Biology Degree Plans

You may consult the Degree Checklist and the Interactive Degree Audit for each of these degree plans.

BIO

BIOLOGY INSTRUCTIONAL OFFICE
PLANS	FACULTY ADVISORS	CONTACT INFORMATION
B.A. in Biology	Martin Poenie	Email: poenie@austin.utexas.edu Phone: 512-471-5598 Office: PAT 543C
B.S.A. in Biology	Martin Poenie	Email: poenie@austin.utexas.edu Phone: 512-471-5598 Office: PAT 543C
B.S. in Biology, Option: Biology	Martin Poenie	Email: poenie@austin.utexas.edu Phone: 512-471-5598 Office: PAT 543C
B.S. in Biology, Teaching	Ruth Buskirk	Email: rbuskirk@austin.utexas.edu Phone: 512-471-7793 Office: BIO 316A
B.S. in Biology, Medical Laboratory Science	Leanne Field	Email: field@austin.utexas.edu Phone: 512-475-8897 Office: PAI 1.06B
Departmental Honors in any of the above degree plans	Ruth Buskirk	Email: rbuskirk@austin.utexas.edu Phone: 512-471-7793 Office: BIO 316A
B.S. in Biology, Honors (Dean's Scholars)	Arturo Delozanne (MBS) Arlen Johnson (MBS)	Email: a.delozanne@austin.utexas.edu Phone: 512-232-6100 Office: PAT 241 _________________________________ Email: arlen@austin.utexas.edu Phone: 512-475-6350 Office: NMS 1.126

IB

INTEGRATIVE BIOLOGY
PLANS	FACULTY ADVISORS	CONTACT INFORMATION
B.S. in Biology, Human Biology	Steve Phelps	Email: sphelps@mail.utexas.edu Phone: 512-475-6304 Office: PAT 22
B.S. in Biology, Ecology, Evolution, & Behavior	Mark Kirkpatrick	Email: kirkp@mail.utexas.edu Office: PAT 652
B.S. in Biology, Computational Biology	Claus Wilke	Email: wilke@austin.utexas.edu Phone: 512-232-2459 Office: MBB 3.232
B.S. in Biology, Environmental Science	Norma Fowler	Email: nfowler@austin.utexas.edu Phone: 512-471-1295 Office: BIO 108B
Departmental Honors in any of the above IB degree plans	Tim Keitt	Email: tkeitt@utexas.edu Phone: 512-471-5004 Office: BIO 223B

MBS

MOLECULAR BIOSCIENCES
PLAN	FACULTY ADVISOR	CONTACT INFORMATION
B.S. in Biology, Genetics and Genomics Departmental Honors in Genetics and Genomics	Janice Fischer	Email: janicefischer@austin.utexas.edu Phone: 512-232-3690 Office: NMS 2.312
B.S. in Biology, Microbiology	Rasika Harshey	Email: rasika@austin.utexas.edu Phone: 512-471-6881 Office: NMS 2.118
B.S. in Biology, Cell and Molecular Biology	Enamul Huq	Email: huq@austin.utexas.edu Phone: 512-471-9848 Office: BIO 21B
B.S. in Biology, Plant Biology	Sibum Sung	Email: sbsung@austin.utexas.edu Phone: 512-232-0867 Office: NMS 5.110
Departmental Honors in Microbiology, Cell and Molecular Biology or Plant Biology	Ruth Buskirk	Email: rbuskirk@austin.utexas.edu Phone: 512-471-7793 Office: BIO 316A
B.S. in Biochemistry	Andrew Ellington	Email: ellingtonlab@gmail.com Phone: 512 232 3424 Office: MBB 3.424
B.S.A. in Biochemistry	Andrew Ellington	Email: ellingtonlab@gmail.com Phone: 512 232 3424 Office: MBB 3.424
B.S. in Biochemistry, Honors (Dean's Scholars)	Jeff Barrick	Email: jbarrick@cm.utexas.edu Phone:512 471 3247 Office: MBB 1.436
Departmental Honors in Biochemistry	Jeff Barrick	Email: jbarrick@cm.utexas.edu Phone:512 471 3247 Office: MBB 1.436

