Biology, CALS & CLAS

Biology is the study of the many diverse forms, processes and systems of life. These studies range across all levels of the biological hierarchy, from the simplest to the most complex life forms, across all environments on the earth and across recent and evolutionary time that interconnects ancestors to their descendants.

To understand this vast diversity, the field of biology correspondingly relies on integrative and comparative approaches for the resolution of the general processes, principles and unifying themes that govern living systems. Biology is therefore very interdisciplinary and biologists rely on knowledge from the physical sciences and mathematics, as well as from across the disciplines and subdisciplines of biology for advances and breakthroughs.

The biology major is administered jointly by the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Before Graduating Students Must

• Achieve a passing score for all content subsections of the Major Field Test for Biology. Content subscore areas are molecular biology and genetics, organismal biology, evolution, ecology and population biology.
• Achieve a passing score on the analytical skills assessment indicator of the Major Field Test for Biology.
• Achieve a passing score on the bioethics module quiz in BSC 4936. The content of the module and quiz are reviewed and approved by a faculty committee.
• Achieve a passing score on the scientific literacy paper assignment given in BSC 4936. This paper is graded using a faculty-developed rubric.
• Complete requirements for the baccalaureate degree, as determined by faculty.

Students in the Major will Learn to

Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)

1. Identify, describe and explain the basic terminology, concepts, methodologies and theories used within the biological sciences.
2. Analyze biological information and develop reasoned solutions to problems using the processes and applications of scientific inquiry.
3. Discriminate ethical behavior from unethical behavior in scientific research.
4. Communicate knowledge, ideas and reasoning clearly and effectively in written or oral forms appropriate to the biological sciences.

Curriculum Map for All Specializations except CALS Biotechnology

Assessment Types

• Major field test for biology
• Bioethics module
• Scientific literacy paper

Curriculum Map for CALS Biotechnology

I = Introduced; R = Reinforced; A = Assessed

Assessment Types

• Major field test for biology
• Bioethics module
• Scientific literacy paper