Zoology Undergraduate Major (BS, HBS)
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. 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). Additional information about the Zoology Major can be found in MyDegrees or the Integrative Biology website.
Students in the Zoology major must complete the following courses with a C– or better to continue on to upper-division Biology (BI) and Zoology (Z) course work.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| BI 211 | *PRINCIPLES OF BIOLOGY | 4 |
| or BI 211H | *PRINCIPLES OF BIOLOGY | |
| BI 212 | *PRINCIPLES OF BIOLOGY | 4 |
| or BI 212H | *PRINCIPLES OF BIOLOGY | |
| BI 213 | *PRINCIPLES OF BIOLOGY | 4 |
| or BI 213H | *PRINCIPLES OF BIOLOGY | |
Students must also complete their General Chemistry series and CH 331 ORGANIC CHEMISTRY with a C– in each term to move on to other Chemistry (CH) course work.
Students majoring in Biology, BioHealth Sciences, Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences, or Zoology cannot seek a dual or double major in any combination of these four majors. Zoology majors cannot seek the Biology minor.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Zoology Core Courses | ||
| BI 198 | PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT I: BIOLOGY AND ZOOLOGY | 1 |
| BI 298 | PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR BIOLOGISTS II | 1 |
| Baccalaureate Core Communications Course | ||
| COMM 111 | *PUBLIC SPEAKING | 3 |
| Baccalaureate Core Writing II Course | ||
| Select one of the following (HC 199, WR 327 or WR 362 recommended): | 3 | |
| *HONORS WRITING (recommended) | ||
| *ENGLISH COMPOSITION | ||
| *TECHNICAL WRITING (recommended) | ||
| *SCIENCE WRITING (recommended) | ||
| Quantitative and Physical Sciences Core | ||
| Select one of the CH series below | 15 | |
| Option 1 | ||
| GENERAL CHEMISTRY and *LABORATORY FOR CHEMISTRY 231 | ||
| GENERAL CHEMISTRY and *LABORATORY FOR CHEMISTRY 232 | ||
| GENERAL CHEMISTRY and *LABORATORY FOR CHEMISTRY 233 | ||
| Option 2 | ||
| GENERAL CHEMISTRY and *GENERAL CHEMISTRY and *GENERAL CHEMISTRY | ||
| CH 331 | ORGANIC CHEMISTRY | 4 |
| CH 332 | ORGANIC CHEMISTRY | 4 |
| CH 337 | ORGANIC CHEMISTRY LABORATORY | 3-4 |
| or CH 390 | ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY | |
| Select one of the MTH series below | 8 | |
| *DIFFERENTIAL CALCULUS and INTEGRAL CALCULUS | ||
| *CALCULUS AND PROBABILITY FOR THE LIFE SCIENCES I and CALCULUS AND PROBABILTITY FOR THE LIFE SCIENCES II | ||
| ST 351 | INTRODUCTION TO STATISTICAL METHODS | 4 |
| ST 352 | INTRODUCTION TO STATISTICAL METHODS | 4 |
| Biological Sciences Core | ||
| BI 211 & BI 212 & BI 213 | *PRINCIPLES OF BIOLOGY and *PRINCIPLES OF BIOLOGY and *PRINCIPLES OF BIOLOGY | 12 |
| BI 370 | ECOLOGY | 3 |
| BI 311 | GENETICS | 4 |
| BB 314 | CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY | 4 |
| BI 445 | EVOLUTION | 3 |
| BI 483 | POPULATION BIOLOGY | 3 |
| Z 361 & Z 362 | INVERTEBRATE BIOLOGY and INVERTEBRATE BIOLOGY LABORATORY ** | 4-15 |
| or Z 461 | MARINE AND ESTUARINE INVERTEBRATE ZOOLOGY | |
| or BI 450 | ^MARINE BIOLOGY AND ECOLOGY | |
| Z 371 & Z 372 | VERTEBRATE BIOLOGY and VERTEBRATE BIOLOGY LABORATORY | 5 |
| Z 423 | ENVIRONMENTAL PHYSIOLOGY | 3 |
| Writing Intensive Course (WIC) | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3-15 | |
| ^CRITICAL THINKING AND COMMUNICATION IN THE LIFE SCIENCES | ||
| ^ECOLOGICAL METHODS | ||
| ^FIELD METHODS IN MARINE ECOLOGY | ||
| ^MARINE BIOLOGY AND ECOLOGY (by application only - Hatfield Marine Science Center) ** | ||
| Zoology Elective Courses | ||
| Organismal, Physiology and Systematics Electives | ||
| Select two 3+ credit courses of the following: | 6-8 | |
| SYMBIOSES AND THE ENVIRONMENT | ||
| MONSTER BIOLOGY | ||
| PLANT SYSTEMATICS | ||
or RNG 353 | WILDLAND PLANT IDENTIFICATION | |
| ORNITHOLOGY | ||
