Bachelor of Science - Biology - Ecology and Environmental Science

The curriculum is designed for students who plan to attend graduate school and for pre-professional students who wish to prepare for admission to schools of chiropractic, dentistry, medicine, osteopathy, pharmacy, podiatry, or veterinary medicine.

Students are encouraged to consult the catalog of the school they plan to attend in order to incorporate any special prerequisites not included in the biology curriculum into their undergraduate programs. The pre-professional adviser assists students in preparing for entrance into their desired professions. It should be noted that the majority of students accepted to graduate schools typically have completed four years of undergraduate work.

Program Outcomes Students majoring in Biology develop the following skills and abilities:

• Ability to use the scientific method and understand its strengths and weaknesses: Students clearly state a hypothesis, identify not only the basics of the issue, but also recognize its nuances. • Ability to research a biological topic using traditional and computer technology: They provide a thorough and relevant literature review, consider alternate ways to approach questions, demonstrate the ability to read and evaluate professional scientific literature, and understand the relationship between experiment and theory. • Ability to write and communicate science: Their writing enhances presentations and is consistently well-written; they communicate clearly using the language of biology and display an excellent command of writing mechanics. Topics are clearly organized, covered in-depth, and display an abundance of original ideas, with APA style used consistently and accurately without any errors. • Ability to utilize mathematical reasoning and quantitative skills in biology: They analyze data via graphs, statistics, and curve fitting as appropriate. They possess observational and technical skills to carry out controlled experiments using the proper equipment and safety measures, identify relevant constraints, collect data carefully and with appropriate precision, and use initial data to refine experiments. • Possess major field knowledge: Students identify appropriate questions using prior knowledge, demonstrate the ability to successfully compete in biologically related fields, and obtain acceptance into graduate or professional schools or employment in the field.