Major Electives (16-19 hours)
Required Coursework:
Students are required to have a total of 40 credit hours in BIOL.
- 12 credits should be from the Conservation and Biodiversity Course Group
- 3 credits from the Physiology, Cell & Molecular Course Group.
- Remaining credits can be any BIOL courses at the 300 or 400 level.
Courses taken as capstone courses are not counted towards elective credits.
B.S. to M.S. Accelerated Options
Undergraduate Biology majors may elect to complete both the B.S. and M.S. concurrently. Students who pursue the accelerated option will be awarded their undergraduate degree first, but may be awarded both degrees upon completion of the graduate requirements. Students may apply for admission to the M.S. program after completing 75 undergraduate credit hours and may begin taking graduate level courses upon completion of 90 undergraduate credit hours and acceptance into the accelerated graduate program. Additional information about the accelerated degree can be found on the accelerated program catalog page for the M.S. in Biology.
Location Matters for Non-Licensure Track Programs
This program is not designed or advertised to lead to a professional license or certification required for employment.
USD is permitted to operate under the terms of the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (NC-SARA) policies and standards in offering online courses/degree programs to residents in 49 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Online courses/programs may also be offered to residents of California (a non-SARA state) because it does not regulate out-of-state public institutions.
Additionally, this program is authorized to offer supervised field study experiences (internship, externship, clinical, rotation, practicum, independent study, study away, etc.) in South Dakota. Please be aware that there may be some restrictions on your ability to engage in supervised field study outside of South Dakota. Please contact a program representative if you have questions regarding supervised field study.
Distance education courses or programs will not be offered outside of the United States without prior written approval from the University, which may be withheld for any reason. If you are taking distance courses while physically located outside of the United States, it is your responsibility to confirm the following: (a) if the country will recognize an online degree; (b) the availability of supervised field study opportunities in the country; and (c) if the country charges any additional taxes, withholdings or fees associated with online distance education programs.
For more information, please visit USD’s State Authorization page or contact your admissions counselor.
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