The Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology offers a modern and integrative study of animals for students interested in going to veterinary school. Students learn about individual animals, as well as populations of animals across all levels of biological organization, from genes to ecosystems. The program also focuses on animal behavior and physiology, as well as how animals evolve, contribute to biodiversity and interact with each other and their environment.
Broaden your knowledge of animal biology with Kent State’s Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology. Engage in comprehensive coursework that explores various aspects of animal life, from ecology to evolutionary biology. This program is designed to develop your expertise and prepare you for careers in wildlife management, animal research, and other fields related to zoological sciences.
The Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology offers a modern and integrative study of animals. Students learn about individual animals, as well as populations of animals across all levels of biological organization, from genes to ecosystems. The program also focuses on animal behavior and physiology, as well as how animals evolve, contribute to biodiversity and interact with each other and their environment.
Students may seek employment immediately after graduation or continue their education in graduate or professional programs. Those entering the workforce may go on to work for national or local parks, zoos/aquaria, museums, animal research facilities, wildlife rehabilitation centers, veterinarian offices or humane societies. The Department of Biological Sciences has several mechanisms to help students prepare for their future careers.
The university affirmatively strives to provide educational opportunities and access to students with varied backgrounds, those with special talents and adult students.
First-Year Students on the Kent Campus: First-year admission policy on the Kent Campus is selective. Admission decisions are based upon cumulative grade point average, strength of high school college preparatory curriculum and grade trends. Students not admissible to the Kent Campus may be administratively referred to one of the seven regional campuses to begin their college coursework. For more information, visit the admissions website for first-year students.
First-Year Students on the Regional Campuses: First-year admission to Kent State’s campuses at Ashtabula, East Liverpool, Geauga, Salem, Stark, Trumbull and Tuscarawas, as well as the Twinsburg Academic Center, is open to anyone with a high school diploma or its equivalent. For more information on admissions, contact the Regional Campuses admissions offices.
International Students: All international students must provide proof of proficiency of the English language (unless they meet specific exceptions) through the submission of an English language proficiency test score or by completing English language classes at Kent State’s English as a Second Language Center before entering their program. For more information, visit the admissions website for international students.
Former Students: Former Kent State students who have not attended another institution since Kent State and were not academically dismissed will complete the re-enrollment process through the Financial, Billing and Enrollment Center. Former students who attended another college or university since leaving Kent State must apply for admissions as a transfer or post-undergraduate student.
Transfer Students: Students who attended an educational institution after graduating from high school or earning their GED must apply as transfer students. For more information, visit the admissions website for transfer students.
Admission policies for undergraduate students may be found in the University Catalog's Academic Policies.
Students may be required to meet certain criteria to progress in their program. Any progression requirements will be listed on the program's Coursework tab
Graduates of this program will be able to:
On This Page
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Major Requirements (courses count in major GPA) | ||
| BSCI 10110 | BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY (ELR) (KBS) (KLAB) | 4 |
| BSCI 10120 | BIOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS (ELR) (KBS) (KLAB) | 4 |
| BSCI 30156 | ELEMENTS OF GENETICS | 3 |
| BSCI 40163 | EVOLUTION | 3 |
| BSCI 40224 | QUANTITATIVE METHODS IN BIOLOGY | 3-5 |
| or MATH 12003 | ANALYTIC GEOMETRY AND CALCULUS II | |
| or MATH 30011 | BASIC PROBABILITY AND STATISTICS | |
| BSCI 40600 | WRITING IN THE BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES (WIC) 1 | 1 |