NEU

NEUROSCIENCE
PLAN	FACULTY ADVISOR	CONTACT INFORMATION
B.S. in Neuroscience	John Mihic	Email: mihic@austin.utexas.edu Phone: 512-232-7174 Office: MBB 1.148
B.S. in Neuroscience, Neuroscience Scholars	Michael Drew	Email: drew@mail.clm.utexas.edu Phone: 512 232 6367 Office: NHB 3.132
B.S.A. in Neuroscience	Michael Drew	Email: drew@mail.clm.utexas.edu Phone: 512 232 6367 Office: NHB 3.132
B.S. in Neuroscience, Dean's Scholars	George Pollak	Email: gpollak@austin.utexas.edu Phone: 512-471-4352 Office: NHB 3.362

HONORS IN BIOLOGY

How to Get Departmental Honors in Any Biology Degree Plan

How to Get Departmental Honors in Any Biology Degree Plan

Majors who plan to seek honors in biology should apply to the honors advisor listed on this website for their degree plan for admission to the honors program no later than the beginning of their senior year.

A University grade point average of at least 3.00 and a grade point average in biology of at least 3.50 are required for admission.

The requirements for graduation with special honors, which are in addition to the requirements of the major, are:

Biology 679H or two semesters of Biology 379H, Honors Tutorial Course;
A thesis or presentation based on original research and approved by the supervising faculty member and the honors advisor;
A University grade point average of at least 3.00 and a grade point average in biology of at least 3.50;
And completion at the University of at least sixty semester hours of coursework to be counted toward the degree.

Read more about departmental honors at the College of Natural Sciences: https://cns.utexas.edu/honors/academic-distinction/departmental-honors

Note: Neuroscience has a special Honors program called the Cajal Scholars.

The Dean's Scholars Honors Program

The Dean's Scholars Honors Program

The Dean's Scholars program is the honors program for the College of Natural Sciences. Visit their website for more information: https://cns.utexas.edu/honors/honors-programs-center/deans-scholars

University Honors

University Honors

SEMESTER HONORS

Each semester, undergraduates who complete a full course load and earn outstanding grades are recognized by inclusion on the University Honors list. Each time a student is included on the list, his or her official record also shows the award of University Honors for that semester. The list is compiled at the end of the fall and spring semesters but not at the end of the summer session. To be included, a student must:

earn at least 45 grade points
a grade point average of at least 3.50 on courses completed in residence
and must have no incomplete grades (symbol X).

Credit by exam, correspondence, or extension coursework do not count towards honors. This program replaced the College of Natural Sciences Dean’s Honors List.

GRADUATION WITH UNIVERSITY HONORS

To be eligible to graduate with University honors, an undergraduate must have completed at least sixty hours at the University of Texas at Austin. Graduation with University honors is based on the average of all grades earned in courses taken at the University, whether the courses were passed, failed, or repeated. Courses taken pass/fail are counted in the sixty-hour minimum, but only letter grades (including F’s in pass/fail courses) are used to determine the grade point average.

The faculty of each college or school determines the percentage of the graduating class of that division to receive honors (cum laude), high honors (magna cum laude), and highest honors (summa cum laude), and the minimum grade point average for each category, subject to the following requirements:

Honors graduates must have a University grade point average of at least 3.30.
No more than 20 percent of the graduating class of each college or school may receive honors, high honors, and highest honors.
- No more than 10 percent of the class may receive high honors and highest honors.
  - No more than 4 percent may receive highest honors.

For additional information, please visit the UT Austin Honors & Scholarships website: https://cns.utexas.edu/honors/academic-distinction/gpa-based-honors

MARINE SCIENCE
PLAN	FACULTY ADVISOR	CONTACT INFORMATION
B.S. in Biology, Marine & Freshwater Science	Ken Dunton	Email: ken.dunton@utexas.edu Phone: 361 749 6744 Office: MSP 208
Departmental Honors in any of the above MS degree plans	Pending	Pending

Contact Us

Work with Us