Biological Sciences

Mission

The Department of Biological Sciences delivers an intensive, balanced, and well-rounded learning experience in general biology, biotechnology, bioinformatics, and ecology. The Department educates students for employment in the regional biotechnology and environmental industries, provides the foundation for students to succeed in post-graduate education, and prepares students for admission to professional schools such as medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, and pharmacy. These goals are accomplished through rigorous hands-on learning and opportunities for original research.

Requirements of the Major

Learning Outcomes

A graduate in Biological Sciences will be able to:

  1. Apply knowledge of biological molecule chemistry to function at the molecular, cellular, tissue and organismal levels.
  2. Identify basic intracellular functions and predict intracellular responses to extracellular and environmental cues.
  3. Describe how regulation of genome expression dictates molecular and cellular structure and function.
  4. Apply knowledge of the nature of mutations and the laws governing their inheritance to explain how they affect phenotypes.
  5. Explain how mutations and environment interact in a population to affect the gene pool, and resultant effects on a population.
  6. Apply knowledge of metabolic pathway regulation and the energy requirements of a cell, to predict the activity and end product of metabolic pathways.
  7. Recognize the organismal diversity of life on Earth and explain the processes that have given rise to this diversity over time.
  8. Apply knowledge of ecological, environmental and evolutionary processes to understand conservation needs of species, communities and ecosystems.
  9. Understand how biological processes are inextricably intertwined with geophysical processes, and appreciate that human activities are both dominant drivers of global climate and environmental change and are impacted by that change.
  10. Design an experiment and analyze experimental data.