Honor's College FAQ
Here, in a question & answer format, is general advice for Honors College students majoring in Zoology. This advice is no substitute for personalized advice available to you by seeing your designated advisors.
TAKING ADVANTAGE OF OPPORTUNITIES
What does it mean to take inititative?
On a campus as large and diverse as MSU's, there are countless opportunities available. One of the goals of the Honors College is to encourage its students to take advantage of this size and diversity. Honors College students display the individual initiative to integrate non-curricular experiences with the curriculum.
What special opportunities are available to me on campus?
Science builds on studies and experiments. It is an active discipline. All around you at Michigan State University, there are opportunities to become involved in research by associating with faculty members and graduate students. As an Honors College member, you should place a priority on getting involved in original research for at least a year before you graduate. The starting point to meet this goal is your personal initiative. Opportunities of many sorts also abound in regular classrooms, the library, and student clubs such as the Zoology Student Association. Be an active participant in designing your program of activities at the university.
What special opportunities are available to me off campus?
Countless organizations make opportunities available to undergraduate students. Many of these opportunities are ONLY for undergraduates. Thus, you participate while an undergraduate, or you never do. Read the posters and fliers found on bulletin boards all over campus. Look into overseas study, summer study at Kellogg Biological Station or another biology station, field courses, internships, and so forth.
PRIVILEGES OF HONORS COLLEGE MEMBERSHIP
What are the privileges of being a member of the Honors College?
You receive advice from a faculty member in your major -- Zoology -- during all years of your undergraduate program. You and your advisor are permitted to negotiate substitutions for almost any graduation requirement if you present sound educational reasons for those substitutions. You also receive enrollment priorities. See the Honors College webpage for a full list of the benefits of membership.
WHERE TO GET ADVICE
Who is my Zoology advisor?
Each Honors College member in Zoology has a designated advisor. You should be certain to see your designated advisor for advice in Zoology. If you are new to the department or for some other reason do not know your advisor, you should schedule your first Zoology advisor meeting with Dr. Susan Hill.
Do I need to see advisors at the Honors College itself?
Yes. You need to see an advisor at the Honors College for questions about your required Honors experiences and for advice on meeting the general education requirements.
I am a Lyman Briggs student. Do I need to see a Briggs advisor?
Yes. Briggs students receive advice on all aspects of their program except their cognate major from the advisors in Lyman Briggs College.
So, how many advisors do I need to see?
If you are not a Lyman Briggs student, you need to see two advisors: one at the Honors College and one in Zoology. Your Zoology advisor will help you with all aspects of your undergraduate program except the specific matters that were mentioned earlier for Honors College advising. If you are a Briggs student, you need to see three advisors: one at the Honors College, your Briggs advisor, and your Zoology advisor. In this case, the Honors College advisor will help you with Honors experences and other requirements; your Briggs advisor will help you with the Lyman Briggs part of your requirements and your Zoology advisor will help you with the Zoology Department requirements.
What if I am a pre-professional student?
Advisors for your undergraduate program are not specialists on admissions requirements of professional schools. Thus, you need to see a College of Natural Science pre-professional advisor at least once (Note: scroll down the page to reach the pre-professional advisors).
Preveterinary students should contact the Admissions Office for each College of Veterinary Medicine to which they intend to apply (since admission requirements will vary). MSU's College of Veterinary Medicine has an Undergraduate Advising Center where you can obtain preveterinary counseling. (NOTE: scroll down the page to reach the information on the Undergraduate Advising Center and on scheduling an advisor appointment.)
What about APP forms?
You need to submit an Academic Progress Plan (APP) form for each year of study. This can be done electronically via the Honors College web page (APP information). MSU students enroll for the whole next acadenic year (Fall and Spring) beginning in late March. Honors College students enroll earlier, so meet with your Zoology and other advisors in Fall semester or early in Spring semester to finalize your plans for the next academic year.
