Undergraduate Degrees

Students who pursue a Bachelor of Science (BS) or Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in Biological Sciences can take advantage of a wide range of career opportunities.

All students pursuing the BS or BA degree complete our core courses, ensuring a breadth of knowledge in Biological Sciences.  Please visit the Course Catalog for a description of these core courses, as well as all other courses offered to obtain a degree in Biology.
  • Introduction to Biological Sciences
  • Principles of Biology with lab
  • Biodiversity with lab
  • Cellular Biology with lab
  • General Genetics
  • Ecology
  • Evolution
  • Seminar

Bachelor of Science

All biological sciences students are required to take basic courses in introductory biology, biodiversity, cellular biology, evolution, genetics and ecology. The Bachelor of Science curriculum requires two semesters of higher-level math courses, including Calculus I and Biostatistics. Students will then gain a depth of knowledge by pursuing courses in one of our focus areas.  Three examples of how degree requirements may be completed in four years are shown in these sample curricula for Bachelor of Science.  Actual curriculum plans may vary depending on transfer credit, math placement, and timing and availability of desired elective options.  These examples do not include all options available to students for completing a degree in this program.  For further details, please consult the undergraduate catalog.

Focus Areas

Students who are interested in cellular and molecular biology and genetics will find a variety of rewarding career opportunities in public, government, corporate and private agency positions.   Individuals with a BS or BA can find careers in fields such as biotechnology, microbiology, cell biology, and neuroscience conducting both basic and applied research.  More advanced opportunities are available to students who choose to pursue training in Master's and Ph.D. programs after receiving their Bachelor's  degree in Biological Sciences.

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Students who are interested in ecology, environment and conservation biology will find rewarding career opportunities with public and government agencies, companies, contractors, environmental organizations, and more.  Job descriptions may include field or lab data collection, natural resource management, policy development and enforcement, and consultancy.  Students may also be interested in advanced studies in a variety of fields at the Master’s or Ph.D.-level, or advanced professional training in fields like environmental law and public policy.

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Students who are interested in health sciences may choose, upon graduation, to pursue professional studies in a variety of rewarding health professions, such as medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, physical therapy, physician assistant, chiropractic, public health, or veterinary medicine, to name a few.  Upon graduation, students may also be interested in pursuing a Master's or Ph.D. degree in a health science field.

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The MLS 3+1 emphasis area is designed for students who wish to earn a B.S. degree in Biological Sciences, and become board certified by the American Society of Clinical Pathologists as a Medical Laboratory Scientist.  Certified Medical Lab Scientists are in very high demand. Most are employed in hospitals, but private laboratories, government agencies, industrial and pharmaceutical laboratories offer alternative career opportunities.

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Students who are interested in obtaining a Bachelor of Science Degree from Missouri S&T and in pursuing a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Health Sciences in St. Louis (UHSP), may be interested in our accelerated “3 + 4” option. A student who elects to follow this option will complete a set curriculum that covers all prerequisites for the Pharm. D. program.

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Bachelor of Arts

Bachelor of Arts curriculum requires College Algebra and Biostatistics. Students working on a Bachelor of Arts with an emphasis in pre-med are strongly encouraged, but not required, to take a number of human anatomy and physiology courses to prepare them for med school, while students working on a Bachelor of Arts with an emphasis in secondary education are required to student-teach at a public school for one semester before receiving their degree. Following is a sample curriculum for a Bachelor of Arts as well as a sample curriculum for a BA with a pre-med emphasis area. 

Undergraduate Certificate in BioInnovation

The Biological Sciences Department offers an Undergraduate Certificate in BioInnovation. The BioInnovation certificate program will provide students with an entrepreneurial bend to the traditional research and classroom experience, generating practical biologically-related products for the marketplace. The certificate program introduces students to numerous professionals, including representatives from biogenerators in St. Louis, S&T’s patent office, student entrepreneurs, and bio-entrepreneurs. The Certificate in BioInnovation is a credential that appears on a student’s transcript.

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Bachelor's Degree in Environmental Science

Versatile and interdisciplinary, a degree in environmental science gives you tools from multiple disciplines and departments to create a program that fits your individual career goals

Students pursuing a Bachelor of Science (BS) in environmental science are prepared for careers in environmental compliance, natural resources management, environmental health and safety, and for graduate and professional programs.

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Minors

A minor enhances the academic credentials of a student and broadens their employment choices. The department offers multiple minors to choose from.

Students minoring in biological sciences must take a minimum of 20 hours of biological sciences course work, and at least seven hours of advanced coursework to be chosen in consultation with their advisor.

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Students majoring in biological sciences are encouraged to pursue a minor in bioinformatics – a rapidly developing field that applies computational methods to address biological questions, and includes new advances in computer science, mathematics and biology.

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Core courses used toward a student's major degree requirements cannot be used for the minor degree program in biomedical engineering. Elective courses used toward a student's major degree requirements or another minor degree program cannot be used unless they are approved by the biomedical engineering program committee.

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Students completing the pre-medicine minor curriculum will have completed all requirements for admission to most medical, dental, veterinary and health professions programs. This minor is not intended for students majoring in chemistry, biological sciences or chemical and biochemical engineering, all of which offer a pre-medicine approved curriculum.

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This minor has applications in the management of natural resources, such as energy and agriculture, and also in the development of businesses and engineering solutions. This multi-disciplinary undergraduate minor will prepare students to evaluate efficient energy and materials usage, and greenhouse gas emissions in a global society. Any undergraduate student at Missouri S&T can pursue a sustainability minor.

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