Howdy and welcome to the Biology Undergraduate Programs Office! We are located in Butler Hall, Room 107. Our office hours are Monday through Friday, 8AM-5PM, please call the office or schedule through Navigate for an appointment. We will accommodate walk-ins as our schedule permits, but appointments will take priority. Call (979) 845-3116 or email advising@bio.tamu.edu to schedule a Zoom or phone appointment with any of the advisors, please include UIN and phone number on any emails or voicemails. Zoom visits are only offered by appointment.
It is the mission of the Biology Undergraduate Programs Office (UPO) to provide quality academic advising in an encouraging and welcoming atmosphere. Our office strives to help students navigate their undergraduate academic career and understand the value of their education to foster individual academic success. Biology UPO Advisors will follow the guidelines in the Advising Syllabus.
Advisors
The Department of Biology has offices and laboratories located in five buildings near the center of the main College Station campus: Butler Hall, Biological Sciences Building East(BSBE) and Biological Sciences Building West (BSBW), Heldenfels, and the Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Building.
Our Administrative Offices, including the office of the Department Head, the Business Office, the Undergraduate Advising Office, and the Graduate Advising Office can be found on the first floor of Butler Hall.
The Biology Safety Office is also located in Biological Sciences Building West (BSBW).
Butler Hall, Room 107
Office hours: M-F, 8AM-5PM
(979) 845-3116
advising@bio.tamu.edu
Vanessa Nordellis a Fightin’ Texas Aggie Class of ’97 Genetics major. She also obtained a Master’s in Nutritional Sciences from Texas A&M and has been an Academic Advisor since 2004. She resides in the area with her husband, son and a neighborhood kitty. Vanessa loves running, travel, history books and baking (and eating) cookies.
Jill Lysteris a Fightin’ Texas Aggie Class of ’87 in Curriculum and Instruction and also completed an MBA at TAMU. Jill has a passion for helping students excel which explains her history of teaching and advising. She was elated to join the Undergraduate Biology Advising team in October 2019. Jill loves entertaining, traveling, baking, and spending time with family and friends.
Rachel Nahlenis originally from Northern California, but made the move to College Station to join Texas A&M in 2021. She received a BA in International Business from San Diego State University and an MA in Education from California State University, San Bernardino. Rachel loves music, traveling, studying languages, and exploring all Texas has to offer.
Crystal Wagerhas lived in the Bryan/College Station area her whole life. She attended Blinn College. She previously worked in banking until finding a home here at Texas A&M Biology as the undergraduate office Administrative Assistant. When not working, she enjoys reading, Zumba, and spending time with family.
Resources
Links for Prospective Students
- Academic Calendar
- College of Arts & Sciences
- Prospective Students
- HOWDY Portal
- Registrar’s Office
- University Honors Programs Office
- Residence Life (housing information)
- IT for Students and Parents
Current Student Resources
- Aggie Honor Code
- Beutal Health Center
- Career Center
- eCampus – Learning Management System
- Final Exam Schedule
- Counseling and Psychological Services
- Student Success Center
- Student Life
- Student Rules
Tutoring Resources
- Student Peer Learning Center -009 Butler Hall Mon-Fri
- Academic Success Center
- Supplemental Instruction
- Multicultural Services
Prospective Students
Freshman
- Welcome!
- Take a look at the Degree Programs in Biology
- Go to Apply Texas to start your application
Transferring from another College or Institution
Transfer applicants are admitted to a specific major and are required to follow the curriculum for that major. Applicants to the Department of Biology in the College of Arts & Sciences should complete:
- Overall Transfer GPA must be 3.0 or higher
- The first two semesters of Biology courses (Texas Common Course Numbers BIOL1406 & 1407) with a 3.0 or higher GPR (on a 4.0 scale), with no grade less than “B”
- 8 hours of Chemistry I and II with 3.0 or higher (Texas Common Course Numbers CHEM1411 & 1412), with no grade less than “B”
- MATH2413 (calculus I) -Required with grade of C or better
- MATH2414 OR MATH 1342 (calculus II or intro statistics) -Required with grade of C or better.
- Students who take more applicable courses in the required areas (BIOL, CHEM, and MATH) will have those courses also considered for admission. For example, if a student completes Organic Chemistry prior to applying, those grades will also be considered in the Chemistry grade point average.
