Guide to majors and programs
College of Arts & Sciences
Biology
Overview
Academics
Biology includes the study of all living
organisms, bacteria, fungi, plants and animals.
Since the discovery of the structure of DNA
in the early 1950s, biology continues to be an
area of exciting discoveries with applications
that are essential to the solution of problems in
agriculture, medicine and the environment.
Degree options
The Division of Biology attracts excellent
students. Of more than 120 annual graduates
with biological science degrees, 75 percent
receive their degrees within five years of high
school graduation, and 60 percent have a GPA
of 3.0 or better.
Professional options
Careers
Employment opportunities in biology exist in
research, teaching, administration, service and
sales in governmental agencies, educational
institutions, private business and industry.
The biology degree is popular for students who
plan to enter a professional health program such
as medical, dental, optometry or veterinary,
or who wish to pursue a specialty area such as
genetics, ecology or plant science.
Employers
Students with bachelor’s degrees in
microbiology are exceptionally well-trained for
lab technician jobs in research labs or numerous
governmental agencies and industries where
food, medicine and water quality control are
important.
Students with bachelor’s degrees in fisheries,
wildlife and conservation biology are qualified
for jobs in conservation, environmental control,
fish, game, natural resources management and
law enforcement.
Points of pride
The Princeton Review picked K-State among
the best colleges in the country. K-State is
a national leader among state-supported
universities in its total of Rhodes, Marshall,
Truman, Goldwater and Udall scholarship
winners.
Because of its diversity as an academic
discipline, a single major in biology is
inadequate to meet the needs and interests of
all K-State students. Three majors leading to a
Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree
are available through biology: biology; fisheries,
wildlife and conservation; and microbiology.
The requirements for each major differ, and each
offers varying degrees of flexibility in courses to
satisfy graduation requirements.
The Division of Biology requires 120 credit
hours for graduation. Those requirements fall
into four general categories: Expository Writing
I and II, speech, four humanities courses and
four social sciences courses; biology courses for
your specific major; supporting courses of math,
physics, chemistry and biochemistry or statistics;
and general electives from any department that
serve to augment the major or are taken for
enjoyment and personal development.
The biology program offers more than 60
courses to undergraduate students. Courses
in organismal biology, genetics, evolution,
microbiology, virology and immunology,
molecular/cellular biology, and ecology are
offered. Some courses have enrollments of 100
to 200, while others have an average enrollment
of 35.
About 15 percent of graduates are accepted
into medical school; 20 percent go to other
professional health schools such as dental,
optometry and veterinary; 15 percent go to
graduate school in various biology specialties;
and 50 percent proceed into a variety of science
careers.
Faculty
The Division of Biology is a large and vigorous
unit that emphasizes quality in both teaching
and research. All faculty members hold
doctoral degrees and teach undergraduate
courses, and most maintain active research
programs. The faculty’s education and
research interests provide the expertise to aid
students’ exploration of all levels of biological
organization from microbes to mammals and
molecules to ecosystems.
k-state.edu/admissions/academics
Facilities
Our introductory course, Principles of Biology, is
taught using a studio format in a state-of-the-art
facility with multimedia presentation equipment
and student-shared computers. A studio group
consists of a maximum of 78 students taught by
two biology faculty members and two graduate
teaching assistants. This format lets students
hear mini-lectures by the faculty, engage in
hands-on experiments, use computers for
simulation and information retrieval, ask
questions and have discussions with faculty
members — all at one time and in one place.
Advising
When you first enter the division, your advising
will be done in the office of undergraduate
studies. This office is set up specifically to
provide advising, assistance and information to
biology majors.
As you progress in your major and your goals
become clearer, you will be assigned an advisor
whose teaching and research interests are
similar to your interests. This arrangement will
be of value to you in the selection of electives,
discussions on opportunities for undergraduate
research and/or further education in graduate
school or professional school. Your advisor can
be of great assistance to you in many ways other
than course selection.