| ICHTHYOLOGY ** | ||
or BI 450 | ^MARINE BIOLOGY AND ECOLOGY | |
| MAMMALOGY | ||
or BI 302 | BIOLOGY AND CONSERVATION OF MARINE MAMMALS | |
or FW 302 | BIOLOGY AND CONSERVATION OF MARINE MAMMALS | |
| GENERAL PARASITOLOGY | ||
| ANIMAL BEHAVIOR | ||
| BIOLOGY OF INSECTS | ||
| COMPARATIVE/FUNCTIONAL VERTEBRATE ANATOMY | ||
| VERTEBRATE PHYSIOLOGY I | ||
| BEHAVIORAL NEUROBIOLOGY | ||
| INSECT PHYSIOLOGY | ||
| HERPETOLOGY | ||
or Z 474 | SYSTEMATIC HERPETOLOGY | |
| AQUATIC ENTOMOLOGY | ||
| Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Electives | ||
| Select two 3+ credit courses of the following: | 6-8 | |
| *HUMAN IMPACTS ON ECOSYSTEMS | ||
or BI 348 | *HUMAN ECOLOGY | |
| MARINE ECOLOGY ** | ||
or BI 450 | ^MARINE BIOLOGY AND ECOLOGY | |
| FIELD METHODS IN ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION | ||
| AQUATIC BIOLOGICAL INVASIONS | ||
| PALEOBIOLOGY | ||
| BIOGEOGRAPHY | ||
| DISEASE ECOLOGY | ||
| PLANT ECOLOGY | ||
| INSECT ECOLOGY | ||
| WILDLAND FIRE ECOLOGY | ||
| ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION | ||
| INTRODUCTORY POPULATION DYNAMICS | ||
| ECOLOGY OF MARINE AND ESTUARINE BIRDS | ||
| PRINCIPLES OF WILDLIFE DISEASES | ||
| WETLANDS AND RIPARIAN ECOLOGY | ||
| *BIODIVERSITY: CAUSES, CONSEQUENCES, AND CONSERVATION | ||
| Natural Resource, Management and Policy Electives | 6-8 | |
| Select two 3+ credit courses of the following: | 6 | |
| *INTRODUCTION TO ENVIRONMENTAL ECONOMICS AND POLICY | ||
or AEC 253 | *ENVIRONMENTAL LAW, POLICY, AND ECONOMICS | |
or AEC 351 | *NATURAL RESOURCE ECONOMICS AND POLICY | |
or AEC 352 | *ENVIRONMENTAL ECONOMICS AND POLICY | |
or ECON 352 | *ENVIRONMENTAL ECONOMICS AND POLICY | |
| APPLIED ANIMAL BEHAVIOR | ||
or ANS 280 | COMPANION ANIMAL MANAGEMENT | |
| *OCEANS IN PERIL | ||
| *HUMAN ECOLOGY | ||
or BI 301 | *HUMAN IMPACTS ON ECOSYSTEMS | |
| FOREST ENTOMOLOGY | ||
| *GENES AND CHEMICALS IN AGRICULTURE: VALUE AND RISK | ||
| WILDLAND FIRE SCIENCE AND MANAGEMENT | ||
| NATURAL RESOURCE POLICY AND LAW | ||
| *ENDANGERED SPECIES, SOCIETY AND SUSTAINABILITY | ||
| MAMMAL CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT | ||
| ECOSYSTEM SERVICES | ||
| LAND USE IN THE AMERICAN WEST | ||
| ENVIRONMENTAL POLITICS AND POLICY | ||
| *SOCIETY AND NATURAL RESOURCES | ||
| ENVIRONMENTAL INTERPRETATION | ||
| Upper-Division Science Elective | ||
| Complete one of the two tracks below: | 3 | |
Track I Experiential Credits | ||
Complete any combination of 3 credits of the following: | ||
| TEACHING PRACTICUM (by approval) | ||
| RESEARCH AND SCHOLARSHIP (by approval) | ||
| PROJECTS: CURATORIAL ASSISTANT (by approval) | ||
| ADVANCED TEACHING PRACTICUM (by approval) | ||
| INTERNSHIP (by approval or international internships approved by the Biology Lead Advisor) | ||
Track II Upper-division Science Elective Course 1 | ||
| Senior Biology Major Field Test 2 | ||
| BI 498 | SENIOR BIOLOGY FIELD TEST | 0 |
| Total credits required for graduation | 180 | |
| * | Baccalaureate Core Course (BCC) |
| ^ | Writing Intensive Course (WIC) |
| ** | BI 450 is taught at Hatfield Marine Science Center. Admission is by application only. |
| 1 | Select an additional 3+ credits, 300–400 level course from BB, BI, BOT, CH, MB, MTH, PH, ST, Z not used to complete other major requirements. Some courses are excluded (see below). Science courses outside of COS and courses completed internationally may be used by Biology Lead Advisor approval. EXCLUDED COURSES: 401–410 credits (except as outlined above or by approval), BI 331 ADVANCED HUMAN ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY–BI 333 ADVANCED HUMAN ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY, BI 341 ADVANCED HUMAN ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY LABORATORY–BI 343 ADVANCED HUMAN ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY LABORATORY, BI 351 MARINE ECOLOGY and BI 450 ^MARINE BIOLOGY AND ECOLOGY (unless specifically approved and not used above), CH 334 ORGANIC CHEMISTRY, CH 335 ORGANIC CHEMISTRY, CH 336 ORGANIC CHEMISTRY, ST 314 INTRODUCTION TO STATISTICS FOR ENGINEERS, Z 361 INVERTEBRATE BIOLOGY/Z 362 INVERTEBRATE BIOLOGY LABORATORY, Z 461 MARINE AND ESTUARINE INVERTEBRATE ZOOLOGY and any 399 or 499 courses not specifically approved. |
