The Bachelor of Arts in Biology degree provides biology students with a more liberal educational pathway, and is appropriate for students wishing to specialize in a field of biology that is less reliant on collateral sciences such as chemistry and physics, or students that also have interests that fall outside of biology. The emphasis in this program is to obtain a broad, liberal arts education rooted in the study of the diversity, complexity, and evolution of life.
Students working toward a Bachelor of Arts in biology are expected to specialize in a particular area of study, or "concentration," that most closely matches their anticipated career trajectory. Two concentrations are available within this major. Both are fairly general in scope, and coursework can be tailored to fit nearly any career path, from the very basic and theoretical, to the most applied, real-world areas of study.
General Biology Concentration
This is the most flexible degree program offered in the Department of Biology. Within this concentration, students can specialize in one of three areas of study, depending on their specific interests, or pursue broad training by completing multiple courses from all three categories. The three "course distribution categories" include ecology/environmental biology, organismal/evolutionary biology, and cell/molecular biology (refer to the UT Catalog for lists of courses). With this degree, students can pursue career paths ranging from basic and theoretical research to applied fields centered on solving real-world problems.
Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Concentration
This program meets the requirements for students interested in a variety of career paths involving the evolution, development, physiology, behavior, ecology, and conservation of organisms. This concentration is great for students interested in pursuing careers in evolutionary biology, natural history, systematics and taxonomy, conservation, and many other theoretical and applied fields. It combines a historical perspective on evolution and biodiversity with the innovative and technological aspects of novel fields such as biomechanical modeling and geographic information systems.