Bachelor in Biologie

Overview

The Department of Biology offers several courses of study at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Undergraduate students can choose among four concentrations in the Biology B.S. degree (Biology, Cellular Biology, Environmental Biology, or Health Sciences).

• Biology (BIOL)

**Options: Botany, Marine Biology, Microbiology, and Zoology

• Cellular Biology (BIBC)
• Environmental Biology (BIEB)
• Health Sciences (BIHS)

Why Study Biology?

Biology is the study of living organisms at all levels. Because of the complexity and amazing diversity of living organisms, biology is divided into a number of disciplines. The Department of Biology at Tennessee Tech provides all the tools and opportunities needed for the academic development of a professional in a wide range of careers within the biological sciences. Recent graduates have been employed within various government agencies including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Tennessee Valley Authority, National Park Service, and numerous state wildlife and fisheries agencies, park services, departments of health and the environment, and regulatory agencies. Additionally, many graduates go on to graduate and professional schools, such as medical, pharmacy, and physician assistant schools.

Wildlife and Fisheries Science B.S. Degree

The Department of Biology offers several courses of study at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Undergraduate students can choose among the three concentrations in Wildlife and Fisheries Science B.S. degree (Conservation Biology, Fisheries Science, or Wildlife Science).

• Conservation Biology
• Fisheries Science
• Wildlife Science

About the Department

The Department of Biology is committed to the study of living organisms through teaching, research, and public service. The Department is staffed with 21 faculty members representing various subject areas in biology and three permanent support staff personnel. In addition, several research associates are supported with outside contracts and grants. Adjunct faculty members from state and federal agencies also teach courses in their areas of expertise. Approximately 550 undergraduate students and 30 graduate students are enrolled in programs within the Department.

The Department houses the federally-funded and state-funded Tennessee Cooperative Fishery Research Unit and interacts with the TTU Center for the Management, Utilization, and Protection of Water Resources. The Department also is affiliated with the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory at Ocean Springs, Mississippi. Personnel from these units provide additional expertise in a wide range of biological disciplines.

The Department of Biology offers several courses of study at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Undergraduate students can choose among four concentrations in the Biology B.S. degree (Biology, Cellular and Molecular Biology, Environmental Biology, or Health Sciences) or three concentrations in Wildlife and Fisheries Science B.S. degree (Conservation Biology, Fisheries Science, or Wildlife Science).

Department Mission

The primary mission of the Department of Biology at Tennessee Tech is to promote biological education in the region, state, and nation through teaching, research, and public service.

Program Goals and Student Learning Outcomes

• Program Goal 1: Cooperative programs (“co-ops”) or experiential internships will be completed by at least 10% of BIOL students during their undergraduate years.
• Program Goal 2: The Department of Biology will increase the incorporation of active-learning strategies in courses offered.
• Program Goal 3: The Department of Biology will increase undergraduate retention.
• Program Goal 4: The Department of Biology will make significant progress toward increasing diversity.
• Student Learning Outcome 1: Undergraduate Biology majors will demonstrate improved critical thinking skills.
• Student Learning Outcome 2: Biology majors will participate in extracurricular activities related to their discipline.
• Student Learning Outcome 3: All students completing a degree in Biology at Tennessee Technological University will use scientific reasoning as codified by the structured process commonly known as the scientific method.
• Student Learning Outcome 4: Biology majors will be able to demonstrate a command of general biology and the general principles in various specific areas of biology.

Students at Tennessee Tech get more than a top-notch education. They learn to be leaders in their chosen careers and lifelong learners.

Partnerships between students and faculty combine disciplines and ideas in multi-disciplinary projects and research. Outside the classroom, they learn about cultures across the globe, discover how to be good citizens through service organizations and dozens of student clubs, gain exposure to the arts and build friendships across ages, backgrounds, and interests.

Like our mascot, Awesome the golden eagle, Tennessee Tech students are focused on their studies, fearless in pursuing their goals and their future, and committed to the campus and global communities.

With an enrollment of more than 10,500 students, TTU offers more than 40 undergraduate and 20 graduate degrees across eight academic colleges and schools: Agriculture and Human Ecology, Arts and Sciences, Business, Education, Engineering, Fine Arts, Interdisciplinary Studies, and Nursing.

Life Outside the Classroom

At Tennessee Tech, learning isn’t contained within a classroom’s four walls. There’s a strong intellectual community, where faculty and students connect daily through research, discussion, and service.

Tennessee Tech is a place where student inventions leave the classroom to improve the lives of people with disabilities. Where we rally to help rebuild and repair communities when disasters strike. Where a variety of concerts, performances, and art festivals are a way of life. Where students can become exactly what they want to be.

A Launch Pad for Lifelong Success

Calling Tennessee Tech home, alumni leave our small town to change the world. Astronauts and entrepreneurs, artists and teachers developed the confidence in their abilities and education to tackle global issues and become leaders in their fields in Cookeville.

A Beautiful Place to Call Home

A town of about 30,000 people, Cookeville offers the best of rural and urban living. Centrally located among three of Tennessee’s largest cities, the campus is surrounded by lakes, state parks, mountains and rivers in one of the most ecologically diverse climates in the nation.

Nearly two-thirds of all students receive some form of financial aid, either from the state or federal government, the university, or private funds.

University Accreditation

Tennessee Technological University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award baccalaureate, master’s, specialist and doctoral degrees. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097 or call 404- 679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of Tennessee Technological University.

Program Accreditation

In addition to the institutional accreditation, many of Tennessee Tech’s programs are accredited by specialized professional accrediting agencies. These nationally recognized programmatic accrediting agencies include:

• Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International)
• American Association of Family & Consumer Sciences (AAFCS)
• ABET - formerly Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Inc.
• American Chemical Society (ACS)
• Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) - formerly National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC)
• Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND)
• Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)
• Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP)
• Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) - formerly National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE)
• National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD)
• National Association of Schools of Music (NASM)