Department of Biology

General Biology Program

Admission Requirements
Students who select biology as their major must have completed at least 15 credit hours at UALR, have a cumulative grade point average of 2 .00 or better on all course work at UALR, and have taken Biology 1400 or 1401 (or equivalent) with a grade of C or better. Students who entered UALR conditionally by contract must complete the contract before being eligible for admission to the biology program. Decisions regarding course equivalency and situations in which students have tested out of courses or transferred credit from other programs will be made by the department chairperson. Transfer students with 30 hours or more in transfer credit may be accepted into the biology degree program with fewer than 15 hours at UALR with the approval of the department chairperson.

Honors Program in Biology
The department offers an honors program to provide qualified students the opportunity to pursue advanced study and receive appropriate recognition. Interested students should apply to the department chairperson for admission. Participants in the honors program are selected by the department faculty on the basis of these criteria: (1) junior standing, (2) minimum cumulative GPA of at least 3.25, and (3) acceptance by a faculty member for participation in a research project. To complete the honors program a student must: (1) maintain the 3.25 GPA, (2) enroll in undergraduate research courses for a minimum of two semesters, (3) complete a minimum of three credit hours and a maximum of six hours of undergraduate research, and (4) present the results of the undergraduate research project at an honors seminar as well as submit a written report approved by the faculty supervisor to the department faculty.

Gulf Coast Research Laboratory
The University of Arkansas at Little Rock is affiliated with the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory at Ocean Springs, Mississippi. Through this arrangement students receive UALR credit for courses taken at the research laboratory during the 12-week summer teaching session, which usually begins the first full week in June each year. The summer session consists of two terms, although the length of some classes varies. Students register and pay tuition on the UALR campus and have their credit transferred to this campus for inclusion in their academic records. Students who want to take courses in this program must apply by May 1 for summer enrollment and have prior approval of their department chairperson or the on-campus coordinator. For more information or application forms, contact the chairperson, Department of Biology.

Major in Biology

General Biology Concentration
Students selecting this concentration must complete 40 credit hours in biology and satisfy the following requirements. Core requirements: Biology 1400 or 1401, 2401, 2402, 2403, 3300, 3303, and 4190. Students must achieve a C or better in each of these courses to complete the core requirements. Biology electives: 17 hours, which must include at least three courses with laboratories either as part of the course or as a separately numbered laboratory course. Students may choose these electives from the remaining biology course offerings on the basis of individual preference or need. Students choosing to specialize further may select an emphasis in botany, cell biology and physiology, ecology, or zoology. Additional requirements: Students must complete at least eight hours of freshman chemistry, four hours of organic chemistry, six hours of physics (1321 and 1322 or equivalent) and three hours of computer science or statistics. A minor is also required.

Minor in Biology
A minor in biology requires 20 hours of credit in biology courses to include Biology 1400 or 1401, a minimum of eight hours from sophomore level courses and eight additional hours, at least three of which must be upper level. Courses in Biology Note: a number of biology courses are offered alternate years. Check with department for course offerings.


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