| 2 | Zoology majors are required to take a comprehensive, two-hour Biology Major Field Test their final OSU term (or spring term if they will graduate in summer) in order to graduate: BI 498 SENIOR BIOLOGY FIELD TEST. Senior Biology Major Field Test (0 credits). For further information, go to http://ib.oregonstate.edu/advising/MFT-info. |
Major Code: 620
Zoology Four-Year Plans: Zoology Major, Tracks I and II
Zoology - TRACK I
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | |
| BI 198 | PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT I: BIOLOGY AND ZOOLOGY | 1 |
| CH 121 |
GENERAL CHEMISTRY or GENERAL CHEMISTRY and *LABORATORY FOR CHEMISTRY 231 |
5 |
| MTH 111 or MTH 112 |
*COLLEGE ALGEBRA or *ELEMENTARY FUNCTIONS |
4 |
| Bacc Core | 3 | |
| HHS 231 | *LIFETIME FITNESS FOR HEALTH (or PAC Course) | 1-2 |
| Hours | 14-15 | |
| Winter | ||
| CH 122 |
*GENERAL CHEMISTRY or GENERAL CHEMISTRY and *LABORATORY FOR CHEMISTRY 232 |
5 |
| MTH 112 or MTH 251 |
*ELEMENTARY FUNCTIONS or *DIFFERENTIAL CALCULUS |
4 |
| Two Bacc Core courses | 6 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| 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 |
| Two Bacc Core courses | 6 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| BI 211 | *PRINCIPLES OF BIOLOGY | 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 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Winter | ||
| BI 212 | *PRINCIPLES OF BIOLOGY | 4 |
| CH 332 | ORGANIC CHEMISTRY | 4 |
| Two Bacc Core courses | 6 | |
| Hours | 14 | |
| Spring | ||
| BI 213 | *PRINCIPLES OF BIOLOGY | 4 |
| CH 337 or CH 390 |
ORGANIC CHEMISTRY LABORATORY or ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY |
3-4 |
| ST 351 | INTRODUCTION TO STATISTICAL METHODS | 4 |
| Bacc Core course | 3 | |
| Hours | 14-15 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3-4 | |
| GENETICS | ||
| CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY | ||
| ECOLOGY | ||
| ST 352 | INTRODUCTION TO STATISTICAL METHODS | 4 |
| Z 423 | ENVIRONMENTAL PHYSIOLOGY | 3 |
| Bacc Core | 3 | |
| Hours | 13-14 | |
| Winter | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3-4 | |
| GENETICS | ||
| CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY | ||
| ECOLOGY | ||
| Writing Intensive Course or Organismal, Physiology and Systematics Elective | 3 | |
| Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Elective or Natural Resource, Management and Policy Elective | 3 | |
| Bacc Core | 3 | |
| Hours | 12-13 | |
| Spring | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3-4 | |
| GENETICS | ||
| CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY | ||
| ECOLOGY | ||
| EVOLUTION | ||
| Z 361 | INVERTEBRATE BIOLOGY | 3 |
| Z 362 | INVERTEBRATE BIOLOGY LABORATORY | 2 |
| Writing Intensive Course or Organismal, Physiology and Systematics Elective | 3 | |
| Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Elective or Natural Resource, Management and Policy Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 14-15 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3-4 | |
| GENETICS | ||
| CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY | ||
| ECOLOGY | ||
| EVOLUTION | ||
| Z 371 | VERTEBRATE BIOLOGY | 3 |
| Z 372 | VERTEBRATE BIOLOGY LABORATORY | 2 |
| Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Elective or Natural Resource, Management and Policy Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 11-12 | |
