Bachelor of Science in Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology
Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology
The B.S. focuses on the integration of biological systems at the whole organism level, and on how living organisms exist in populations, species, and communities within their environment. Core classes such as genetics, ecology, and evolutionary biology are combined with courses such as statistics, biochemistry, systematics, and organismal diversity to provide a strong foundation in biology. Students choose electives from a diverse set of classes that allow them to focus on areas of interest.
Undergraduate Admission
Admission to KU
All students applying for admission must send high school and college transcripts to the Office of Admissions. Unless they are college transfer students with at least 24 hours of credit, prospective students must send ACT or SAT scores to the Office of Admissions. Prospective first-year students should be aware that KU has qualified admission requirements that all new first-year students must meet to be admitted. Consult the Office of Admissions for application deadlines and specific admission requirements.
Visit the International Support Services for information about international admissions.
Students considering transferring to KU may see how their college-level course work will transfer on the Office of Admissions website.
Admission to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Admission to the College is a different process from admission to a major field. Some CLAS departments have admission requirements. See individual department/program sections for departmental admission requirements.
First- and Second-Year Preparation
Because biology study requires preparation in other sciences, students should begin meeting major requirements in the first year. It is particularly important to take CHEM 130 and CHEM 135 in the first year and, for several majors, to take CHEM 330, CHEM 331, CHEM 335, and CHEM 336 in the second year. Ideally, most majors should also take BIOL 150 and BIOL 152 during the first year, as well as BIOL 105.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Science Requirements | ||
| BIOL 105 | Biology Orientation Seminar | 1 |
| CHEM 130 | General Chemistry I | 5 |
| CHEM 135 | General Chemistry II | 5 |
| CHEM 330 | Organic Chemistry I | 3 |
| CHEM 331 | Organic Chemistry I Laboratory | 2 |
| Choose one of the following: | 4-6 | |
| Calculus I and Calculus II | ||
| Calculus I | ||
| Choose one of the following: | 8-9 | |
| College Physics I and College Physics II | ||
| General Physics I and General Physics I Laboratory and General Physics II and General Physics II Laboratory | ||
| BIOL 600 | Introductory Biochemistry, Lectures | 3 |
| Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology Requirements | ||
| BIOL 150 | Principles of Molecular and Cellular Biology | 3 |
| or BIOL 151 | Principles of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Honors | |
| BIOL 152 | Principles of Organismal Biology | 3 |
| or BIOL 153 | Principles of Organismal Biology, Honors | |
| BIOL 154 | Introductory Biology Lab for STEM Majors | 2 |
| BIOL 350 | Principles of Genetics | 4 |
| or BIOL 360 | Principles of Genetics, Honors | |
| BIOL 400 | Fundamentals of Microbiology | 3 |
| or BIOL 544 | Comparative Animal Physiology | |
| BIOL 412 | Evolutionary Biology | 4 |
| BIOL 413 | History and Diversity of Organisms | 3 |
| BIOL 414 | Principles of Ecology | 3 |
| BIOL 428 | Introduction to Systematics | 3 |
| BIOL 570 | Introduction to Biostatistics | 4 |
| BIOL 599 | Senior Seminar: _____ | 1 |
| Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology Elective Hours | ||
| Satisfied by completing 15 hours of BIOL courses numbered 400 or higher, including at least 4 hours of lab credit and 2 hours of seminar/topics courses (BIOL 419, 420, 499, 701). No more than 5 hours of BIOL 423 Non-Lab Independent Study and/or BIOL 424 Independent Study (combined) can be applied to the elective requirement, with no more than 2 hours of BIOL 424 being applied to the laboratory requirement. The Undergraduate Biology Program must approve exceptions to these elective requirements. | 15 | |
Below is a sample 4-year plan for students pursuing the BS in Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology. To view the list of courses approved to fulfill KU Core Goals, please visit the KU Core website.
This degree plan assumes students will have the equivalent of MATH 101 or MATH 104 prior to the freshman year, fall semester.
