
| BI 222 or BI 205 | *PRINCIPLES OF BIOLOGY: ORGANISMS or *INTRODUCTORY BIOLOGY II | 4 |
| CH 122 | *GENERAL CHEMISTRY or GENERAL CHEMISTRY and *LABORATORY FOR CHEMISTRY 232 | 5 |
| WR 121Z | *COMPOSITION I | 4 |
| Bacc Core | 4 | |
| Credits | 17 | |
| Spring | ||
| BI 223 or BI 206 | *PRINCIPLES OF BIOLOGY: POPULATIONS or *INTRODUCTORY BIOLOGY III | 4 |
| BI 298 | PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR BIOLOGISTS II | 1 |
| CH 123 | *GENERAL CHEMISTRY or GENERAL CHEMISTRY and *LABORATORY FOR CHEMISTRY 233 | 5 |
| MTH 251 or MTH 227 | *DIFFERENTIAL CALCULUS or *CALCULUS AND PROBABILITY FOR THE LIFE SCIENCES I | 4 |
| Bacc Core | 4 | |
| Credits | 18 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| BI 311 | GENETICS or CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY or ECOLOGY | 3-4 |
| CH 331 | ORGANIC CHEMISTRY | 4 |
| MTH 252 or MTH 228 | INTEGRAL CALCULUS or CALCULUS AND PROBABILTITY FOR THE LIFE SCIENCES II | 4 |
| Bacc Core | 4 | |
| Credits | 15-16 | |
| Winter | ||
| BI 311 | GENETICS or CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY or ECOLOGY | 3-4 |
| CH 332 | ORGANIC CHEMISTRY | 4 |
| ST 351 | INTRODUCTION TO STATISTICAL METHODS | 4 |
| Bacc Core | 4 | |
| Credits | 15-16 | |
| Spring | ||
| CH 337 or CH 390 | ORGANIC CHEMISTRY LABORATORY or ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY | 4 |
| ST 352 | INTRODUCTION TO STATISTICAL METHODS | 4 |
| Z 361 | INVERTEBRATE BIOLOGY | 3 |
| Z 362 | INVERTEBRATE BIOLOGY LABORATORY | 2 |
| Bacc Core | 4 | |
| Credits | 17 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| BI 311 | GENETICS or CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY or ECOLOGY | 3-4 |
| Z 371 | VERTEBRATE BIOLOGY | 3 |
| Z 372 | VERTEBRATE BIOLOGY LABORATORY | 2 |
| Z 423 | ENVIRONMENTAL PHYSIOLOGY | 3 |
| Bacc Core | 4 | |
| Credits | 15-16 | |
| Winter | ||
| BI 445 | EVOLUTION | 3 |
| BI 483 | POPULATION BIOLOGY | 3 |
| Writing Intensive Course or Organismal, Physiology and Systematics Elective | 3-5 | |
| WR 227Z or WR 362 | *TECHNICAL WRITING or *SCIENCE WRITING | 4 |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Electives or Natural Resource, Management and Policy Elective | 3-4 | |
| Writing Intensive Course or Organismal, Physiology and Systematics Elective | 3-5 | |
| Credits | 9 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Electives or Natural Resource, Management and Policy Elective | 3-6 | |
| Electives | 8 | |
| Credits | 14 | |
| Winter | ||
| Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Electives or Natural Resource, Management and Policy Elective | 3 | |
| Writing Intensive Course or Organismal, Physiology and Systematics Elective | 3 | |
| Experiential Learning or Skills Elective | 3 | |
| Electives | 6 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| BI 498 | SENIOR ASSESSMENT AND SURVEY | 0 |
| Experiential Learning or Skills Elective | 3 | |
| Electives | 11 | |
| Credits | 14 | |
| Total Credits | 180-183 | |
- *
Baccalaureate Core Course (BCC)
- ^
Writing Intensive Course (WIC)