| Winter | ||
| BI 483 | POPULATION BIOLOGY | 3 |
| Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Elective or Natural Resource, Management and Policy Elective | 3 | |
| Writing Intensive Course or Organismal, Physiology and Systematics Elective | 3 | |
| Upper-Division Science Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 12 | |
| Spring | ||
| BI 498 | SENIOR BIOLOGY FIELD TEST | 0 |
| Upper-Division Science Elective | 3 | |
| Add electives to reach 180 credits by graduation | 26 | |
| Hours | 29 | |
| Total Hours | 179-185 | |
| * | Baccalaureate Core Course (BCC) |
| ^ | Writing Intensive Course (WIC) |
Zoology - TRACK II
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | |
| BI 198 | PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT I: BIOLOGY AND ZOOLOGY | 1 |
| BI 211 | *PRINCIPLES OF BIOLOGY | 4 |
| CH 121 |
GENERAL CHEMISTRY or GENERAL CHEMISTRY and *LABORATORY FOR CHEMISTRY 231 |
5 |
| Bacc Core | 3 | |
| HHS 231 | *LIFETIME FITNESS FOR HEALTH (or PAC Course) | 1-2 |
| Hours | 14-15 | |
| Winter | ||
| BI 212 | *PRINCIPLES OF BIOLOGY | 4 |
| CH 122 |
*GENERAL CHEMISTRY or GENERAL CHEMISTRY and *LABORATORY FOR CHEMISTRY 232 |
5 |
| Two Bacc Core courses | 6 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| BI 213 | *PRINCIPLES OF BIOLOGY | 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 | 3 | |
| Hours | 17 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3-4 | |
| GENETICS | ||
| CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY | ||
| ECOLOGY | ||
| 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 | |
| Hours | 14-15 | |
| Winter | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3-4 | |
| GENETICS | ||
| CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY | ||
| ECOLOGY | ||
| CH 332 | ORGANIC CHEMISTRY | 4 |
| ST 351 | INTRODUCTION TO STATISTICAL METHODS | 4 |
| Bacc Core | 3 | |
| Hours | 14-15 | |
| Spring | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3-4 | |
| GENETICS | ||
| CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY | ||
| ECOLOGY | ||
| EVOLUTION | ||
| ST 352 | INTRODUCTION TO STATISTICAL METHODS | 4 |
| Z 361 | INVERTEBRATE BIOLOGY | 3 |
| Z 362 | INVERTEBRATE BIOLOGY LABORATORY | 2 |
| Bacc Core | 3 | |
| Hours | 15-16 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3-4 | |
| GENETICS | ||
| CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY | ||
| ECOLOGY | ||
| EVOLUTION | ||
| Z 371 | VERTEBRATE BIOLOGY | 3 |
| Z 372 | VERTEBRATE BIOLOGY LABORATORY | 2 |
| Z 423 | ENVIRONMENTAL PHYSIOLOGY | 3 |
| Bacc Core | 3 | |
| Hours | 14-15 | |
| Winter | ||
| BI 311 |
GENETICS or CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY or ECOLOGY or EVOLUTION |
4 |
| BI 483 | POPULATION BIOLOGY | 3 |
| Writing Intensive Course or Organismal, Physiology and Systematics Elective | 3 | |
| Bacc Core | 3 | |
| Hours | 13 | |
| Spring | ||
| Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Electives or Natural Resource, Management and Policy Elective | 3 | |
| Writing Intensive Course or Organismal, Physiology and Systematics Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 6 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Electives or Natural Resource, Management and Policy Elective | 3-6 | |
| Hours | 3-6 | |
| Winter | ||
| Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Electives or Natural Resource, Management and Policy Elective | 3 | |
| Writing Intensive Course or Organismal, Physiology and Systematics Elective | 3 | |
| Upper-Division Science Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 9 | |
| Spring | ||
| BI 498 | SENIOR BIOLOGY FIELD TEST | 0 |
| Upper-Division Science Elective | 3 | |
| Add electives to reach 180 credits by graduation | 37 | |
| Hours | 40 | |
| Total Hours | 174-182 | |
| * | Baccalaureate Core Course (BCC) |
| ^ | Writing Intensive Course (WIC) |