Bachelor in Biology

Life – what an interesting and rewarding time to study it!

Managing emerging pests and diseases as well as those becoming resistant to current controls, describing and utilizing and conserving biological diversity in the face of habitat loss and climate change, designing more effective treatments for traumatic injuries and degenerative conditions, and developing biofuels to help meet our growing energy needs while maintaining our capacity to produce food are just a few of the challenges facing our nation and our world.

That's where biology, the largest and fastest-growing scientific discipline, comes in. Advances in biology – in fields such as biotechnology, medical research, and genetic engineering – improve the quality of life for hundreds of millions of people and lead to the development of stress-tolerant crops, new chemotherapy drugs, more sensitive techniques in forensic science, and the use of bacteria and plants to clean up pollution. But there's still so much to learn and accomplish.

What makes the biology program at the University of Redlands special?

Our biology courses emphasize science as a way of learning through laboratory and field-based experiences. These experiences involve our students in practicing scientific thinking by posing testable questions, designing small-scale research projects, collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data, and presenting findings. These experiences also allow our students to gain technical skills.

Significant research opportunities include paid summer internships and academic projects during the school year. Research projects span many subdisciplines of biology and take advantage of our state-of-the-art laboratories and wide array of habitats within easy reach of campus. Approximately half of our majors have significant research experience by graduation.

As a biology major at Redlands, you'll have the opportunity to build a solid foundation of scientific knowledge and research skills to help solve some of today's most challenging and rewarding problems.

The Major

There are five categories of courses within the biology curriculum, each designed for different needs.

The first group (BIOL 103 through 160) consists of courses for non-majors and may include consideration of scientific methodology as well as the subject matter of interest to non-scientists. These courses may not be taken for credit toward the Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts in biology.

The second category (BIOL 200 through BIOL 239) is part of both the major and minor requirements and consists of courses that introduce key aspects of biology.

Courses in the third group (BIOL 250 through 360) are designed to provide a firm foundation in basic sub-disciplines. By careful selection with a faculty advisor, students can tailor a program to fit individual career goals. Note that only Comparative Physiology (BIOL 334) or Human Physiology (BIOL 344) will count towards the biology degree. Similarly, only Vertebrate Anatomy (BIOL 337) or Human Anatomy (BIOL 317) will count towards the biology degree. Most of the courses in this category have prerequisites and are taken by majors, but non-majors who have the prerequisites often enroll.

The fourth category (BIOL 403 through 460) provides an opportunity for biology majors to take part in research under faculty supervision. A two-semester sequence is required of all B.S. majors except those taking departmental honors (BIOL 499).

In courses in the fifth category, the biology seminars (BIOL 394, BIOL 495, BIOL 496), junior and senior students learn about careers in biology, research methods, and present and share the results of their research.

Students entering the biology major must have successfully completed BIOL 200 and BIOL 201 or equivalent courses, achieved a major GPA of 2.0 or higher at the time of declaration, and submit grades of each class.

The Minor

To earn a minor in biology, students must complete:

• BIOL 200 and 201
• BIOL 238 or 239
• Three additional courses from BIOL 238–360 (except 341), of which a minimum of two must include a significant laboratory or field component, by contract with department faculty.

Next Steps

Recent Medical and Graduate School Acceptances

Whether you are interested in graduate studies or medical school, marine biology, conservation, cell and plant biology, physiology, neuroscience, or molecular and human genetics, our faculty have the expertise to guide you to your desired next steps.

• The Ohio State University
• Dartmouth Medical School
• Loma Linda Medical University
• University of Washington, Seattle
• Kansas University
• University of New Mexico
• Albany Medical College
• University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
• Barry University
• University of Colorado
• St. Louis University
• Azusa Pacific University
• University of Arizona
• Creighton University
• Touro Medical University
• University of Nevada
• Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine
• A.T. Still University
• University of California Berkeley
• Samuel Merritt College
• Western University
• University of Southern California
• Harvard University

Careers in Biology

Whatever your interest, with a B.S or B.A. in biology or a B.S. in biochemistry and molecular biology, there are several career paths waiting for you:

Research

Discover new treatments for people who are paralyzed; learn about the effects of pollution on plants and animals.

Health Care

Prevent the spread of rare, deadly diseases; care for injured or sick animals.

Environmental Conservation

Protect state and national parks; design strategies to protect endangered plant and animal species.

Education

Educate the next generation of biologists; direct educational programs in science museums, zoos, and aquariums.

Latest Career Trends in Biology

• Agricultural Scientist
• Conservation Biologist
• Environmental Scientist
• Forensic Science/Entomology

Creative Careers in Biology

Have more than one passion? Combine your passions into the perfect career:

Animals

• Zookeeper/Gamekeeper
• Marine Mammal Trainer/Marine biologist
• Fisheries and Aquaculture

Art

• Medical Illustrator
• Bio-animation and Films
• Molecular Visualization

Business/Industry

• Pharmaceutical Researcher
• Drug Testing/Quality Control
• Marketing/Sales/Public Relations

Government/Law

• National Health (FDA, CDC)
• City or Community Health Official
• Bioterrorism Expert
• Forensics and Criminal Investigation
• Biotechnology Patent Law

Math/Engineering

• Bioinformatics
• Biomechanical Engineering
• Biometrician/Statistician
• Nanotechnology

Writing/Communication

• Science Writer/Journalist

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates will:

1. Effectively integrate and apply biological concepts to solve problems.
2. Effectively design, execute and interpret experiments to address questions in a laboratory or research project setting.
3. Draw statistically reasonable conclusions from quantitative data from their own original research or the primary literature.
4. Effectively integrate data from multiple experiments and knowledge from multiple scientific sources in support of a thesis.
5. Clearly communicate arguments orally and in writing, in a standard scientific format with accurate use of conventions such as citations, figures/tables, and statistics.