Bachelor of Arts Degree
The Bachelor of Arts Degree is designed for individuals pursuing careers in scientific application areas such as public policy, technical sales, law, and communications. The Bachelor of Arts requires more humanities and social science credits to be completed than a Bachelor of Science, providing greater balance between science and non-science credits in its 120 credit program. Students in the BA program must complete requirements for the University, the College of Natural Science and the Department. In addition, general elective courses usually will be needed to reach 120 (123) credits.
Information for persons with disabilities.
The following list is for informational purposes. Students are expected to check with their advisor at least once each year to discuss program planning and course selection.
Degree Requirements
General Degree Requirements:
- 120 Credits minimum to graduate (123 minimum for students who took MTH 1825 at MSU)
- 30 Credits minimum of 300-400 level courses
- 2.0 minimum Overall GPA
- 2.0 minimum GPA in the major
University Requirements:
| Complete all of the following courses: |
|||
| Course | Course Title | Semester Offered | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| WRA 110-150 | Writing, Rhetoric & American Cultures | F, S, U | 4 |
| IAH 201-210 | Integrative Studies in the Arts & Humanities | F, S, U | 4 |
| IAH 211 (or higher) | Integrative Studies in the Arts & Humanities | F, S, U | 4 |
| ISS 2XX | Integrative Studies in Social Science | F, S, U | 4 |
| ISS 3XX | Integrative Studies in Social Science | F, S, U | 4 |
| (F = Fall, S = Spring, U = sUmmer) | |||
Note: A minimum of two ISS or IAH courses that emphasize diversity must be completed. This Integrated Studies Diversity requirement may be fulfilled in one of two ways:
a. by taking one course designated "I" and one course designated "N" or
b. by taking one course designated "D" and one course designated either "I" or "N".
"I" - emphasizes international and multicultural diversity
"N" - emphasizes national diversity
"D" - emphasizes both international/multicultural and national diversity.
The course designation of I, N or D is in parentheses at the end of the course title in the MSU Course Descriptions catalog. (Example: IAH 201 is a "D" emphasis course.) If none of these letters is present, the course will not satisfy the Integrated Studies Diversity requirement.
College Of Natural Science Requirements:
| Complete all of the following courses: |
|||
| Course | Course Title | Semester Offered | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| BS 110 | Organisms & Populations | F, S, U | 4 |
| BS 111 | Cells and Molecules | F, S, U | 3 |
| BS 111L | Cells and Molecules Lab | F, S, U | 2 |
| CEM 141 | General Chemistry | F, S, U | 4 |
| CEM 161 | Chemistry Laboratory I | F, S, U | 1 |
| CEM 143 | Survey of Organic Chemistry | F, S, U | 4 |
| PHY 231 | Introductory Physics I | F, S, U | 3 |
| Complete one of the following courses: | |||
| Course | Course Title | Semester Offered | Credits |
| MTH 124 | Survey of Calculus I | F, S, U | 3 |
| MTH 132 | Calculus I | F, S, U | 3 |
| Complete one of the following courses: | |||
| Course | Course Title | Semester Offered | Credits |
| MTH 126 | Survey of Calculus II | F, S, U | 3 |
| MTH 133 | Calculus II | F, S, U | 4 |
| STT 201 | Statistical Methods | F, S, U | 4 |
| STT 231 | Statistics for Scientists | F, S, U | 3 |
| STT 421 | Statistics I | F, S, U | 3 |
| (F = Fall, S = Spring, U = sUmmer, KB = Kellogg Biological Station) | |||
Department of Zoology Requirements:
| Complete all of the following courses: |
|||
| Course | Course Title | Semester Offered | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| ZOL 313 | Animal Behavior | F, S, U | 3 |
| ZOL 320 | Developmental Biology | F | 4 |
| ZOL 341 | Fundamental Genetics | F, S, U | 4 |
| ZOL 355 | Ecology | F, U KB | 3 |
| ZOL 355Lw | Ecology Lab | F, U KB | 1 |
| ZOL 408 |
Histology |
F |
4 |
| ZOL 457w | Foundations of Evolutionary Biology | S | 3 |
| Complete one of the following courses: | |||
| Course | Course Title | Semester Offered | Credits |
| ZOL 306 | Invertebrate Biology | F | 4 |
| ZOL 328w | Comparative Anatomy & Biology of Vertebrates | S | 4 |
| (F = Fall, S = Spring, U = sUmmer, KB = Kellogg Biological Station) | |||
Complete a minimum of 12 credits of 300-400 level courses offered by the Colleges of Arts and Letters, Business, Communications Arts & Sciences, and Social Sciences.
Complete one of the following options (1 or 2):
- Second year competency in a foreign language. (At MSU, this means completion of 202.)
- First year competency in a foreign language (at MSU, this means completion of 102); AND
CSE 101 or 131 ; AND
MTH 124 or 132; STT 421.
Tier II Writing in the Major: Must complete two Tier II Zoology courses (W). Fulfilled by completion of ZOL 355L and ZOL 457.
General Electives:
Most of the 120 (or 123) credits required for a MSU Bachelor’s degree come from the required University, College and department courses. Additional credits, however, may be needed to reach the total 120 (123) credits. These credits are called elective credits and may be taken in any discipline or any level. Elective courses can be chosen to:
- develop or expand skills, such as writing and analytical thinking.
- provide vocational skills, such as accounting or computer skills.
- explore topics you have always been interested in learning more about.
- complement your major and interests. For example, for a student interested in environmental issues, courses from Fisheries and Wildlife, Geography or Resource Development might be good choices. Other science-based options might include: Animal Science; Biochemistry: Entomology; Forestry; Microbiology & Molecular Genetics or Physiology. Psychology or Anthropology courses often complement Zoology courses well.
- complete an additional major, specialization or second degree.