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Frequently Asked
Questions
Where is the advising center
located?
We are located in the new Norman Hackerman Building, NHB, room 2.606.
When / Why should I see an advisor?
Advising for the next semester begins after the 12th
class day, and is available on an ongoing basis, not just during registration.
Only freshman, undeclared, new transfer students, students who are on scholastic
probation or returning to UT after an absence receive advising bars, and must
meet with an advisor in person or submit an
advising worksheet before they can register for classes. Continuing
sophomore, junior, and senior biology majors who are in good academic standing
do not receive advising bars from us. Advisors are available all year round to
assist with degree planning and course selection, to help students who are
struggling academically, to provide information about UT's numerous resources,
and to help students facing non-academic problems.
How can I get into a course that is
full/closed?
Advisors CAN NOT add students to a course that is
already full. Add yourself to the automated
wait list option if available, and keep trying to add the course during all the add/drop access
periods. Being on a wait list is not a guarantee for getting into a class, and
advisors have no way of predicting your chances of getting a class via the wait
list, therefore it is necessary to have an alternative class planned as a back-up. Students may also attend a course on
the first day and request permission from the professor to be added, however
doing so does not guarantee registration for the course. Students attending a
course they are not registered for should continue attending all their other
classes as well, in the event that permission to add the closed course is not
granted.
Where do I go to change my major?
If you want to declare biology as your major, or if you
simply wish to change from one biology option to another, make an appointment
with the appropriate advisor in Painter Hall. If you wish to change majors out
of biology and into another major within the College of Natural Sciences, set up
an appointment with an advisor for the major you wish to declare. To change into
another college, contact the dean's office of the college into which you wish to
be admitted. Some colleges (including Business, Communications, and Engineering)
require new students to attend an internal transfer information meeting before
they can speak to an advisor. If you think you want to change majors but aren't
sure to what, make an appointment to meet with your current advisor, or stop by
the Career Exploration
Center in Jester.
What are the required prerequisites
for a specific biology course?
Prerequisites for all biology courses are clearly
stated in the
Course Schedule and
Undergraduate Catalog. Students who register for biology courses that they
do not meet the prerequisites for will be dropped.
Can I drop one class after the
drop deadline?
No, unless this is your very first semester at UT.
While other Colleges have policies that may allow a student to drop one
class up to the last class day, the College of Natural Sciences only allows
first-semester freshman and transfer students this option.
Can I take BIO 325 and another upper
division biology course concurrently?
No. You must have received a grade of C or better in
BIO 325 before taking another upper division biology course, unless the course
schedule specifies other prerequisites.
How can I complete a minor?
biology degree plans do not have minors. If you want to
take enough courses to have the equivalent of a minor (typically 12 hours, 6 of
which are upper division), you can do that and claim to have the equivalent of a
minor on your resume, but your UT transcript will ONLY state that you had a
major in biology. If you are in another major and wish to have biology as your
minor, discuss this with your major advisor.
Can I take classes at ACC or by
correspondence while also taking classes at UT?
If you are a student in the College of Natural
Sciences, you CAN NOT take any math or science courses required for your degree
at a community college during the fall and spring semesters while also enrolled
at UT. You may take courses such as English, History or Government, but you must
still be enrolled in at least 12 hours at UT and you MUST get prior permission
to do so from the dean's office via the
Concurrent Enrollment Petition.
You may take courses via UT correspondence or UT Extension during the fall and
spring semesters while also enrolled at UT, however you must still meet the
above criteria and submit the
Concurrent Enrollment Petition. During the summer, students may take any
classes at other institutions without submitting the petition.
Should I take science classes over
the summer at a community college?
It is strongly recommended that Natural Sciences
students take all their math and science courses at the University. If you are
pre-med or preparing for any other health-related career, and are worried about
how this may impact your candidacy for professional schools, you must discuss
this with your Health Professions Advisor.
Do I have to take a foreign
language?
The Bachelor of Science in Biology, Options I-VII
have several options for fulfilling the
foreign language requirement, and students in those degree plans should consult
their advisor about their options. The Bachelor of Arts in biology requires
fourth-semester proficiency in a single language, no exceptions. biology degrees
(both Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts) from catalogs prior to fall of
2000 all require some degree of foreign language proficiency. These requirements
are in addition to admission requirements for high school foreign language.
Can I take a course pass/fail?
You should not take a course pass/fail if you need that
class to fulfill a degree requirement. Courses taken pass/fail count towards
your total number of residence hours, but nothing else. They do not count
towards your GPA (unless an F is earned) and do not fulfill prerequisite
requirements. Only electives should be taken pass/fail, unless you plan on
repeating the course later for a letter grade. College of Natural Sciences
students may only count 16 pass/fail hours toward their degree, and may only
take two courses pass/fail per semester.
If I repeat a course, will the old
grade go away?
No. Both grades will remain on your transcript and both
will be averaged into your GPA. If you need to repeat a course to bring up your
grade to meet prerequisite or major requirements (you must make a C or better in
all courses counting towards the major), that is fine. Students in the College
of Natural Sciences are not permitted to repeat a course for which they have
already earned a C or better. In addition, no student may enroll in the same Natural
Sciences course more than twice without permission from their advisor, therefore
students taking a Natural Sciences course for a second time need to be aware it
may be their last chance to pass that course.
What courses are considered upper
division?
Courses with the last two digits between 20 and 79 (ex:
BIO 320, BIO 325) are upper division courses. Those with the last two digits
lower than 20 are lower division (ex: BIO 311C). The requirement for
upper-division standing is 60 hours of credit.
What's an upper division elective?
An upper division elective is ANY upper division course
that you take to help reach your required total of upper division hours (36) but
that does not fulfill any other specific degree requirements. These can be
additional biology classes, but they do not have to be. This is your chance to
take something different and personally interesting to you. Search through the
course schedule to see what's offered, and be sure to notice if the course is
restricted or has specific prerequisites. Upper division electives can be taken
pass/fail.
How can I find an upper division
writing component?
In the course schedule, any upper division course that
says "Contains a Substantial Writing Component" will fulfill the upper division
writing component requirement. Every
course schedule lists all the writing component courses offered that
semester from every academic department, including biology (click on the
"Writing Courses" link in the sidebar). Writing component courses can
overlap with other degree requirements.
Do both my writing component courses
have to be upper division?
They CAN be, but they do not have to be. Students have
the option of fulfilling one of their writing component requirements with a
lower division course. Advisors STRONGLY recommend that Biology majors take one
lower division writing component course (such as RHE 309K) during their freshman
or sophomore years.
What is BIO 377? Do I have to
take that?
BIO 377 is an individually arranged course in
undergraduate research. It gives students the opportunity to work closely with a
professor in a lab, and in SOME cases may count towards degree requirements, but
only with faculty advisor approval. Students who meet the prerequisites can get
more information from the Biology Department office in ESB 1, talk to their
advisor, or visit the College of Natural Science's research webpage at:
http://www.utexas.edu/cons/urp/
How/When do I apply for graduation?
**
Students apply for graduation during their final
semester at UT before the mid-semester deadline (same as the Q-drop deadline).
The application is on the web at:
https://utdirect.utexas.edu/ns/
August graduates who want to be in the May ceremony but
will not finish all their degree requirements (12 hours or less remaining) until
the summer, should complete the Application to Participate in Commencement
Ceremony (Walker Application) during the spring semester, and then complete the
Graduation Application during the summer semester.
** Students completing their UT degree requirements
at another institution must apply to graduate "In Absentia."
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