| CHEM 10062 | GENERAL CHEMISTRY I LABORATORY (KBS) (KLAB) | 1 |
| CHEM 10063 | GENERAL CHEMISTRY II LABORATORY (KBS) (KLAB) | 1 |
| CHEM 20481 | BASIC ORGANIC CHEMISTRY I | 3-4 |
| or CHEM 30481 | ORGANIC CHEMISTRY I | |
| CHEM 20482 | BASIC ORGANIC CHEMISTRY II | 1-3 |
| or CHEM 30475 | ORGANIC CHEMISTRY LABORATORY I (ELR) | |
| or CHEM 30482 | ORGANIC CHEMISTRY II | |
| MATH 12002 | ANALYTIC GEOMETRY AND CALCULUS I (KMCR) | 5 |
| Biology Elective, choose from the following: 2,3 | 1-6 | |
BSCI 30105 | CAREER PATHWAYS IN BIOLOGY | |
BSCI 40192 | INTERNSHIP IN BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES (ELR) | |
BSCI 40196 | INDIVIDUAL INVESTIGATION (ELR) | |
BSCI 40199 | SENIOR HONORS THESIS (ELR) | |
| Biology, Chemistry, Physics Electives, choose from the following: 2 | 20-25 | |
CHEM 20482 | BASIC ORGANIC CHEMISTRY II | |
or CHEM 30482 | ORGANIC CHEMISTRY II | |
CHEM 30475 | ORGANIC CHEMISTRY LABORATORY I (ELR) | |
CHEM 30476 | ORGANIC CHEMISTRY LABORATORY II | |
PHY 13001 & PHY 13021 | GENERAL COLLEGE PHYSICS I (KBS) and GENERAL COLLEGE PHYSICS LABORATORY I (KBS) (KLAB) | |
or PHY 23101 | GENERAL UNIVERSITY PHYSICS I (KBS) (KLAB) | |
PHY 13002 & PHY 13022 | GENERAL COLLEGE PHYSICS II (KBS) and GENERAL COLLEGE PHYSICS LABORATORY II (KBS) (KLAB) | |
or PHY 23102 | GENERAL UNIVERSITY PHYSICS II (KBS) (KLAB) | |
| General Chemistry Electives, choose from the following: 4 | 8 | |
CHEM 10058 & CHEM 10059 | GENERAL CHEMISTRY FOR LIFE SCIENCES I and GENERAL CHEMISTRY FOR LIFE SCIENCES II | |
CHEM 10060 & CHEM 10061 | GENERAL CHEMISTRY I (KBS) and GENERAL CHEMISTRY II (KBS) | |
| Zoology Core Electives, choose from the following: | 11-12 | |
BSCI 30140 | CELL BIOLOGY | |
BSCI 30171 | GENERAL MICROBIOLOGY | |
BSCI 30360 | GENERAL ECOLOGY | |
BSCI 30518 | VERTEBRATE ANATOMY | |
BSCI 30560 | INVERTEBRATE ZOOLOGY | |
BSCI 30580 | ENTOMOLOGY | |
BSCI 40430 | ANIMAL PHYSIOLOGY | |
BSCI 40515 | ANIMAL BEHAVIOR | |
BSCI 40556 | VERTEBRATE ZOOLOGY | |
BSCI 40581 | ANIMAL PARASITOLOGY | |
| Additional Requirements (courses do not count in major GPA) | ||
| UC 10001 | FLASHES 101 | 1 |
| Foreign Language (see Foreign Language College Requirement below) | 8 | |
| Kent Core Composition | 6 | |
| Kent Core Humanities and Fine Arts (minimum one course from each) | 9 | |
| Kent Core Social Sciences (must be from two disciplines) | 6 | |
| Kent Core Additional | 2 | |
| General Electives (total credit hours depends on earning 120 credit hours, including 39 upper-division credit hours) | 14 | |
| Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 120 | |
A minimum C grade must be earned to fulfill the writing-intensive requirement.
Students should select their electives in consultation with a faculty advisor. A total of 26 credit hours combined are required to fulfill the Biology Elective and Biology, Chemistry, Physics Electives.
A maximum 6 credit hours of any combination of BSCI 30105, BSCI 40192, BSCI 40196 and BSCI 40199 may be applied toward the major (with no more than 4 credit hours S/U graded). Enrollment in these courses must be determined with a faculty advisor.
Students who plan to attend a professional or graduate program are strongly encouraged to take CHEM 10060 and CHEM 10061.
| Minimum Major GPA | Minimum Overall GPA |
|---|---|
| 2.000 | 2.000 |
The following Biological Sciences (BSCI) courses may NOT be used in the elective category for majors or minors in the Department of Biological Sciences:
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| BSCI 10001 | HUMAN BIOLOGY (KBS) | 3 |
| BSCI 10002 | LIFE ON PLANET EARTH (KBS) | 3 |
| BSCI 10003 | LABORATORY EXPERIENCE IN BIOLOGY (KBS) (KLAB) | 1 |
| BSCI 10005 | SMALL ANIMAL ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY FOR VETERINARY TECHNICIANS | 4 |
| BSCI 11010 | FOUNDATIONAL ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY I (KBS) (KLAB) | 3 |
| BSCI 11020 | FOUNDATIONAL ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY II (KBS) (KLAB) | 3 |
| BSCI 16001 | HORTICULTURAL BOTANY | 3 |
| BSCI 20019 | BIOLOGICAL STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION | 4 |
| BSCI 20021 | BASIC MICROBIOLOGY | 3 |
| BSCI 20022 | BASIC MICROBIOLOGY LABORATORY | 1 |
| BSCI 21010 | ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY I (KBS) (KLAB) | 4 |
| BSCI 21020 | ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY II | 4 |
| BSCI 26002 | ECOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES OF PEST MANAGEMENT | 3 |
| BSCI 26003 | PLANT IDENTIFICATION AND SELECTION I | 3 |
| BSCI 26004 | PLANT IDENTIFICATION AND SELECTION II | 3 |
| BSCI 30050 | HUMAN GENETICS | 3 |
| BSCI 40020 | BIOLOGY OF AGING | 3 |
Foreign Language College Requirement, B.S.
