Biology (BS)

About the Biology Bachelor of Science Degree

The Bachelor of Science in Biology program provides students with a broad foundation in biological sciences. Students gain exposure to diverse fields of biology, at cellular and molecular levels, including cell biology, genetics, and biochemistry.  This program serves as strong fundamental scientific base from which many career options are available.

Note: The Biology major offers B.A. and B.S. options based on a foundational core curriculum in biology. Beyond this core, the B.S. in Biology provides an opportunity for students interested in biotechnology, biomedical sciences, and integrative biology (including pre-med, pre-veterinary, and pre-dental programs).

Learning Outcomes

This program will provide students with the opportunity to develop the following competencies and the ability to:

• Describe biological concepts at all levels, from cellular to organismal, and across diverse fields.

• Discuss complex bioethical issues and principles across medical and scientific communities.

• Describe biological innovations within a societal context, understand current research, and anticipate future discoveries.

• Demonstrate public speaking, debate, and oral presentation skills regarding scientific concepts.

• Evaluate science described in the media or primary literature and form an individual opinion.

• Apply reasoning about core biological concepts with emphases on a cellular and molecular scale.

• Design cell and molecular biology, biochemistry, and genetics experiments with appropriate strategies, controls, and alternative approaches.

• Analyze and evaluate cell and molecular biology, biochemistry, and genetics data to discover patterns, evaluate critical conclusions, and generate predictions for subsequent experiments.

• Communicate cell and molecular biology, biochemistry, and genetics in written and oral forms.

• Critically evaluate scientific literature in cell and molecular biology, biochemistry, and genetics by weighing the merit of a paper's evidence relative to currently accepted explanations/solutions.