The Department of Biology at Midwestern State University offers several degree plans tailored to sub-discipline areas of the Biological Sciences. 

As a Biology major, you will meet with your academic advisor to determine which degree option best suits your academic and career goals.  Your academic advisor will assist you in choosing courses and planning your sequence of courses to complete your chosen degree plan.

Option A is tailored to those students seeking to pursue graduate level research in Cell, Developmental, Molecular, Genetics or Biomedical Science areas.

Option B is tailored to those students seeking to pursue graduate level research in more organismal areas such as wildlife management, herpetology, mammalogy, entomology, as well as those seeking secondary education certification.

Option C is tailored for those seeking to continue their education in the medical, dental or veterinary fields by matriculating to schools of veterinary medicine, dentistry, or medicine. Also students who wish to pursue post-graduate degrees in pharmacy follow the option C degree plan.

Option D is tailored to those students pursuing post-graduate degrees in physical therapy

Options E1 and E2 are tailored to those students pursuing careers in the clinical lab sciences



Option A: Molecular Cellular
Biology Classes Required (34 hours):

  • BIOL 1114 Life I: Concepts of Molecular & Cell Biology
  • BIOL 1214 Life II: Ecology and Evolution
  • BIOL 2114 Life III: Diversity of Life
  • BIOL 3334 Genetics
  • BIOL 4714 Cell Biology OR BIOL 4233 Molecular Biology and BIOL 4231 Mol Biol Lab
  • BIOL 4001 Seminar in Biology
  • 3 Advanced Hours Botany (chosen from)
    • BIOL 3214 Botany: Plant Life
    • BIOL 3534 Systematic Botany
    • BIOL 4463 Plant Anatomy
    • BIOL 4564 Plant Physiology
  • 3 Advanced Hours Zoology  (chosen from)
    • BIOL 3024 Vertebrate Zoology
    • BIOL 3114 Zoology: Animal Life
    • BIOL 3033 Field Zoology
    • BIOL 3234 Comparative Anatomy of the Vertebrates
    • BIOL 3344 Developmental Biology
    • BIOL 3434 Entomology
    • BIOL 3644 Invertebrate Zoology
    • BIOL 4524 Animal Parasitology
  • 3 Advanced Hours Biology (chosen from)
    • BIOL 3044 Bacteriology
    • BIOL 3144 Physiology
    • BIOL 3314 Microbiology
    • BIOL 4021 Immunology Lab
    • BIOL 4023 Immunology
    • BIOL 4444 Histology

Program Requirements (45 hours):

  • CHEM 1141 General Chemistry Laboratory
  • CHEM 1143 General Chemistry
  • CHEM 1241 General Chemistry Laboratory
  • CHEM 1243 General Chemistry
  • CHEM 2001 Organic Chemistry Laboratory
  • CHEM 2003 Organic Chemistry
  • CHEM 2011 Organic Chemistry Laboratory
  • CHEM 2013 Organic Chemistry
  • CHEM 3603 Physical Chemistry  /  Thermodynamics
  • CHEM 4243 Biochemistry
  • CHEM 4943 Chemical Topics
  • MATH 1634 Calculus I
  • MATH 1734 Calculus II
  • MATH 2534 Calculus III
  • PHYS 1624 Mechanics, Wave Motion, and Heat
  • PHYS 2644 Electricity and Magnetism and Optics

 With electives, total hours must reach 122 with 33 advanced hours.

Option B. Organismal (back to top)

Biology Classes Required (50 hours):

  • BIOL 1114 Life I: Concepts of Molecular & Cell Biology
  • BIOL 1214 Life II: Ecology and Evolution
  • BIOL 2114 Life III: Diversity of Life
  • BIOL 3314 Microbiology OR BIOL 3214 Botany: Plant Life OR BIOL 3114 Zoology: Animal Life
  • BIOL 3113 Biogeography   
  • BIOL 3334 Genetics
  • BIOL 4143 Evolution & Systematics
  • BIOL 4684 Ecology
  • BIOL 4001
  • 3 Advanced Hours Botany (chosen from)
    • BIOL 3534 Systematic Botany
    • BIOL 4463 Plant Anatomy
    • BIOL 4564 Plant Physiology
  • 3 Advanced Hours Zoology  (chosen from)
    • BIOL 3024 Vertebrate Zoology
    • BIOL 3033 Field Zoology
    • BIOL 3234 Comparative Anatomy of the Vertebrates
    • BIOL 3344 Developmental Biology
    • BIOL 3434 Entomology
    • BIOL 3644 Invertebrate Zoology
    • BIOL 4524 Animal Parasitology
  • 12 Additional Advanced Hours Biology (Specify)

Program Requirements (26-27 hours):

  • CHEM 1141 General Chemistry Laboratory
  • CHEM 1143 General Chemistry
  • CHEM 1241 General Chemistry Laboratory
  • CHEM 1243 General Chemistry
  • CHEM 2001 Organic Chemistry Laboratory
  • CHEM 2003 Organic Chemistry
  • PHYS 1144 General Physics I
  • PHYS 1244 General Physics II
  • MATH 1433 Plane Trigonometry OR MATH 1534 Precalculus
  • STAT 3573 Probability and Statistics OR Psyc 3313 Psychological Statistics

 With electives, total hours must reach 122 with 33 advanced hours.