Notice that the forms include spaces for you and your advisor to write comments. Be certain to use your space to explain any special aspects of your program or highlight special experiences you are planning. It is especially important to outline your plans for Honors experiences if there is any discrepancy between the number you have completed (or planned) and the number required for normal progress.
Where are substitutions recorded?
If you and one of your advisors agree to a substitution in your program of study, the agreement must be recorded. Changes in Honors College requirements should be noted by your Honors College advisor (it is a good idea though to let any other advisors (e.g. Zoology and Lyman Briggs) know about any Honors College requirement changes). Similarly, any changes in Zoology or Lyman Briggs requirements should be noted electronically by the applicable advisor. Zoology substitutions also can be noted in the paper Zoology folder kept for each student in the Zoology main office, 204 Natural Science. It is your responsibility to bring your paper folder to Zoology advising meetings so that agreements can be recorded in it.
GENERAL EDUCATION, HONORS WORK, AND WRITING
What should I do about general education requirements?
See an advisor at the Honors College. The Honors College wants you to consider taking enriched substitution courses in general education, instead of WRA, IAH, and ISS courses. The Honors College is also prepared to tell you about many options. As a major in Zoology, you do not need to take general education in natural science.
What is the requirement for Honors work?
To graduate in the Honors College, you need to complete at least eight approved Honors experiences (an average of one per semester). It is recommended that four of the eight courses are in sciences and four in nonsciences, but this is an issue you should discuss with your Honors College advisor. Your Honors College advisor may accept another ratio, such as two:six, instead of four:four.
What is an Honors experience?
When you speak to your Honors College advisor, you also should clarify which of your proposed courses will be accepted as Honors experiences. In general, the following are Honors experiences: H courses or sections, graduate courses, and courses in which you do an H-option. You can petition the Honors College to accept other experiences that enrich your program.
What is an H-option, and how do I do one?
An H-option is a means of transforming a non-H course into an H course. To do an H-option in a course, the course must be qualified for the H option. All Zoology courses are qualified. You should ask the instructor about a course in another department. To do an H-option in a qualified course, you and the instructor must agree on extra work that you will complete. If you finish the work at a level of performance adequate to the instructor, the instructor will file a form to have the H added to the course on your transcript.
What H courses are available in Zoology?
Only ZOL 400H. It is an independent-study course. Thus, for instance, if you do independent study in a laboratory, you could take credits as ZOL 400H and receive recognition of the work as an honors experience.
Whom do I see if I have questions about how the rules on Honors experiences apply to me?
An advisor at the Honors College. The requirement for honors work is an Honors College requirement. Thus, only the Honors College can rule on questions that arise.
What is the most common reason for H-options not to be completed?
Student procrastination. H-options typically represent substantial extra work. If you do an H-option, be sure you get started early enough that you can complete the work during the semester at an exemplary level of performance.
How do I meet the Tier-II writing requirement?
By taking two courses in Zoology that have a high content of written work. Courses that meet the requirement are identified by the letter 'w' on the curricular planning sheets available from the Zoology office. Remember: You must take two.
Do I need to worry about the TCC requirement?
No. Although a TCC (transcollegiate course) requirement was supposed to be implemented at Michigan State University, it has not yet been implemented.
CHEMISTRY, MATH, STATISTICS and PHYSICS
When should I take these things?
If possible, take at least one semester of inorganic chemistry during your freshman year because it is the prerequisite for organic chemistry. Most Zoology students complete the organic chemistry sequence in the sophomore year. In the organic chemistry sequence, the second semester builds on knowledge from the first. The Zoology Department recommends taking the organic chemistry classes consecutive semesters [e.g. FS - SS] so there is less of a break between courses [and less chance to forget the material!].
Courses toward the math requirements should be taken right away in your freshman year, when your high-school math background is fresh in your mind. Take calculus at any time, but wait until you are a junior or senior to take statistics. Statistics typically means little to students who have never faced data. You will be much more likely to have experience with data in your junior/senior years than in your freshman/sophomore years. As a junior or senior, you will also have a much-improved self-understanding of the level of statistics you need.