| Freshman | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| BIOL 150 or 152 (Goal 3 Natural Science, Major Requirement)2 | 3 | BIOL 152 or 150 (Goal 3 Natural Science, Major Requirement)2 | 3 |
| CHEM 130 (Goal 1.2 Quantitative Reasoning or Goal 3 Natural Science, General Science Requirement)1 | 5 | CHEM 135 (Goal 1.2 Quantitative Reasoning or Goal 3 Natural Science, General Science Requirement) | 5 |
| BIOL 105 (General Science Requirement)7 | 1 | MATH 115 (Goal 1.2 Quantitative Reasoning, General Science Requirement)1 | 3 |
| Goal 2.1 Written Communication (1 of 2) | 3 | Goal 2.1 Written Communication/BA Writing II | 3 |
| BIOL 154 | 2 | Goal 2.2 Communication | 3 |
| 14 | 17 | ||
| Sophomore | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| BIOL 413 (Major Requirement)5 | 3 | BIOL 350 or 360 (Major Requirement) | 4 |
| MATH 116 (General Science Requirement)1 | 3 | PHSX 114 or 211 and 216 (Goal 1.1 Critical Thinking, General Science Requirement) | 4-5 |
| CHEM 330 (General Science Requirement)4 | 3 | Goal 3 Social Sciences | 3 |
| CHEM 331 (General Science Requirement)4 | 2 | Goal 4.1 US Diversity | 3 |
| Goal 3 Arts and Humanities | 3 | ||
| 14 | 14-15 | ||
| Junior | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| BIOL 414 (Major Requirement)5 | 3 | BIOL 412 (Major Requirement)3 | 4 |
| BIOL 600 (General Science Requirement) | 3 | BIOL 428 (Major Requirement)3 | 3 |
| PHSX 115 or 212 and 236 (General Science Requirement) | 4 | BIOL Elective 400+ (Major Requirement)6 | 3 |
| Goal 4.2 Global Awareness | 3 | BIOL Elective 400+ Lab (Major Requirement)6 | 2 |
| Second Area of Study/Elective/Degree/Junior-Senior Hours9 | 3 | Second Area of Study/Elective/Degree/Junior-Senior Hours9 | 3 |
| 16 | 15 | ||
| Senior | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| BIOL 570 (Major Requirement)5,8 | 4 | BIOL 599 (Goal 6 Integration & Creativity; Major Requirement) | 1 |
| BIOL 400 or 544 (Major Requirement)5 | 3 | BIOL Elective 400+ (Major Requirement)6 | 3 |
| BIOL Elective 400+ (Major Requirement)6 | 3 | BIOL Elective Seminar/Topics 400+ (Major Requirement)6 | 2 |
| BIOL Elective 400+ Lab (Major Requirement)6 | 2 | Second Area of Study/Elective/Degree/Junior-Senior Hours9 | 3 |
| Goal 5 Social Responsibility and Ethics | 3 | Second Area of Study/Elective/Degree/Junior-Senior Hours9 | 3 |
| Second Area of Study/Elective/Degree/Junior-Senior Hours9 | 3 | ||
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Total Hours 120-121 | |||
| 1 | Requires MATH ACT scores of 26+, a comparable SAT or KU Math Placement Exam score, or credit for a MATH 101 or MATH 104 equivalent course. MATH 125 can be taken instead of MATH 115 + MATH 116 to fulfill the math requirement. |
| 2 | Concurrent or prior enrollment in CHEM 130 is required. BIOL 151 is the honors equivalent of BIOL 150 and offered in the fall semesters. BIOL 153 is the honors equivalent of BIOL 152 and offered in the spring semesters. |
| 3 | |
| 4 | Most medical schools require the full CHEM 330, CHEM 331,CHEM 335, and CHEM 336 sequence. |
| 5 | BIOL 413, BIOL 414, BIOL 544, and BIOL 570 are offered only in the fall. |
| 6 | 15 credit hours of BIOL courses numbered 400 or higher, including at least 4 hours of lab credit and 2 hours of seminar/topics course credit (BIOL 419, BIOL 420, BIOL 499, BIOL 701). No more than 5 hours of BIOL 423 and/or BIOL 424 can be applied towards elective requirement, with no more than 2 hours of BIOL 424 applied towards the lab requirement. |
| 7 | BIOL 105 Biology Orientation Seminar (1 hour online course) is required for the major. It can be taken the summer prior to your freshman year. |
| 8 | BIOL 570 is recommended in sophomore year when possible. |
| 9 | Hour requirements (incl. 45 jr/sr hrs) are typically met through KU core, degree, major, second area of study and/or elective hours. Students completing the BGS with a major must choose a secondary area of study. Individual degree mapping is done in partnership with your advisor. |
Please note: Students may earn degrees in more than one major within biological sciences, or in a biological science and an area outside biology by meeting the requirements of both degree programs and taking at least 15 hours of courses unique to each major.
Departmental Honors
Undergraduate majors are eligible to graduate with honors in biology if they fulfill the following requirements:
- Complete all course work required for the appropriate degree in biology.
- Achieve a minimum grade-point average of 3.5 in the major.
- Complete BIOL 499 Introduction to Honors Research with a grade of B or higher.
- Complete BIOL 699 Biology Honors Research Colloquium with a grade of B or higher.
- Complete an independent research project under the supervision of a faculty member in an area appropriate to the degree sought.
- Submit an honors thesis to the honors committee once the research is complete and present the results of the completed research at the honors research symposium.
Students majoring in Human Biology with Anthropology, Applied Behavioral Science, Psychology, or Speech-Language-Hearing concentrations will follow the honors requirements for their respective concentration department.
Specific guidelines and intent forms are available in the Undergraduate Biology Program office and online. Candidates must declare their intent to graduate with honors at least 2 semesters before graduation.
Study Abroad
Consult an advisor at least 4 months before undertaking study abroad. Consult the Office of Study Abroad, 108 Lippincott Hall, for information about study in one of the many countries (e.g., Scotland, Australia, Switzerland) with special arrangements with KU.