<p>I am thinking of applying to Tulane, but, from their website, it seems they don't have a general biology major, only majors in specific biological sub-disciplines:
Cell and Molecular Biology
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Environmental Biology</p>
<p>The area of biology I am chiefly interested in is Zoology. What major would you recommend?</p>
<p>I usually say don’t apply to a school based on your intended major because so often students change their minds, sometimes to completely different fields. The only exception to that for me is when they don’t even offer the major you want to at least consider. So if Tulane just doesn’t have what you want, you might be best off crossing Tulane off the list.</p>
<p>If, however, you really are interested in Tulane for other reasons (which would be perfectly understandable) then I suggest you e-mail the Dean of the school, Nick Altiero, and ask him what he thinks or who he would recommend you speak with to discuss your options. Since the biology department is divided into those 3 major groups, I am not sure which department chair would be the best to discuss this with. My guess is David Heins, chair of the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology department. I would think in that department they have the courses that cover the material you are talking about, just not specifically called zoology any longer. Looks like it might be broken down into 2-3 more specific courses that would cover what is classically thought of as zoology. But I am a chemist, not a biologist, so what do I know?</p>
<p>Anyway, don’t be shy about contacting them. Dean Altiero is a great guy, very interactive and accessible. Good luck!</p>
<p>Thanks for your help. I will do that.</p>
<p>Ecology & Evolutionary biology is definitely the closest thing to Zoology Tulane has.</p>
<p>I actually just declared my Ecology & Evolutionary biology major right before the spring semester ended.</p>
<p>You got me curious so I looked at a few programs (Florida, Duke and a few others) that still offer a course of study called zoology. It is pretty clear to me now that Ecology & Evolutionary Biology is a modern form of Zoology. Florida, for example, uses those exact terms in the description of their zoology major.</p>
<p>It occurs to me I should also mention that bio is a very popular major at Tulane (fairly large number of pre-meds is a big part of the reason) and the department is considered to be a strong one. Lots of research opportunities for undergrads.</p>
<p>This does look like the major I’d want. Thanks for all the advice.</p>
<p>@fallenchemist, Duke has a zoology program? Is it only a graduate degree?</p>
<p>Sorry, I just meant they (Duke) still had courses with zoology as the name of the course (Marine Invertebrate Zoology, for example). They too have divided the areas of concentration within the biology major into Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, although Duke appears to have those concentrations as separate things. I imagine the meat of these programs is virtually identical to what Tulane offers.</p>
<p>Florida, on the other hand, still has an actual zoology major. Again though, from reading the description of this major it appears to be Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.</p>
<p>I want to emphasize what FC said earlier: </p>
<p>“I usually say don’t apply to a school based on your intended major because so often students change their minds, sometimes to completely different fields.”</p>
<p>I’d look for a school that is strong across all disciplines because there is a very high chance that you might discover other interests upon matriculation. </p>
<p>Side note, but one of the girls in my internship program this summer currently attends a no-name college in Florida to pursue a “Deaf Studies Program.” She is now majoring in psychology and having trouble finding research opportunities and adequate coursework in her area of interest (neuroscience). She regrets turning down other schools that had strong programs of studies across the board.</p>