Physics can be taken during your junior year. If your freshman and sophomore years are so crowded with science that you must postpone some science courses, you should postpone physics rather than biology.
I am a Lyman Briggs student. Is the advice on these things different for me?
Yes. See your Briggs advisor. As a Briggs student, you may well obtain your math, inorganic chemistry and physics in a special course sequence during your freshman and sophomore years.
What courses should I take in chemistry?
All Zoology majors must ultimately complete two semesters of organic chemistry with lab. Most students take CEM 251-252-255 for organic chemistry. An alternative for go-getters is CEM 351-352-355-356, which is the organic sequence that chemistry majors take. If you are thinking of “going an extra mile” in chemistry, consider taking the usual 200 series for organic and using your extra energy to take biochemistry. As to inorganic, CEM 141 and 161 are sufficient for graduation, but preprofessional students need to consider taking more because some professional schools require eight semester credits of inorganic chemistry. If more inorganic is taken, the usual options are CEM 142 plus either 162 or 262. See a Briggs advisor for advice on inorganic chemistry if you are a Briggs student. See a pre-professional advisor if you are a pre-professional student.
What courses should I take in physics?
All Zoology majors must complete eight credits. Most students take PHY 231-232 for lectures and 251-252 for labs, adding up to eight credits total. An alternative sequence is PHY 183-184. The latter sequence uses calculus. Honors students who like calculus often enjoy the 183-184 physics sequence. If you take PHY 183-184, you do not need to take laboratories to meet graduation requirements, because the lecture courses themselves add up to eight credits. As with chemistry, Briggs students and pre-professional students need to get Briggs and pre-professional advice.
What courses should I take in math?
All Zoology majors must take a semester of calculus plus a second semester of calculus or a semester of statistics. The required semester of calculus can be in MTH 124 or 132. If a second semester of calculus is taken, it should be MTH 126 or 133. Students who think they might want to go into advanced calculus and differential equations should take the 130 series, because the 120 series does not meet prerequisites for advanced math.
See your Zoology advisor, and a pre-professional advisor if you are a pre-prodessional student, for particulars before enrolling for these courses.
If you opt for statistics to complete your math requirement, see the next question.
What statistics should I take?
As mentioned earlier, if you take statistics, you should probably wait until you are at least a junior. Many Honors College students are in research labs by then, and thus can “put the statistics to use” as they learn it. Also, many students realize by their junior years that they need more statistics than they thought they needed as freshmen; thus, by waiting until the junior year, there is less chance of opting for an inappropriately elementary course.
If you want a one-semester introductory treatmentm take the special course for Natural Science students, STT 231 (Statistics for Scientists), rather than STT 201. Another excellent alternative is STT 224 (Introduction to Probability and Statistics for Ecologists). This course is also an official option for your Zoology degree's math requirement.
If you want a more-advanced treatment of statistics, consider taking STT 421.
See your Zoology advisor, and a pre-professional advisor if you are a pre-professional student, for particulars before enrolling for these courses.
ZOOLOGY
What are the Zoology degrees and concentrations? How do I choose a major ?
Only the Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology contains concentrations: there are seven available. These represent seven different permutations of courses that will qualify you to graduate. Your concentration does NOT appear on your transcript: only the degree Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology is shown.
There are two other degrees available to Zoology undergraduates: the Bachelor of Science in Environmental Biology/Zoology and the Bachelor of Arts.
Instead of thinking about your transcript and how it will present you to the outside world (or graduate school), carefully examine the descriptions of courses in the programs. Click on the course title in the degree descriptions on tje Zoology undergragduate webpage to see a descripotion of that course. Choose your degree (and, if app;icable, concentration) by finding the set of courses which best match your interests or career goals.