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ZOOLOGY

Zoology

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The department at a glance

All recorded grades
average GPA
A / AB grades
letter grades

How grades break down

Grades over time

Red: department · Gray: UW–Madison

About these statistics

GPA and percentages are weighted by recorded letter grades. UW comparisons use the same terms. Cross-listed courses count once within this department and once across UW; department totals should not be added together. Grade counts are not unique students. Offering counts reflect captured records, not a complete historical schedule.

Fall 2026

Recorded this term
courses with offerings
instructors recorded

Grades have not been recorded for this term. Historical results remain in the overview above.

Find your next class

46 courses

Historical grades cover up to five years through the selected term. Grade sorting prioritizes courses with at least 100 letter grades.

A seminar in endocrinology and reproductive physiology where graduate students develop and deliver research presentations to a scientific audience.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2026

Evolutionary biology course covering microevolution, macroevolution, adaptation, speciation, systematics, quantitative genetics, and phylogenetic analyses.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

Students report that exams are tricky with ambiguous multiple-choice questions, leading to low grades despite perfect quiz scores.

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2026

A seminar for graduate students covering various fields of zoological research, including limnology and marine science.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2026

PROBLEMS IN OCEANOGRAPHY introduces techniques for studying the biology, chemistry, geology, and physics of the marine environment.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Fall 2024 · limited sample

Introductory Biology covers cell structure, metabolism, genetic information flow, genetics principles, and animal physiology.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

The course requires outside class hours to grasp lecture material and complete lab reports.

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2026

Introductory Biology covers plant physiology, organismal kingdoms, evolution, and ecology.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

The botany portion requires plenty of memorization. Lectures are dense in content but explained clearly and slowly, with pauses for questions.

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2026

ANIMAL BIOLOGY covers general biological principles including evolution, ecology, genetics, and human physiology.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

The course is content-heavy, requiring significant study time for exams. Reviews describe tests as difficult or confusing, with some noting that attendance is crucial for success.

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2026

ANIMAL BIOLOGY LABORATORY introduces general animal biology concepts, evolutionary relationships, body plans, and diversity through dissection and ecological study.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

Historical reviews of Sarah Edlund: Reviewers note that the biology content can be overwhelming, but the instructor makes learning the lab material enjoyable and encourages students to ask questions.

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2026

FOUNDATIONS OF EVOLUTION explores key themes and debates in evolutionary biology over the last 50 years through reading and discussion.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Fall 2022 · limited sample

Conservation Biology investigates nature protection and biodiversity preservation through biological and socioeconomic factors.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2025–Spring 2026 · limited sample

Introductory Ecology covers organism-environment relationships, population dynamics, community organization, and human-environment action programs.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

Historical reviews of Tony Ives: Tests carry the most weight, so students emphasize completing all extra credit to boost their final grade. Quizzes are short but tricky, requiring careful attention to lecture material and readings.

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2026

General Ecology covers the ecology of organisms through biosphere levels, studying interactions in field and lab settings.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

Historical reviews of Thomas Givnish: Reviewers report high difficulty, citing exams based on memorizing old research papers and homework that leads to failure without TA help. The teaching style is described as rushing through topics with wordy definitions.

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2026

Introduction to entomology covering principles of insect morphology and classification.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

The course is described as time-consuming and requires significant memorization of Latin beetle family names. While some students found exams easy, others noted that lab exams could be difficult and the overall workload significant.

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2026

Study of the biology, molecular adaptations, and disease transmission mechanisms of parasitic arthropods and vector-borne pathogens.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

The course difficulty is rated low, though unclear expectations regarding exam content may require careful navigation.

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2025–Spring 2026 · limited sample

This course examines the ecology, causes, and consequences of species extinction, including habitat alteration and conservation strategies.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

Historical reviews of Karie Cherwin: Reviewers consistently rate the difficulty as low, noting that content is easy and tests are fair, though some find the lack of structure challenging.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Fall 2025

LIMNOLOGY-CONSERVATION OF AQUATIC RESOURCES covers general limnology, lake characteristics, and rehabilitation.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

Lectures are dense and data-heavy, requiring students to study them closely and create notecards with key terms for exams.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Fall 2025

Covers climate change ecological impacts and adaptation principles in natural resources conservation.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Fall 2025 · limited sample

Covers the evolutionary history, morphology, and ecology of fossil invertebrates with lab-based fossil identification.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2024–Fall 2024 · limited sample

TINY EARTH: ANTIBIOTIC DISCOVERY RESEARCH teaches scientific research methodology and laboratory techniques through hands-on microbial research to discover potential antibiotics.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2026

Covers basic mechanisms in cellular neurophysiology, including nerve signal electrophysiology and chemistry.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Fall 2025

ZOOLOGY 115 explores contemporary threats to freshwater ecosystems and integrates biological insights with other disciplines to understand impacts on human well-being.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2025–Fall 2025 · limited sample

ZOOLOGY 153 covers introductory biology topics like cell function, genetics, and physiology for engineering majors without a lab.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2026

ZOOLOGY 199 is a directed study course where students conduct independent research and develop hypotheses under faculty mentorship.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2022 · limited sample

BIOLOGY OF THE DINOSAURS covers the biology, ecology, and evolution of dinosaurs, using anatomy and phylogeny to understand physiological and evolutionary transitions.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2024–Fall 2025

ZOOLOGY 299 is a directed study course where students conduct independent research and develop hypotheses under faculty mentorship.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2026 · limited sample

ZOOLOGY 316 examines the biological, physical, and chemical characteristics and their interrelationships in Wisconsin lakes and streams.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Fall 2025

MARINE ECOLOGY introduces marine habitat properties, species distribution, ecosystem interactions, and conservation strategies.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

No recorded grade history

ZOOLOGY 400 covers various intermediate biology topics, with each section exploring a different subject.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2026

Introduction to natural history museums covering history, specimen preparation, ethics, and career opportunities.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Fall 2025 · limited sample

Across course levels

Recorded this term

No released grades for this term.

Recorded offerings over time

Offering snapshots currently cover Fall 2026. Earlier grade records do not provide a complete offering history.