Zoology B.S.

All students must meet the Degree and University Requirements.

All students must meet the Catamount Core Curriculum Requirements.

All students must meet the College Requirements.

Major Requirements

Students who are pursuing the B.S. in Zoology are required to take at least 84 credits of coursework in the College of Arts and Sciences.

At least 41 credits in major courses, plus at least 26 credits in ancillary courses, including:

Requirement DescriptionCredits
CORE REQUIREMENTS. At least 15 credits.
BIOL 1075Frontiers in Zoology1
BIOLOGY. Choose 1 of the following options:8
Option A (recommended):
Exploring Biology 1
and Exploring Biology 2
Option B:
AP Biology 1
and AP Biology 2
Option C:
AP Biology 1
and Accelerated Biology
Option D:
Principles of Biology 1
and Principles of Biology 2
BCOR 2300Genetics3
Choose 1 of the following:3-4
Ecology and Evolution
Molecular & Cell Biology w/lab
Molecular & Cell Biology
ANCILLARY REQUIREMENTS. At least 26 credits.
CHEMISTRY.8
CHEM 1400
CHEM 1450
General Chemistry 1
and General Chemistry 2
8
CALCULUS AND STATISTICS.6-7
MATH 1212Fundamentals of Calculus I3-4
or MATH 1234 Calculus I
STAT 1410Basic Statistical Methods 13
QUANTITATIVE DISCIPLINES. 12-15 additional credits with a MA or QD Catamount Core Curriculum designation which commonly include:12-15
CHEM 1580, CHEM 2580, CHEM 2585, GEOG 2510, GEOG 2520, GEOL 2525, MATH 1224, MATH 1248, PHYS 1450, PHYS 1650
Note that most professional schools (e.g., medicine, dentistry, veterinary, physical therapy) require the equivalent of one year each of Calculus, Organic Chemistry, and Physics.
ELECTIVES. At least 26 credits.
Students should meet with an academic advisor during their second year to map a plan of study for completing their Advanced Electives.
CATEGORY A: 12 credits from the following:12
BIOL numbered 3100 to 3699
BIOL numbered 4100 to 4699
BIOL numbered 5020 to 5030
CATEGORY B: 8 additional credits from the following:8
BIOL numbered 2100 to 2699
BIOL numbered 3100 to 3699
BIOL numbered 4100 to 4699
BIOL numbered 5020 to 5030
CATEGORY C: 6 additional credits from Category A or the following. Only 3 credits of undergraduate research at the 2000-level or above and 3 credits of undergraduate research at the 3000-level or above can count.6
Undergraduate Research: BIOL 2995, BIOL 3995, WFB 2995, WFB 3995
Honors: BIOL 4996
Additional courses, including Special Topics and graduate-level courses, may be accepted as electives with prior approval from the Biology Department. Graduate courses are often open to upper-level undergraduate students with instructor permission.

Restrictions

Students completing the B.S. in Zoology may not also receive the B.A. in Biology, the B.A. in Zoology, or the B.S. in Biological Sciences in either the College of Arts & Sciences or the College of Agriculture & Life Sciences.

Pre/Co-requisites

Introductory and intermediate courses for various subject areas may be necessary to reach some of the courses that can be applied to the major for the quantitative requirement or as Advanced Electives.

Other Information

In the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), only one course may overlap between a major and a minor or between two CAS majors.

Courses for the major and/or its pre/co-requisites that are cross-listed in the catalog or schedule of courses under another course subject code may be taken under that other subject code and still count for these requirements.

With the approval of the chair/director, courses that applied to the major in previous years but have since been deactivated may be applied to this year’s major requirements if they are reactivated.

For a Bachelor of Science degree, no more than 50 credits in courses with the same departmental subject code may be used toward completion of the 120 credits required for graduation.

At least half of the credits used to complete major requirements must be taken at the University of Vermont.