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Majors, Minors and Options

Student and Janine Trempy looking over lab results.

Versatile programs that meet your needs

The Department of Microbiology offers two undergraduate majors: Microbiology (MB) and BioHealth Sciences (BHS).

As a microbiology major, you will gain a foundational understanding of infectious and beneficial organisms that play a role in human and environmental health.

As a biohealth sciences major, you'll have the option to choose from a variety of curated option tracks specific to the healthcare field you hope to pursue after graduation. You will study the interrelationships among foundational biological and physical sciences and a variety of health and social sciences courses designed to meet the needs of students interested in healthcare careers.

Microbiology major

Microbiology majors study beneficial and disease-causing bacteria, archaea, viruses and parasites in the context of human, plant and animal disease and the environment. Through coursework and laboratory training, you will learn about microbiology applications in the areas of environment, medicine, healthcare, agriculture and animal health.

Learn about the microbiology major 
Our goals for your microbiology education 

Options for microbiology majors

The pre-medicine option helps students interested in a career in the medical field to prepare for professional school.

The aquatic microbiology option provides students interested in environmental sciences with a background in the microbial processes of aquatic systems and prepares them for careers in environmental resource fields in industry, government and academia.

Biohealth sciences

The biohealth sciences major is designed to provide strong preparation for success in professional health disciplines and can be completed online. Most of our BHS majors continue their education in professional schools to gain advanced training in direct patient care. Successfully completing any of the pre-health options requires completing specific courses that are not currently offered through Ecampus either in person at an OSU campus or via transfer credits and facilitates, but does not guarantee, admission to professional schools.

Learn more about the major 
Learn about completing a biohealth sciences major through OSU's Ecampus 
Our goals for all our biohealth sciences majors 

Microbiology minor

The minor in microbiology provides you with a fundamental understanding of the discipline of microbiology and its laboratory techniques. You can select a general area of study or choose from specialized topics such as food microbiology, microbial genetics or human health. Adding a minor in microbiology will pay career dividends for professionals in a variety of fields and is also a strong foundation if you’re preparing for professional or graduate school.