Zoology

Interdepartmental Graduate Major

John E. Mayfield, Director of Graduate Education 

Undergraduate Study

Students wishing to pursue an undergraduate degree in basic animal study are encouraged to investigate the numerous possibilities available to them at Iowa State University . The undergraduate Biology Program, jointly administered by faculties of the departments of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology (EEOB) and Genetics, Cell and Developmental Biology (GDCB), includes a wide spectrum of opportunities for students to develop their academic interests through the study of animal biology. Contact the Biology Program office for more information, or see www.biology.iastate.edu for more information. For those students interested in applied animal study, undergraduate majors in Animal Science and Entomology are available.

Graduate Study

The Zoology Graduate Program offers work for the degrees master of science and doctor of philosophy with a major in zoology, and for a minor for students majoring in other departments or graduate programs. Within the Zoology Graduate Major, one of the following areas of specialization may be designated: animal behavior, animal models of gene therapy, cell biology, comparative physiology, developmental biology, ecology, endocrinology, immunobiology, molecular biology, neurobiology, or physiology. Relevant graduate courses that may be counted toward completion of these degrees are offered by faculty in the Departments of EEOB and GDCB, and by other departments and programs. The specific requirements for each student’s course distribution and research activities are set by the Program of Study committee established for each student individually, and must satisfy all requirements of the Graduate College (See Index). GRE (and if necessary, TOEFL) scores are required of all applicants; students are encouraged to contact faculty prior to application.

Related interdepartmental graduate majors in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Genetics, Immunobiology, Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, Neuroscience, and Toxicology should also be investigated as possible graduate programs with a specific disciplinary focus.

The Zoology graduate major is currently under administrative review. Before applying for admission to the Zoology Graduate Major, prospective students should contact the Zoology Graduate Program Director of Graduate Education for specific details about the program’s status and application procedures.