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Why Pursue a Bachelor's Degree in Biology

Our biology degree will have you diving into genetics, physiology, cell biology, chemistry, and physics. At the upper-division level, you can choose between one of five concentrations: Cell and Molecular Biology*, Ecology, Plant Biology, Premedical Sciences, and Biology 7-12 Teaching Concentration. You can declare your concentration after you’ve been admitted and have met with your academic advisor. Biology is a diverse program that will grant you entrance into a number of professions. These careers could include the biological sciences, medical and health service fields, research, industry and education.

*Please note that the Cell and Molecular Biology concentration will be referred to as Developmental and Regenerative Sciences (DRS) starting Fall 2024.

Pathways to Health Professions

Interested in a healthcare career? UTSA offers several programs to help you pursue early acceptance or joint admission with UT Health San Antonio into your desired health care program. Several of these require or pair best with a degree from COS.

  • Dental Early Acceptance Program (DEAP)
  • Joint BSN-MDST 2+2 Nursing Program (FANS)
  • Medical Laboratory Sciences Early Acceptance Program (MLSEAP)
  • Respiratory Care Early Acceptance Program (RCEAP)
  • Physical Therapy Early Acceptance Program (PTEAP)

Admission Requirements

When you apply to UTSA, you select the major you'd like to study. The choice of major will not impact if you get admitted to the University (all students must meet UTSA's general admission requirements); however, some majors will require additional admission requirements to be able to declare the major your freshman year.

Biology: There are no additional admission requirements to declare this major. You must meet UTSA’s general admission requirements.
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Scholarships

Pro Tip: Even if you don't think you will qualify for financial aid, you should still submit the FAFSA! Information from the FAFSA could impact certain scholarships that are even merit-based.

UTSA Scholarship Hub

Through one general scholarship application, you can automatically be considered for dozens of scholarships at UTSA, including scholarships that are available for this major. In order to access all available scholarship applications on the UTSA Scholarship Hub, you must be an admitted student. If you are a student applying for admission, but have not yet been admitted, you may sign in and complete the Scholarship Hub’s General Application as long as you have authenticated your myUTSA ID and Passphrase. Once you are admitted to UTSA, please sign back in to the Scholarship Hub to see if there are any additional scholarship opportunities available for you to pursue.

UTSA Scholarship Hub College of Sciences Scholarships

Distinguished Scholarship

UTSA offers an automatic merit-based scholarship to incoming new freshman and transfer students who display exceptional scholastic achievement in high school by the priority deadline. Non-resident and international students awarded a Distinguished Scholarship for a minimum of $1,000 for the academic year will be granted a waiver for non-resident tuition if scholarship eligibility is maintained. This means out-of-state and international students could pay in-state tuition! For fall admitted freshmen, this scholarship is valued up to $20,000 for up to four years. For fall or spring admitted transfer students, this scholarship is valued up to $6,000 for up to two years. Renewal eligibility must be maintained and funding must be available.

Distinguished Scholarships

UTSA Bold Promise

Although not a scholarship, UTSA is committed to cover tuition and mandatory fees 100% for eligible students who come from low and middle-income Texas families.

UTSA Bold Promise

Careers, Salary & Skills

UTSA prepares you for future careers that are in demand. See possible careers below. This data is pulled by a third-party tool called Emsi, which pulls data from sources like the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Census Bureau, online job postings, other government databases and more to give you regional and national career outlook related to this academic program. On top of the resources your college will provide, the University Career Center offers several resources to help students identify and develop the global skills necessary to successfully pursue and achieve lifelong career goals.

Minors & Certificates

After selecting a major area of study and enrolling at UTSA, degree-seeking students can choose from a variety of minors and certificates to supplement their education. Although not required, minors and certificates can help students customize their UTSA experience based on their passions and unique career goals.

Explore All Minors & Certificates

The Honors Experience

Realize your full potential at The University of Texas at San Antonio’s Honors College. Rooted in experiential learning, our classes and programs are hands-on, project-based, and customizable to fit your individual goals. Students in any majors can get invited to our Honors College. Turn your passions into marketable skills for the future!

Why Join Honors?

Shruti Sinkar
"Set goals for yourself and believe in them. Challenge yourself every day and you’ll learn something new. UTSA has great resources to help you succeed and accomplish your dreams."
Shruti Sinkar ’19 • Biology

Why UTSA?

Cutting-Edge Science Discoveries
Cutting-Edge Science Discoveries

The College of Sciences is an institutional leader in both teaching and research. Participating in research will help you become an investigative problem-solver and a more competitive graduate. Our world-class faculty will help you sharpen your scientific skills so they can be applied to make tangible, life-changing solutions.

Advanced Facilities
Advanced Facilities

You’ll have access to state-of-the-art facilities like the newly opened 160,349 square foot Science and Engineering Building, the Mesquite Living Laboratory, which houses an outdoor classroom that promotes environmental education, and the School of Data Science, which is located downtown and focuses on training a highly-skilled workforce in the fields of cybersecurity, data analytics, and digital asset management.

Internships
Internships

Internships allow you to obtain work experience, explore a chosen career path and increase your marketability to employers. Students can access Handshake, UTSA’s jobs portal, to search for jobs and internships and recruiting and event information. UTSA’s Career Center has a COS career counselor who provides internship opportunities and advice to students across every science major.

Student Success

Student Success

UTSA is all about your success. Our experiential learning initiative takes what you learn in the classroom and helps you apply it to real life. As a student in the College of Sciences (COS), you will explore, engage and reflect on your experiences to launch your career in a global society. The COS Student Success Center is a one-stop resource to help you achieve your academic, personal and professional goals. Receive tutoring, find internships, connect with industry professionals for job opportunities, and enhance your professional development skills through the center’s comprehensive programming.