Option C. Pre-Professional 1(back to top)

Biology Classes Required (37 hours):

  • BIOL 1114 Life I: Concepts of Molecular & Cell Biology
  • BIOL 1214 Life II: Ecology and Evolution
  • BIOL 2114 Life III: Diversity of Life
  • BIOL 3144 Physiology
  • BIOL 3234 Comparative Anatomy of the Vertebrates
  • BIOL 3334 Genetics
  • BIOL 3344 Developmental Biology OR BIOL 4714 Cell Biology
  • BIOL 4001 Seminar in Biology
  • 8 Advanced Hours Biology (chosen from)
    • BIOL 3114 Zoology: Animal Life 
    • BIOL 3214 Botany: Plant Life
    • BIOL 3314 Microbiology
    • BIOL 3434 Entomology
    • BIOL 4023/4021 Immunology & Lab
    • BIOL 4233/4231 Molecular Biology & Lab
    • BIOL 4444 Histology
    • BIOL 4524 Animal Parasitology

Program Requirements (40-41 hours):

  • CHEM 1141 General Chemistry Laboratory
  • CHEM 1143 General Chemistry
  • CHEM 1241 General Chemistry Laboratory
  • CHEM 1243 General Chemistry
  • CHEM 2001 Organic Chemistry Laboratory
  • CHEM 2003 Organic Chemistry
  • CHEM 2011 Organic Chemistry Laboratory
  • CHEM 2013 Organic Chemistry
  • CHEM 4243 Biochemistry
  • CHEM 4253 Biochemistry
  • MATH 1433 Plane Trigonometry OR MATH 1534 Precalculus
  • MATH 1634 Calculus I
    STAT 3573 Statistics
  • PHYS 1144 or 1624
  • PHYS 1244 or 2644

 With electives, total hours must reach 122 with 33 advanced hours.

Option D. Pre-Professional 2 (back to top)

Biology Classes Required (39 hours):

  • BIOL 1114 Life I: Concepts of Molecular & Cell Biology
  • BIOL 1214 Life II: Ecology and Evolution
  • BIOL 2114 Life III: Diversity of Life
  • BIOL 3334 Genetics
  • BIOL 4001 Seminar in Biology
  • 3 Advanced Hours Botany (chosen from)
    • BIOL 3214 Botany: Plant Life
    • BIOL 3534 Systematic Botany
    • BIOL 4463 Plant Anatomy
    • BIOL 4564 Plant Physiology
  • 3 Advanced Hours Zoology (chosen from) 
    • BIOL 3024 Vertebrate Zoology
    • BIOL 3234 Comparative Anatomy of the Vertebrates
    • BIOL 3344 Developmental Biology
    • BIOL 3434 Entomology
    • BIOL 3644 Invertebrate Zoology
    • BIOL 4524 Animal Parasitology
  •  12 Advanced Hours (specify)

    Program Requirements (35 hours):

  • CHEM 1141 General Chemistry Laboratory
  • CHEM 1143 General Chemistry
  • CHEM 1241 General Chemistry Laboratory
  • CHEM 1243 General Chemistry
  • CHEM 2001 Organic Chemistry Laboratory
  • CHEM 2003 Organic Chemistry
  • MATH 1433 Plane Trigonometry OR MATH 1534 Precalculus
  • PSYC 2203 Human Behavior 
  • PSYC 3233 Development Psychology
  • PSYC 3603 Abnormal Psychology 
  • Psyc 3313 Psychological Statistics OR STAT 3573 Probability and Statistics 
    PHYS 1144 or 1624
  • PHYS 1244 or 2644

 With electives, total hours must reach 122 with 33 advanced hours.

Option E1 & E2. Clinical Lab Science (back to top)

  • BIOL 1114 Life I: Concepts of Molecular & Cell Biology
  • BIOL 1214 Life II: Ecology and Evolution
  • BIOL 2114 Life III: Diversity of Life
  • BIOL 3003 Intro to Clinical Lab Science
  • BIOL 3314 Microbiology
  • BIOL 3334 Genetics
  • BIOL 4023/4021 Immunology & Lab
  • BIOL 4001 Seminar in Biology

        E1 Program Requirements (35 hours):

  • CHEM 1141 General Chemistry Laboratory
  • CHEM 1143 General Chemistry
  • CHEM 1241 General Chemistry Laboratory
  • CHEM 1243 General Chemistry
  • CHEM 2001 Organic Chemistry Laboratory
  • CHEM 2003 Organic Chemistry
  • CHEM 2011 Organic Chemistry Laboratory
  • CHEM 2013 Organic Chemistry
  • CHEM 4243 Biochemistry
  • CMPS 1023 or 1013
  • STAT 3573 Probability and Statistics 

         E2 Program Requirements (35 hours):

  • CHEM 1141 General Chemistry Laboratory
  • CHEM 1143 General Chemistry
  • CHEM 1241 General Chemistry Laboratory
  • CHEM 1243 General Chemistry
  • CHEM 2001 Organic Chemistry Laboratory
  • CHEM 2003 Organic Chemistry
  • CHEM 2011 Organic Chemistry Laboratory
  • CHEM 2013 Organic Chemistry
  • CMPS 1023 or 1013
  • MATH 1433 or 1534
  • PHYS 1144
  • PHYS 1244
  • STAT 3573 Probability and Statistics