Biology and Zoology at Oswego State

Biology is the study of living things - bacteria and cyanobacteria, protistans, fungi, plants, and animals. The major goals of the Biology B.A. and B.S. Degree Programs are to provide students the opportunity to study the unifying principles of biology, while enabling them to participate in the processes of biology through research activities. Study of biological principles includes the study of inheritance, cellular biology, development, structure, function, classification, behavior, environments, populations, and evolution.

Zoology is the branch of the biological sciences that deals with the study of animals from the cellular level through the organismal level, to the population level. The Zoology Degree Programs at SUNY Oswego provide students with exceptional opportunities to concentrate in zoological studies at any of those levels. The B.A. and B.S. Degree Programs in Zoology are designed to provide a basic understanding of zoology through a variety of laboratory experiences in combination with the study of facts and theories. Flexibility, strength, and depth in undergraduate training are basic objectives of the Zoology Programs. 

A unique feature of the Biology and Zoology programs is that all students engage in research activities through the Reseach courses, Independent Study, or Senior Honors Thesis. Those courses are often related to the students' own areas of interest. There is a broad range of such studies from which students may choose. 

After completion of a basic core of courses, students and professors work together to design a program of additional courses to fit students' professional career interests. Careful selection of Electives, "Research" courses, and Cognates can be used to prepare students for particular careers, study at graduate schools, or training at professional schools (medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, various types of technology, etc.). Specialized teaching and research facilities are available for students interested in cytological and histological studies, microbiology, plant ecology, animal behavior, freshwater biology, physiology, plant development, molecular and cellular biology, biochemistry, and instrumental techniques. In addition, the facilities of the 125-acre Rice Creek Biological Field Station, the Molecular Biology and Biochemistry Center (MBBC), and the Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics Center (MaSPeC) are available for student and faculty study and research. Students will also have access to the Carlita Snygg Computer Lab to assist them with scientific applications and other software being used by the faculty.

A program in Zoo Technology is offered jointly by the Department of Biological Sciences and the Biological Parks Training Program and the Teaching Zoo at Santa Fe Community College in Gainesville, Florida. A similar joint program is offered with Niagara County Community College in Niagara, New York. The joint Zoo Technology Program leads to the A.S. Degree from the articulating college and the B.S. Degree from SUNY Oswego, and prepares students for positions as zoo keepers, park naturalists, game farm managers, and animal technicians.  Similar experience and preparation may also be gained from internships and courses in Behavioral Biology and Zoo Biology at SUNY Oswego.

For more information please contact the Department of Biological Sciences: (315) 312-3031.