Mission Statement

The mission of the Department of Biology is threefold:

1. to provide the opportunity for all students who matriculate through Texas Southern University to become better informed about biological phenomena and life processes, as well as apply information and knowledge gained toward an improved understanding of man, society, and the universe;
2. to provide undergraduate students with the appropriate background in Biology that will allow them to pursue medical, biomedical, and other allied or related careers; and
3. to ensure that undergraduates who want to pursue advanced graduate/research programs in the biological sciences, or in the related areas and adequately prepared.

Description

 The Department of Biology offers courses leading to:

• Bachelor of Science (B.S.) Degree in Biology
• Master of Science (M.S.) Degree in Biology.
• A Minor in Biology is offered for students pursuing majors in other departments where the declaration of a minor is required.

In pursuing the B.S. in Biology, students may select from four curriculum tracks of study:

• Comprehensive
• Pre-Medical/Pre-Dental/Pre Veterinary
• Pre-Optometry
• Pre-Physical Therapy

The Comprehensive Track is designed to prepare students for additional study at the graduate level in Biology, while the other three tracks are intended to prepare students for professional schools upon graduation.

The specific requirements for the B.S. in Biology are described, in detail, below:

Students selecting to follow the Comprehensive Track must declare a minor in a second academic discipline if they are first-time degree seekers; however, students selecting to follow the remaining three tracks are not required to do so.

In the selection of a minor, students following the Comprehensive Track are cautioned that grades of "C" or better must be earned in all courses designated for the minor, where grades of 'C-' are unacceptable.

Students selecting minors should also seek detailed advisement from their designated advisors because the selection of a minor having representative courses in the core curriculum or other requirements for the degree could impact the total number of credits required. In no case will a student qualify for graduation at the undergraduate level with fewer than 124 semester credit hours satisfactorily completed.

Although the Department has no specific criteria for accepting majors and minors, interested students must:

1. Gain admission to the University and satisfy TASP requirements through the General University Academic Center (GUAC);
2. Students must remove any academic deficiencies in reading, writing or mathematics identified at the time of admission. The students may petition the Department for major or minor status as TASP requirements are completed and deficiencies are eradicated removed;
3. Once students have been admitted to the Department, they must maintain an overall GPA of 2.25 with respect to courses in the following cognate areas: Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Physics;
4. Students whose overall GPAs fall below 2.25 for two consecutive semesters and students who fail individual courses in these designated cognate areas will be removed from the list of designated majors and minors in Biology;
5. Once admitted each student is assigned an official faculty advisor who must approve their individual schedules of courses for each semester or term of enrollment;
6. All majors should request that the Faculty Chair evaluate their transcripts at the beginning of their senior year to verify eligibility for the conferral of degree at the end of that year,
7. An exit examination is also required of graduating seniors.

Individuals interested in seeking certification for teaching in the public schools of Texas in Biology should contact the Director of Certification in the College of Education at Texas Southern University for application instructions.

For the Minor in Biology, 21 semester credit hours are required through enrollment in the following courses: BIOL 131 (3 credits), BIOL 132 (3 credits), BIOL 241 (3 credits), BIOL 243 (3 credits), and 9 additional 300-level or 400-level BIOL credits.

In conjunction with these 21 credits, at least one year of college chemistry must be completed along with Mathematics 133 and 134. Although students are asked to take BIOL 121 (2 credits) and BIOL 122 (2 credits) as corequisites with BIOL 131 and BIOL 132, respectively, these 4 credits are not counted toward the completion of the minor in Biology. Grades of "C" or better are accepted whereas grades of "C-minus" in Biology are unacceptable forward satisfying the minor requirements in Biology.

Students interested in pursuing the Master of Science in Biology should consult the Graduate School at (713) 313-7234.