<p>I can’t seem to find too much information on the biology program at UA. Does anyone have any info about class sizes, the competitiveness, and if there is any type of accelerated program available. </p>
<p>What do you want to know?</p>
<p>What kind of accelerated program? </p>
<p>Like nearly all schools, the lower division bio classes will be large lectures with smaller labs. As you move to upper-division, the classes get smaller. </p>
<p>What do you want to do with a bio degree? There actually is a glut of bio grads out there.</p>
<p><a href=“http://bsc.ua.edu/”>http://bsc.ua.edu/</a></p>
<p>I know that there is the STEM+MBA program (which I just need a better ACT score for) but I was wondering if like some schools, I would be able to get both a BS and masters in 5 years.</p>
<p>I know that I eventually want to get a PhD focusing on proteins and their different relationships with genes and how they can be using in medications and developing different drug therapies. I recently went on a lab tour with a scientist at Genentech and he showed me his lab and all of the research that him and his team do and I decided that I really do want to end up in a lab. I know where you do your undergrad doesn’t really matter, its all about where you get your PhD and postdoctorate so I would like to do my undergrad somewhere less competitive so it won’t be a struggle to get lab time and research opportunities like it would be at Berkeley. </p>
<p>Bama has a program called University Scholars. That may be what you want. </p>
<p><a href=“http://courseleaf.ua.edu/specialacademicprograms/universityscholars/”>http://courseleaf.ua.edu/specialacademicprograms/universityscholars/</a></p>
<p>University Scholars Program
The University Scholars Program is intended for gifted and highly motivated candidates for BA and BS degrees at The University of Alabama whose objectives include degrees at the master’s or doctoral level. In participating University Scholars departments, with a closely integrated undergraduate and graduate program, qualified students begin graduate study in their senior year; such a program may lead to simultaneous completion of requirements for both master’s and bachelor’s degrees, each within its specified framework.</p>
<p>Students in the University Scholars Program are classified as undergraduates until they complete requirements for their undergraduate degrees. Therefore, they may not hold graduate assistantships until their classifications are changed to graduate status. At that time, University Scholars will also become eligible for graduate fellowships and scholarships.</p>
<p>Any department that offers a graduate program may, with the approval of the dean of the Graduate School, participate in the University Scholars Program. The following programs are currently approved to participate in the University Scholars Program:</p>
<p>Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics
Applied Statistics
Finance
Biological Sciences
Chemical Engineering
Chemistry
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Communication Studies
Computer Science
Consumer Sciences
Criminal Justice
Economics (College of Commerce and Business Administration)
Economics (College of Arts and Sciences)
English
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Finance
French
Geography
German
Health Studies (Sports Medicine Concentration)
Human Nutrition and Hospitality Management (Food and Nutrition Concentration)
Mathematics
Mechanical Engineering
Metallurgical and Materials Engineering
Operations Management
Physics and Astronomy
The following are minimum requirements; divisions or departments may set higher standards:</p>
<p>Phase I
Admission to Phase I is by invitation of the department and the dean of the Graduate School. Admission is chiefly determined by the faculty’s estimate of a student’s talents, motivation and potential for graduate study. Students may also apply for admission to Phase I through their major department during the second semester of the sophomore year. Contingent upon completion of 61 semester hours of study and with a grade point average in all courses taken of not less than 3.3 (as computed without the plus/minus system), students are admitted to Phase I at the beginning of their junior year on recommendation of the departments to which they have applied. During the junior year, students will take between four and six courses in their major field, as advised by their departments, to prepare them for the work of Phase II. Students seeking admission to Phase I will be informed by their departments if their admission requirements differ from those specified here.</p>
<p>Phase II
Admission to graduate study is also by invitation and is facilitated by, but not dependent upon, participation in Phase I. On completion of no fewer than 91 hours (ordinarily at the end of the junior year), students may apply for and be accepted for admission to the Graduate School. They must have grade point averages of 3.3 or higher (as computed without the plus/minus system) in all courses. Transfer students are subject to the published residence regulations and must have completed the last 30 hours in residence. Admission to the Graduate School will be granted if the student has:</p>
<p>met all the criteria above as well as other minimum requirements for graduate admission (see graduate.ua.edu)
completed three-fourths of the hours required for the major and the minor
met all requirements for the core curriculum
been recommended by the department to which he or she is seeking admission (in special circumstances, departments may elect to invite an application and recommend acceptance of an applicant with a GPA of 3.0 or higher)
Upon admission to the Graduate School, the student will begin a program of study leading to the master’s or doctoral degree as approved by his or her department and by the dean of the Graduate School. The program of study for prospective University Scholars must be submitted to the Graduate School prior to the student’s enrollment in graduate classes.</p>
<p>The bachelor’s degree will normally be awarded at the commencement immediately following satisfactory completion of the first year of graduate study and attainment of a total of 128 semester hours of credit, or the minimum required by the college. Those courses taken in the senior year/first year of graduate study may count toward both the bachelor’s and graduate degrees. No more than 15 hours may be dual-counted toward both the bachelor’s and graduate degrees. Interested students should check with their departments for specific coursework requirements. Participants in the University Scholars Program are exempt from the degree limit of 36 hours in a single department. The master’s or doctoral degree will be awarded upon satisfactory completion of the requirements for these degrees. In some cases, the bachelor’s and master’s degrees may be awarded simultaneously. However, the completion of the master’s degree may require an additional time period.</p>
<p>Thank you so much @mom2collegekids you are just a wealth of information! (and much better than google or bing could ever be) Thank you! :)</p>
<p>you are welcome!</p>
<p>The UA’s own website search function is pretty good, too… ;)</p>