MARINE BIOLOGY

Semester Hours Required for Degree: 120

Faculty: W. Bennett, S. Bonomelli, M. Bowman, A.B. Chaet, S.B. Collard, C.N. D'Asaro, D. Davis, M.A. Hood, W.H. Jeffrey, J. Kavanaugh, S. Krothapalli, K.R. Rao, J.P. Riehm, M. Savka, V. Sharma, M.S. Shields, R.A. Snyder, S. Strasinger, P.A. Winter; Faculty Associates: B. Brecke, J. Burkhalter, J.C. Cornette, J.A. Couch, L.C. Folmar, R.L. Lavine, P. Linehan, C.L. McKinney, D. Miller, B. Ripps, M. Thetford, J.B. Unruh, J.T. Winstead

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 five 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 use of live animals; students may wish to seek details from course instructors before enrolling.

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
In addition to general University requirements and General Studies 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 five biology core courses.

Consult with your academic advisor for courses which may satisfy both the General Studies requirements and common prerequisites.

Course descriptions are listed alphabetically by prefix in the back of this catalog.

General Studies (36 sh)
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 or PSY 2013 to satisfy the social science/behavioral perspectives component of General Studies. For additional information see the General Studies section of this catalog.

Common Prerequisites (31-32 sh)
State mandated common prerequisites must be completed prior to graduation, but are not required for admission to the program.

Graduation requirements for the B.S. degree in Marine Biology include the successful completion of the following science/mathematics prerequisites: three foundation courses in biology (recommended: General Botany; General Zoology; Cell Biology); General Chemistry I & II; Organic Chemistry I & II; two courses in physics; Calculus I and either Calculus II or Statistics.

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.

Courses in brackets indicate substitutes from Florida Public Community/Junior Colleges and Universities.

+ Indicates common prerequisites which can be used to satisfy General Studies requirements.

Lower Division Electives (0-6 sh)
Sufficient 1000/2000 level electives to complete at least 60 semester hours in the lower division. Students should take the courses not selected from the common prerequisites.

Biology Core (20 sh)

Specialization (22 sh)
At least 18 sh upper division aquatic/marine electives; at least one upper division botany course (3-4 sh) with aquatic/marine emphasis:

Major-Related (18 sh)

Upper Division Electives (0 sh)

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