Change of Major/Department from another major/department at Texas A&M University
Change of major students into the Department of Biology must meet the following requirements:
- No more than 90 hours completed
- Texas A&M University GPR of 2.5 in each:
- Overall Coursework at TAMU
- In proposed major (BIOL)
- In support courses (CHEM)
- Please note that all applicable BIOL and CHEM courses taken will be used for consideration in determining change of major eligibility.
- If only one BIOL or CHEM course has been taken, a grade of B or higher is required for each course to meet the minimum requirements
- Additionally, students must have no cases of scholastic dishonesty or academic misconduct on their record.
- Please email questions to advising@bio.tamu.edu
Transferring Courses
You might decide to complete some courses at another academic institution. The Texas Common Course Numbering website will help you locate the correct course number at another public Texas institution. Use the most recent TCCNS online searchable matrix to compare institutions and get the corresponding course number. When you have completed the course, be sure to request that a transcript be sent to Texas A&M University. Please consult with an academic advisor to confirm use in your degree plan.
New Student Conferences
All incoming Freshman and Transfer students to Texas A&M will attend a “New Student Conference.” New Student Conference programs provide you with what you need to get started on your career here at Texas A&M and offer a chance to learn about the many opportunities available to members of the Aggie community. During the conference you will meet in small groups with academic advisors for academic advisement and selection of your courses. There will be a meeting specifically for Biology majors, at both the Freshman NSC and the Transfer NSC , where you will be able to meet your advisors and ask questions.
Biology at Texas A&M
Forms
***FOR ALL FORMS***: You may submit in person in Butler Hall room 107 during regular business hours or email a pdf attachment to advising@bio.tamu.edu. If you send via email be watchful for a reply from an advisor.
- Advising Syllabus
- Change of Major Within Department Form
- Minor Approval Forms
- Please note that only one minor from the department is allowed and is subject to approval from a Biology Advisor. The minor must be requested before the student has achieved U4 classification (90 hours). Students must have completed a minimum of BIOL112 and CHEM120 for consideration of the following minors: Biology, PreMedicine, Bioinformatics. See the advisor for the minor in Neuroscience for minimum requirements for approval. All courses required for the minor must be completed with a grade of “C” or better.
- Request for Approval to Register for 485/491
- BIOL 491 – Writing Intensive Request
- Department of Biology Internship Program Guidelines
- Transcript Request Form
- Wait List Form
- Note: We do not accept wait list requests for BIOL 206, BIOL 319, or BIOL 320
- This form will be open from November 20 through December 8 for the Spring 2024 Registration
Undergraduate Degree Planner Information
When am I required to submit my degree planner?
Students are required to submit a degree planner once they complete (and have a grade for) 30 credit hours or more. Students who enter TAMU with 30+ credit hours, will need to complete the degree planner their first semester.
Degree planners must be submitted annually after the initial submission.
Check holds in My Profile on Howdy to see if you have a hold for “Missing UG Degree Plan”. Degree Planners are due Sept. 30th each year. Students with a hold will not be able to register for classes until their degree planner has been submitted and approved. Note: often degree plans are declined and require changes and resubmission.
Can I change my degree planner?
Yes, you may change or update your planner at any time, but it must be approved annually.
How do I complete the degree planner?
Go to Howdy/My Record/Undergraduate Degree Planner to access Undergraduate Degree Planner.
In this same area, it may be helpful to review the Undergraduate Degree Planner Guide (PDF) and Degree Planner FAQs before you begin the planner. These are found below the Undergraduate Degree Planner link.
How can I speed up approval of my degree planner?
- Submit your plan well before the deadline
- Use the PREREQ CHECK tab at the top of the planner to be sure you have added all necessary prerequisite courses
- Be sure all progress bars of the DEGREE EVALUATION tab are green or green and yellow and say “Met”
- If you see a caution sign indicating a course is not typically offered in that semester, use the COURSE HISTORY tab to see when the course has historically been offered
- Use the resources listed below to aid in the development of your plan:
- Biology degree plans and flowcharts https://www.bio.tamu.edu/undergraduate-programs/
- Biology catalog listings https://catalog.tamu.edu/undergraduate/science/biology/#majorstext
- List of core electives https://core.tamu.edu/
Frequently Asked Questions
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Students should obtain a 491 form, which is also available from our Undergraduate Advising Office. The form must be signed by the supervising professor and the form returned to the Undergraduate Advising Office in 107 Butler for an advisor’s signature. At this time the advisor will rule on whether or not the course is acceptable and exactly how it will be used in the degree plan. Up to 4 credit hours may be used as a directed elective (BIOL, BMCB, MBIO, ZOOL). Additional credit hours may be used as general electives. Complete it with the professor, and return it to the Advising Office. Visit the Undergraduate Research Page for more information and forms.
