| Degree: | Bachelor of Science (B.S.) |
| Department: | Building 58, Room 79 (850) 474-2748 http://uwf.edu/biology/ |
| College: | Arts and Sciences |
| Semester Hours Required For Degree: 120 | |
The University of West Florida is one of only a few institutions in the United States which offers a Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology. The program is provided through the Department of Biology. The curriculum includes a series of six core courses fundamental to all areas of biology. Elective courses emphasize theoretical and practical aspects of aquatic/marine biology. Wetlands and estuarine marshes of the main campus, as well as the nearby Santa Rosa Island campus and the Gulf of Mexico, provide living specimens for study and serve as laboratories supporting elective courses. Graduates may seek careers in marine biology, fisheries management, aquaculture, pollution biology, and marine toxicology, and find employment in local, state, and federal departments of environmental regulation and education, as well as the private sector. Graduates are also well prepared to pursue advanced degrees. Prospective students need to be aware that some biology lab courses involve the use of live animals; students may wish to seek details from course instructors before enrolling.
In addition to general University requirements, students seeking the B.S. in Marine Biology must meet the requirements listed below.
A grade of “C” or better is required in each of the six biology core courses.
Consult with your academic advisor for courses which may satisfy both the General Studies requirements and common prerequisites.
In addition to the general studies requirements listed on this page, students must satisfy all additional University requirements, including the Gordon Rule, multicultural, and foreign language requirements. With appropriate planning and coordination with an academic advisor, students may satisfy some of the general University requirements through the General Studies curriculum. For a complete listing of general degree requirements, refer to the "Graduation and General Degree Requirements" section of this catalog.
General Studies Curriculum:
| Communication | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mathematics | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Social Sciences | 9 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Humanities | 8-9 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Natural Sciences | 7 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Total Semester Hours: | 36-37 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Marine Biology majors should satisfy the mathematics (6 sh) and science (7 sh) components of General Studies with course work taken from the common prerequisites shown below.
Marine Biology majors should take ANT 2000 Introduction to Anthropology or to satisfy the social science/behavioral perspectives component of General Studies.
State mandated common prerequisites must be completed prior to graduation, but are not required for admission to the program. See the Common Prerequisite Manual for course substitutions from Florida colleges and universities.
Graduation requirements for the B.S. degree in Marine Biology include the successful completion of the following science/mathematics prerequisites:
Since it will be difficult to incorporate all prerequisites into the 60 sh Lower Division Curriculum, students are advised to complete the following common prerequisites.
| CHM 2045+L | General Chemistry I (+Lab) * | 4 |
| CHM 2046+L | General Chemistry II (+Lab) * | 4 |
| MAC 2311 | Analytic Geometry and Calculus I * | 4 |
| PCB 2131+L | Cell Biology (+Lab) * | 4 |
| STA 2023 | Elements of Statistics * | 3 |
| Choose one of the following: | 4 | |
| General Botany (+Lab) * | ||
| General Zoology (+Lab) * | ||
| Choose one of the following options: | 8 | |
Option 1: | ||
| Organic Chemistry I (+Lab) | ||
| Organic Chemistry II (+Lab) | ||
Option 2 (Preferred Option): | ||
| General Physics I (+Lab) * | ||
| General Physics II (+Lab) * | ||
| Total Hours | 31 | |
| * | Indicates common prerequisites which can be used to satisfy General Studies requirements. |
| STA 4173 | Biostatistics | 3 |
| Choose one of the following: | 3 | |
| Introduction to Bioinformatics | ||
| Programming Using Visual Basic for Non-Majors | ||
| Choose two of the following: * | 8 | |
| General Botany (+Lab) | ||
| Organic Chemistry I (+Lab) | ||
| General Physics I (+Lab) | ||
| General Zoology (+Lab) | ||
| Total Hours | 14 | |
| * | Students must take 8 sh that were not completed as part of the Common Prerequisites in the lower division |
| Students must complete sufficient 1000/2000 level electives to complete at least 60 semester hours in the lower division. Current UWF students may use elective courses at any level (1000-4000) to meet this elective requirement. | 0-6 | |
| Total Hours | 0-6 | |
| BOT 4404+L | Aquatic Botany (+Lab) | 4 |
| ZOO 4254+L | Marine Invertebrate Zoology (+Lab) | 4 |
| ZOO 4304+L | Marine Vertebrate Zoology (+Lab) | 4 |
| Choose from the following: | 10 | |
| Biological Oceanography | ||
| Biogeography | ||
| Developmental Biology (+Lab) | ||
| Estuarine Ecology | ||
| Marine Ecological Physiology (+Lab) | ||
| Elasmobranch Biology | ||
| Fish Physiology | ||
| Marine Mammalogy | ||
| Animal Behavior | ||
| Fisheries Biology | ||
Biology directed studies (2 hours maximum) | ||
| Marine Biology Core: | 24 | |
| Biochemistry I (+Lab) | ||
| Microbiology (+Lab) | ||
| Genetics (+Lab) | ||
| Ecology (+Lab) | ||
| Molecular Biology (+Lab) | ||
| Comparative Animal Physiology I (+Lab) | ||
| Total Hours | 46 | |