Activities
Research
The Division of Biology has a large number
of well-funded, active research labs covering
such broad areas as molecular/cellular biology,
developmental genetics, prairie ecology,
microbiology/virology/immunology, fisheries
and wildlife management, and basic cancer
research. These research programs bring in
about $10 million in annual funding from federal
and private foundation granting agencies. These
labs hire undergraduates for part-time jobs and
actively encourage undergraduates to pursue
research projects for course credit. Numerous
undergraduates have published papers in
refereed journals each year.
Financial assistance
Mathematics
Undergraduates fare exceedingly well in
national scholarship competitions. Since 1990,
biology majors have received 21 Goldwater,
six Udall, three Truman, three Fulbright, two
Marshall, one Rotary International and one Phi
Kappa Phi scholarships.
Physics
Suggested course work
College of Arts & Sciences requirements
Hrs.Courses
6 Expository Writing I and II
3 Public Speaking I
12 Humanities, four courses
12 Social sciences, four courses
33
Biology major
Hrs.Courses
4 Principles of Biology
5 Organismic Biology
4 Modern Genetics
3 Evolution
3 Fundamentals of Ecology
3 Cell Biology
15 Biology electives
37
Mathematics
Hrs.Courses
4 Calculus I
3-4 Additional course in math, statistics, or computer and information science
Physics
Hrs.Courses
4 Physics I
4 Physics II
Chemistry
Hrs.Courses
4 Chemistry I
4 Chemistry II
5 Organic Chemistry
3 General Biochemistry
Depending on high school course work and ACT
scores, students may bypass or be allowed to quiz out
of some introductory courses.
Microbiology major
Hrs.Courses
4 Principles of Biology
4 General Microbiology
4 Modern Genetics
3 Cell Biology
3 Genetics of Microorganisms
4 Immunology lecture
3 Microbial Ecology
10 Microbiology electives
35
Hrs.Courses
4 Calculus I
3-4 Additional course in math, statistics, or computer and information science
Hrs.Courses
4 Physics I
4 Physics II
Chemistry
Hrs.Courses
4 Chemistry I
4 Chemistry II
5 Organic Chemistry
3 General Biochemistry
Depending on high school course work and ACT
scores, students may bypass or be allowed to quiz out
of some introductory courses.
Biodiversity and conservation option
Hrs.Courses
4 Physiological Adaptions of Animals
or
4 Plant Physiology and lab
3 Conservation Biology
7
And at least 11 hours from the following list for
biodiversity and conservation:
Hrs.Courses
3 Ichthyology
3 Mammalogy
3 Ornithology
4 Taxonomy of Flowering Plants
3 Biology of Fungi
3 General Enthomology and lab
3 Dendrology
Fisheries, wildlife and conservation biology
major
Core courses
Hrs.Courses
4 Principles of Biology
5 Organismic Biology
4 Modern Genetics
3 Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology
3 Fundamentals of Ecology
1 Ecology lab
3 Population Biology
6 Biology electives
29
Supporting science
Hrs.Courses
3-4 One math course
13 Three chemistry courses
5-8Physics
6 Statistics
27-31
Plus one of the following three options:
Fisheries ecology and management option
Hrs.Courses
4 Freshwater Ecology
4 Physiological Adaptions of Animals
3 Ichthyology
3 Fisheries Ecology
4 Fisheries Management Techniques
18
Wildlife ecology and management option
Hrs.Courses
4 Physiological Adaptions of Animals
3 Ornithology
3 Mammalogy
4 Taxonomy of Flowering Plants
4 Wildlife Management Techniques
18
For more information about
biology, contact:
Office of Undergraduate Studies
Division of Biology
Kansas State University
103 Ackert Hall
1717 Claflin Rd
Manhattan, KS 66506-4902
785-532-5718
bioquestions@k-state.edu
k-state.edu/biology
For more information about
Kansas State University, contact:
Office of Admissions
Kansas State University
119 Anderson Hall
919 Mid-Campus Dr North
Manhattan, KS 66506–0102
1-800-432-8270 (toll free) or
785-532-6250
k-state@k-state.edu
k-state.edu/admissions
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2015