All students with prior foreign language experience should take the foreign language placement test to determine the appropriate level at which to start. Some students may start beyond the Elementary I level and will complete the requirement with fewer credit hours and courses. This may be accomplished by (1) passing a course beyond Elementary I through Intermediate II level; (2) receiving credit through one of the alternative credit programs offered by Kent State University; or (3) demonstrating language proficiency comparable to Elementary II of a foreign language. When students complete the requirement with fewer than 8 credit hours and two courses, they will complete remaining credit hours with general electives.
This roadmap is a recommended semester-by-semester plan of study for this program. Students will work with their advisor to develop a sequence based on their academic goals and history. Courses designated as critical (!) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation.
| Semester One | Credits | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| ! | BSCI 10110 | BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY (ELR) (KBS) (KLAB) | 4 |
| ! | CHEM 10062 | GENERAL CHEMISTRY I LABORATORY (KBS) (KLAB) | 1 |
| UC 10001 | FLASHES 101 | 1 | |
| ! | General Chemistry Elective | 4 | |
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 | ||
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 | ||
| Credit Hours | 16 | ||
| Semester Two | |||
| ! | BSCI 10120 | BIOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS (ELR) (KBS) (KLAB) | 4 |
| ! | CHEM 10063 | GENERAL CHEMISTRY II LABORATORY (KBS) (KLAB) | 1 |
| ! | General Chemistry Elective | 4 | |
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 | ||
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 | ||
| Credit Hours | 15 | ||
| Semester Three | |||
| ! | BSCI 30156 | ELEMENTS OF GENETICS | 3 |
| ! | CHEM 20481 or CHEM 30481 | BASIC ORGANIC CHEMISTRY I or ORGANIC CHEMISTRY I | 3-4 |
| CHEM 20482 or CHEM 30475 or CHEM 30482 | BASIC ORGANIC CHEMISTRY II or ORGANIC CHEMISTRY LABORATORY I (ELR) or ORGANIC CHEMISTRY II | 0-3 | |
| ! | MATH 12002 | ANALYTIC GEOMETRY AND CALCULUS I (KMCR) | 5 |
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 | ||
| Credit Hours | 15 | ||
| Semester Four | |||
| ! | BSCI 40224 or MATH 12003 or MATH 30011 | QUANTITATIVE METHODS IN BIOLOGY or ANALYTIC GEOMETRY AND CALCULUS II or BASIC PROBABILITY AND STATISTICS | 3-5 |
| CHEM 20482 or CHEM 30475 or CHEM 30482 | BASIC ORGANIC CHEMISTRY II or ORGANIC CHEMISTRY LABORATORY I (ELR) or ORGANIC CHEMISTRY II | 0-3 | |
| Zoology Core Electives | 7 | ||
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 | ||
| Kent Core Requirement | 2 | ||
| Credit Hours | 15 | ||
| Semester Five | |||
| BSCI 40600 | WRITING IN THE BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES (WIC) | 1 | |
| Biology Elective and/or Biology, Chemistry, Physics Electives | 7 | ||
| Zoology Core Electives | 4 | ||
| Foreign Language | 4 | ||
| Credit Hours | 16 | ||
| Semester Six | |||
| Biology Elective and/or Biology, Chemistry, Physics Electives | 9 | ||
| Foreign Language | 4 | ||
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 | ||
| Credit Hours | 16 | ||
| Semester Seven | |||
| BSCI 40163 | EVOLUTION | 3 | |
| Biology Elective and/or Biology, Chemistry, Physics Electives | 7 | ||
| General Elective | 3 | ||
| Credit Hours | 13 | ||
| Semester Eight | |||
| Biology Elective and/or Biology, Chemistry, Physics Elective | 3 | ||
| General Electives | 11 | ||
| Credit Hours | 14 | ||
| Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 120 | ||
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