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Students may use a maximum combination of 7 hours of 484/485/491 (BIOL and NRSC majors) or 4 hours of 484/485/491 (BMCB, MBIO, ZOOL majors) in their major coursework. Hours in excess of this (up to 11 hours) may be used as general electives as long as the student has completed the Core Curriculum and University requirements. Visit the Undergraduate Research Page for more information.
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Students are advised to look over the 491 listings. This allows the student to narrow their interests before approaching individual professors. Visit the Undergraduate Research Page for more information.
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BIOL 491 is an independent research course supervised by various faculty members in the department (0-4 credit hours). Visit the Undergraduate Research Page for more information.
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There is no limit on transfer credits from other colleges and universities. TAMU residency requirements state that a student must complete 36 hours of 300- and 400-level courses at Texas A&M. Twelve hours of the total 36 hours must be in the student’s major field.
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A minor is available for any student but is required for those students following the B.A. Biology degree plan. To complete a minor, a student must have 15-18 credit hours in the minor field with at least 6 hours in 300- or 400-level courses. A student is allowed to minor in up to two areas for his/her degree. Majors in the Biology department (all majors) may not declare a minor in Pre-Medicine or Biomedical Sciences. Majors other than Biology (BMCB, MBIO, NRSC-MCB, ZOOL) also may not declare a minor in Biology. A complete list of minors can be found here.
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General electives are open as long as the student satisfies the Core Curriculum requirements and University requirements (residency, International & Cultural Diversity, Cultural Discourse, Writing Intensive). The only courses that cannot be used as general electives are prerequisite courses for minimum requirements (i.e. MATH 102, MATH 103), orientation courses (i.e. AGLS 101), and those courses offered by the Department of Biology for non-majors (BIOL 101, 107, 206).
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Course selection may be found on the degree plans, available for download from the Undergraduate Advising page.
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No, as long as you completed two years of the same foreign language in high school (all degree plans). If you began college before 2009 please consult with an advisor to confirm requirements.
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Incoming Freshmen:
- Fall 2019 onwards: TAMU Students are required to take two MATH courses.
- You are required to take one semester of calculus. This must be satisfied by taking MATH 147, or the equivalent course of MATH 151 (The TCCN of MATH 151 is MATH 2413).
- The second Math course can be chosen from MATH 148, MATH 152 (The TCCN of MATH 152 is MATH 2414), or STAT 201 (The TCCN of STAT 201 is MATH 1342).
- Fall 2009-2018: You are required to take two semesters of calculus. These may be satisfied by any of the following sequences:
MATH147 & 148 (preferred); MATH151 & 152; or MATH171 & 172.
You may opt to take equivalent courses through a community college; the common course number is MATH2413 and 2414. - Fall 2008 and before: You are required to take MATH166 and MATH131, or their respective alternative courses.
for MATH166: You may take MATH141 or MATH152 or MATH172, or PHIL240
for MATH131: You may take MATH142 or MATH151 or MATH171
Incoming Transfer Students:
Your MATH requirement is dependent on when you were initially in college attendance prior to being admitted to Texas A&M University. See guidelines noted above for Incoming Freshmen.Questions: Please contact the Biology Advising Office at 979-845-3116, or send an email. - Fall 2019 onwards: TAMU Students are required to take two MATH courses.
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Any changes to the list of approved courses is always communicated to students via the Biology listserv. Always consult with a Biology Academic Advisor for the most current information.
The courses that may satisfy the Writing Intensive requirement must be in the major field of study. The courses are 900-level sections of BIOL401, BIOL402, BIOL491 (also requires explicit approval from the professor) and BIOL495. Students following Microbiology and Molecular Cell Biology may also use 900-level sections of BICH414 or BICH432. Courses that are Writing Intensive are noted as such in the Attribute column of the schedule of classes (Univ Req-Writing Intensive).