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to BIO 346 Home Page When the undergraduate curriculum in the Biological Sciences at UT Austin was reorganized in 1999, several new options for the BS degree in Biology were created, including Option II: Human Biology. This option emphasizes the human as an object of biological study whenever appropriate. It also explores some of the societal implication of biological research such as the human genome project or the carrying capacity of Earth. This degree plan is designed for students planning to enter professional programs in administration, law, or medicine. It may also be suited for those who have not finalized their career plans yet and who, for the time being, are just seeking an education in biology and associated fields of science and mathematics.
The Human Biology option of the BS degree plan shares with other options the Area A, B, C, and D requirements as well as the introductory biology courses including BIO 325. The gateway course to the Human Biology option is BIO 346 Human Biology, exploring hominin evolution, human genomics, human behavior, and the human impact on the environment. Students also take 18 hours of core courses, comprising 6 hours in cellular and molecular biology as well as 3 hours each in anatomy, physiology, behavior/psychology, and evolution/ecology. Lists of courses satisfying these area requirements are available in the Undergraduate Course Catalog, at the Biological Science Advising Center in NHB 2.606, and online at http://www.biosci.utexas.edu/bsac/humanbiology/. After BIO 346, students do 15 hours of coursework in one area of concentration, chosen from the following list.
Lists of courses for each of these concentration areas are available in the Undergraduate Course Catalog, at the Biological Science Advising Center in NHB 2.606, or online at http://www.biosci.utexas.edu/bsac/humanbiology/. Students may taylor their concentration courses to their special interests in consultation with their academic advisor, or with the faculty advisor for the Human Biology option, Dr. James Bull <bull@mail.utexas.edu>. For various reasons, certain concentration courses may not always be available. Students should therefore begin planing for these courses in their junior year.
In their senior year, students meet in a seminar course, BIO 137C Topic 1-Human Biology, in which they report on the work they did in their area of concentration. Students also read and discuss articles from peer-reviewed journals on a topic of interest, in preparation for a guest lecture and discussion with an invited speaker who is actively involved in research on that topic.
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E mail: kkalthoff@mail.utexas.edu
Last modified: 17 April 2012