Bachelor of Science in Biology

at State University of New York - Oswego USA

Our program provides a foundation in the principles of geology and its related sciences with four laboratories, a seismograph and field experiences. A newer track on environmental earth sciences integrates a set of cross-disciplinary environmental science experiences from biological sciences, chemistry, meteorology and physics.

Oswego is ideally located for field studies of Lake Ontario, carbonate and clastic sedimentary rocks of the Lower Paleozoic age, Precambrian rocks of the Adirondacks, Pleistocene glacial features and the pollution of rivers and ground waters. Field trips may include southeastern Pennsylvania, the Chesapeake Bay, Ithaca, Whitaker State Park, and the Catskill Mountains.

You also can perform research with professors around the country, or learn firsthand about field-based research and much more in our Geology Field Program. Build your resume through internships and co-op opportunities, and complete an independent research project under the direction of a faculty adviser. Study geology abroad through through regular coursework or research placements.

Faculty expertise ranges across all aspects of computing, including security, databases, concurrency, parallelism, distribution, networking, enterprise systems, simulation, cognitive science, user-interface design, artificial intelligence, embedded systems and robotics.

Join the Computer Science Association, which sponsors guest speakers, conducts programming contests, arranges tours of companies that hire graduates and provides opportunities for advanced students to tutor and mentor first-year students. Pursue an internship in a company or institution, and gain software development experience in finance, defense, manufacturing, government or other fields.

State-of-the-art facilities in the Shineman Center include workspaces configured for class-based, small-group and individual activities. Our labs provide a great learning, testing and training ground for future success.

The curriculum explores the diverse experiences, perspectives, culture, history and significant contributions of women. This interdisciplinary major is designed to develop a broad understanding of the study of gender and women, investigate women's contributions in all areas of academic scholarship, and explore the relationship between cultural definitions of feminine and masculine behaviors and the realities of women's and men's lives. Choose from core or concentration courses to design programs that fit your specific interests and career orientation.

Take advantage of opportunities for learning beyond the traditional classroom by applying for internships, independent studies and seminars under the mentoring of an academic adviser. The program collaborates closely with the Women’s Center, a student organization that puts classroom instruction into practice. Get involved the annual Women Aloud program of performers, poets and speakers that raises funds for scholarships in this program.

In our English program in literary studies, you'll cultivate valuable skills in writing and critical thinking while exploring literary works by diverse writers. Courses stress the importance of critical reading, writing and research to provide you with a background suitable for many kinds of careers. Our diverse faculty teach and publish across the historical and theoretical spectrum, and students benefit from an interdisciplinary mix (for example, a course on crime fiction co-taught by faculty in English and sociology).

Present papers at regional and national research conferences. Publish your work in The Oswegonian student weekly, Great Lake Review creative writing journal and Exist e-publication. Excel and join the Oswego chapter of the international English honor society, Sigma Tau Delta. As a senior, enroll in Words in the World, to connect with the world of professional communications by designing and producing writing and research-related projects for businesses and non-profit organizations.

You can choose to study and investigate a number of specialization areas including cellular and molecular, organismal and systematic, genetic and developmental, or environmental and population biology. After introductory core courses, students and professors work together to design a program of additional courses to fit your professional career interests. Careful selection of electives, research courses, projects and internships can prepare you for particular careers, graduate studies and/or training at professional schools (medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine).

Top-notch facilities in the Shineman Center and Rice Creek Field Station with helpful and knowledgeable professors will provide you with great preparation and research opportunities. Active student organizations provide on-campus connections while a successful network of graduates can help you find internships during college as well as opportunities after graduation. We also offer an honors program in the major for exceptional students.

With their ability to think critically, communicate effectively and solve complex problems with creativity and independent judgment, biology majors make great employees in any field. Majors discover new knowledge to better understand themselves, the world and their place in it, whether working in science or using your knowledge to make informed decisions that impact society.

