Choosing a Major

In COSAM, designation of your “major” may be confusing at first because of differing categories, options, and concentrations within majors.  The following points should help clear up the confusion:

• If you want to go into a human health profession, you will need to choose your “concentration” first. 
  • The concentrations are Pre-Medicine; Pre-Dentistry; Pre-Optometry; Pre-Physical Therapy; and Pre-Pharmacy. 
  • You do not declare your major until you are finishing your sophomore sciences. 
  • All of the pre-health concentrations except Pre-Pharmacy have five majors from which to choose:  (1) Biomedical Sciences;  (2) Chemistry;  (3)Microbiology; (4) Physics; and (5) Zoology
• The Pre-Pharmacy concentration has two options you can consider: 

  • (1)The three year program that constitutes the exact pre-requisites for the Harrison School of Pharmacy (HSOP) here at Auburn University;

  • (2)The four year Biomedical Science degree with a Pre-Pharmacy concentration.  This curriculum includes all 84 hours of the pre-requisites as well as 38 additional hours to earn the Biomedical Science degree.

• The Pre-Veterinary concentration has three options to consider in COSAM: 

•  
  • The three year program that constitutes the exact pre-requisites for the Auburn University College of Education ; 
  • The four year degree program for the Zoology major in the Veterinary Medicine concentration; 
  • The four year degree program for the Microbiology major in the Veterinary Medicine concentration.

The “mainline” majors are those that are not set up to provide pre-requisites for a professional school.  Students many times will wish to continue in the major in graduate school.  These majors are classified by departments:

• Biological Sciences:

  • Botany, Cellular/Molecular concentration, B.S.

  • Botany, Evolution/Ecology concentration, B.S.

  • Marine Biology, B.S.

  • Microbiology, B.S.

  • Molecular Biology, B.S.

  • Zoology, General, B.S.

  • Zoology, Cellular Biology/Physiology concentration, B.S.

  • Zoology, Conservation/Biodiversity concentration, B.S.

  • Zoology, Ecology/Evolution/Behavior concentration, B.S.

• Chemistry:

  • Biochemistry, B.S.

  • Chemistry, B.A.

  • Chemistry, B.S.

  • Laboratory Technology, B.S.

  • Medical Technology. B.S.

• Geography/Geology

  • Geography, B.A.

  • Geology, B.S.

• Mathematics and Statistics:

  • Applied Math, B.S.

  • Applied Math, Actuarial concentration, B.S.

  • Applied Math, Discrete concentration, B.S.

  • Mathematics. B.S.

• Physics:

  • Physics, B.S.

If you came into COSAM undecided, you will need to declare a major or concentration by the end of your freshman year.  For help, check out the various resources in COSAM and elsewhere on campus. 

If you decided on your major or concentration before coming to college, you need to reaffirm this choice by the second semester of your freshman year.