by Natasha Davis
Contributing Writer

Over 800 students were divided five ways this semester when the UNF Biology Department created five specialized tracks, also known as concentrations, for its undergraduate program, required for incoming freshmen but optional for the other biology students.

Ecology and evolutionary biology, coastal environmental science, coastal biology, biomedical sciences, and molecular and cell biology and biotechnology are the five tracks that give students a clearer concentration for their future, said Amy Keagy, undergraduate faculty mentor of the biology department.

The specialized tracks have similar requirements so students can change tracks up to a certain point, but there are also track-specific electives available for students of which, they can take advantage, Keagy said.

“Biology is such a broad degree,” Keagy said. “These tracks will hopefully help to focus it more.”

Funneling the focuses of the biology program was a solution to a much larger issue — one students face after graduation.

In the past, biology students may have graduated without the experience of these track-specific classes, lowering their chances at getting a job as well as lowering their chances to better understand the specifics of any particular career, Keagy said.

When choosing their track, students should keep their future career in mind, which is why the biology department’s official Web site has a careers link, which shows which careers are available to biology majors.

As of now, if any alumni wants to prove his or her track-specific knowledge on paper, he or she must do so through his or her official transcript, as it will not be indicated on his or her diploma.

The department projects the biomedical science track, which they designed in order to prepare students for careers in the medical and veterinary sciences, to be the most popular track, with 70 to 80 percent of biology majors expressing the intention of pursuing a career in the health profession after graduation. It can also be used as a stepping stone to either the nursing or the physical therapy program, Keagy said.

Roma Garcia, a UNF biology junior who recently switched to the biomedical sciences track, hopes the specialized concentration will improve her chances of getting into medical school after graduation, she said.

“The thought of being able to help others for the rest of my life gives me so much joy,” Garcia said. “These tracks will hopefully offer me a level of expertise that will help to get me there.”

The biology department has yet to determine the success of the tracks this semester, but students’ reactions are positive, Keagy said.