Our program is accredited by the American Chemical Society and is ranked in the top three in the number of certified degrees award in New York. Graduates of SUNY Oswego’s chemistry programs have gone on to study at prestigious graduate schools, and have received national recognition as chemists, researchers and educators. Outstanding labs in the Shineman Center, professors who are knowledgeable yet student-focused, active student organizations and internships at home and overseas provide a first-class chemistry experience.

Join the student affiliate of the American Chemical Society, which offers free tutoring and other services, and has often been cited as one of the most outstanding in the country. Excel and you may qualify for the chemistry honors program, which emphasizes independent study and research, or even the national honor societies Sigma Xi and Phi Kappa Phi. You can present your work at Sigma Xi and other conferences. A large network of internships and co-op opportunities are among the ingredients for future success.

Facilities and equipment in the Shineman Center include a scanning electron microscope, 300 MHz nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer, scintillation counter, analytical chromatographs, preparative gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer and many computing facilities.

The study of modern languages, literatures and cultures like German is especially important in a global society, as it helps emphasize similarities and improve communication between people and nations. Our Department of Languages and Literatures, among the largest in the SUNY system, offers learning in small classes led by faculty who encourage active use of your chosen language, as well as many study-abroad opportunities.

Practice your language skills at the weekly international coffee hour and in the friendly department's foyer. Attend foreign films, lectures, discussions and field trips, and participate in German-American programs. Take advantage of our robust study-abroad and exchange programs with German universities or a Global Cities course in Berlin.

You'll learn about the creation and production of media, the interrelated nature of media industries and the skills necessary to write, produce and distribute media messages. Explore a variety of areas including audio and video production, broadcast journalism, copywriting and media management. Our updated curriculum includes a variety of offerings in integrated media design and social media.

Many hands-on opportunities in front of or behind the camera, in control rooms and on the radio — including with some of the best campus facilities anywhere — make Oswego's broadcasting program a launchpad for countless successful careers.

In addition to campus radio (WNYO) and TV organizations (WTOP), you can seek an internship or co-op opportunity and gain valuable experience, Oswego students have interned at major networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, MTV, ESPN), regional radio (including on-campus National Public Radio affiliate WRVO) and television stations, state and federal agencies and not-for-profit civic and cultural groups. Our Hollywood POV program takes you to the West Coast media capital to learn about, and connect with alumni working in, major entertainment and news operations. You can also help organize the annual Dr. Lewis B. O'Donnell Media Summit, which brings prominent names in the industry to campus.

Organized around guided flexibility, our program offers a core of knowledge to help prepare you for a career in political science, government or law — along with the freedom to explore your own areas of interest.

The department emphasizes the global nature of the contemporary political world — characterized by the deepening interdependence among nations and regions, as well as a blend of cultures and political systems. Students will study the political behavior of leaders, citizens and social groups the formal institutions that carry out public policy, while developing an understanding of the hows and whys of governing.

Join SUNY Oswego’s Political Science Club. Get politically involved with the Student Association or different student organizations. Work individually with faculty on areas of particular interest to you. Choose among many opportunities to study abroad — either for short periods as part of a class or in semester, summer or year-long programs.

Earn up to 12 semester hours of credit working as an assistant in local government or citizens’ organizations, state agencies, the state legislature in Albany -- or in Washington, D.C., with the U.S. Congress, the White House or the Supreme Court, as well as non-governmental organizations. Internship placements are also available abroad. Excel, and you could be inducted into the Oswego chapter of Pi Sigma Alpha, the national political science honor society.

Your examination of public communication will include the study of public speaking and the principles of persuasion, argumentation and rhetoric. You’ll actively participate in class discussions on topics such as the ways individuals differ in their communication of gender and culture. 

Students apply practical outcomes of their education through a service learning requirement that is part of their degree program. We strongly encourage internships, co-ops, independent studies and other opportunities to apply your campus learning experiences. If you excel, you may be eligible to join the department’s honor society, Lambda Pi Eta.

Student media The Oswegonian, WTOP-TV and WNYO-FM, as well as on-campus National Public Radio affiliate WRVO, provide opportunities to put your communication skills into action through performance, promotion and running social media accounts.