Unable to complete degree with Biology major

College Majors Science Majors
1

Hey, everyone. I am in a bit of a predicament. I am in my 4th year at university and have 4 courses (Orgo 1 and 2, Physics 2 lab, and upper division course) left to get my Bachelors in Biological Sciences and graduate. Unfortunately, I will have to change my major it seems because I took Organic Chemistry three times and a fourth is not allowed and it is required for this degree. My grades were: F, D, and W. I decided to withdraw due to personal issues and I’m not sure if it will be accepted as an exception.

I am unsure of what to do. I do have a meeting with my adviser and I am so antsy and can’t wait. She said that I can graduate with a Bachelors in General Studies if I take one summer course. That degree gets me nowhere after graduation. The closest major to Biology without the required Organic Chemistry is Psychology and that will take more than a year. Psych degrees also don’t do so much after graduation. It seems that my choices are: a) accept General Studies degree b) complete Psych c) spend 2 years instead in maybe a Business degree. What do you think? It seems that I have to start over.

2

I previously helped someone on these forums in that kind of predicament by minutely examining the alternate majors at his/her university. I saw a valid option that a counselor had not mentioned and someone else here didn’t see. If you tell me what institution you’re at, I’ll examine your options there.

What kind of work have you been imagining doing with a biology degree?

(While it doesn’t sound as good to employers as a 'degree in biology," you can still say in job application cover letters, with some good effect, that you have completed the requirements for it, except for organic chemistry.)

3

I’m currently attending Florida Atlantic University and I am seeing my adviser today.

I realize that undergraduate degrees aren’t the most useful after you graduate and intend to work. But a degree in Biology is significantly more important than a degree in General Studies. I read that some employers just think that you couldn’t make up your mind in college and they prefer specialized degrees rather than a general. I feel like it would count against me.
I looked up jobs you can possibly have with a General Studies and it listed real estate and that most people get the degree to get more benefits at a job they already have.
Most employers also require Masters and if I were to enter a Masters program, of course it would be better to have some sort of specialized degree.

4

crystalviolet7,

I’m going through the Florida Atlantic University website and so far finding that your options at FAU (assuming your W in organic chemistry does constitute a third attempt at it) consist of:

  1. a General Studies degree, preferably augmented by a biological sciences minor (“A minor in Biological Sciences consists of a minimum of 19 credits in biology courses, to include Biodiversity with Lab (BSC 1011, 1011L), Biological Principles with Lab (BSC 1010, 1010L), Principles of Ecology (PCB 4043) and additional courses at the 3000 level or above, at least one of which must be a lab course. Of the 19 credits, at least 15 must be earned from FAU. All courses must be completed with a grade of “C-” or better.”) and/or an environmental sciences certificate, both of which should be readily obtainable for you, and;

  2. a lot of additional coursework for a specialized major different from biology.

Unless you have a particular enthusiasm about another field of study, I lean toward making the most of a “General Studies” degree (augmented as indicated above)…

People get jobs with bachelor’s degrees quite well. Many job opportunities are flexible about the academic background. There are a lot of jobs, in fact, for which a bachelor’s degree is stipulated, but the field of the degree is unstated.

If you have a particular interest in a working area of biology that you haven’t done coursework in yet, it makes sense, if the university has coursework in it, to do that before you leave. For instance, FAU’s biotechnology laboratory courses likely would be helpful to you in getting work in a biotechnology lab. If you have a taste for health administration - a field with much growth anticipated, a course like HSA 3111 (Health Delivery System) should be good.

If you do an internship while you are a student, it should be helpful, particularly, of course, if it’s in an area that is interesting to you or in demand. Internships can be hard to get when you’ve ceased being a student. EXPERIENCE is what employers most look for.

By emphasizing your COURSEWORK, you can show employers you have what they actually want. Nobody actually needs the words “biological sciences”; it is just a shorthand for someone who has a substantial education in biological sciences. Ochem or no, you have a substantial education in biological sciences, and you can communicate that. You will just have to use a lot more words to do it. (Granted it would have been nice to just say BA biological sciences, but that is no longer an item you can select, at least not at FAU.) I think being thus long-winded is much less costly to you than doing one or more years in a new major.

You may qualify to be a Certified Environmental Health Professional in Florida (http://www.floridahealth.gov/licensing-and-regulation/certified-environmental-health-professional/index.html). This is a civil service job for which people take an exam. Admission to the exam requires graduation “with a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with major course work in environmental science, a physical science, or a biological science. Major course work must have at least 30 semester hours or 40 quarter hours of coursework in science. A review of the applicants “Official Transcripts” will determine if these hours of course work are met.” You were pursuing a major and did quite sufficient science coursework.

If you have an interest in graduate or professional programs, I think it’s better to investigate whether they will accept you as you are, rather than assume they won’t and launch yourself into a costly “starting over” baccalaureate-wise. Actually, you should be able to get into SOME kind of medical occupation program (e.g. clinical lab technologist) on the basis of your coursework.