Biology - BS

Program Contact: Dr. Mary Mulcahy

If you want to do more than just live life, become a biologist and study it.  

Biologists have exciting and rewarding careers in areas such as medicine, biotechnology, and environmental conservation and management. Biologists study living things to understand how they function, survive, and evolve. They may study bacteria and viruses that threaten human health or larger organisms such as red-spotted newts or brown bears. Whatever the scale, biological research increases our understanding of health and wellness and the threats to our environment. 

You will learn how life works by asking questions, making observations, and evaluating evidence. Besides lectures, your classes will include hands-on activities in the laboratory and outdoors. Because of our location, you will have unique outdoor learning opportunities. We have an ongoing research project with our environmental studies program in the Allegheny National Forest.   

Some of your college credits may come from internships: You can shadow local doctors or conduct undergraduate research with a faculty mentor.  

With your biology degree you could become a physician or a veterinarian. A research biologist, a biotechnology patent attorney or a high school science teacher. These are just a few of the possibilities. 

Future doctors may streamline their acceptance into medical school via our  Freshman Guarantee at the University of Pittsburgh Medical School.  Future doctors, dentists, and optometrists may be able save a year of study and tuition by enrolling in our special 3 + 4 programs with Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, Pitt's Dental School, or the Pennsylvania College of Optometry.  

Take a look at our Biology program website.

What you can do with a degree in Biology.  Suggested 4-year plan of study

Course requirements in the major

The mathematics requirement may be satisfied by taking any one of the following:

OR

OR

The physics requirement may be satisfied by taking any of the following:

OR

OR

Additional Information:

If you're interested in applying to schools of chiropractic, dentistry/dental medicine, medicine, optometry, podiatry, and veterinary medicine, you need to complete one year of Organic Chemistry with labs (CHEM 0206, 0207, 0208, and 0209); one year of General Physics with labs (PHYS 0101 and 0102 or 0201, 0202, 0203, and 0204); and one semester of Calculus (Math 0140).

 For more information about the biology program, check out our homepage.

These are just some of the positions our recent graduates have.

Job:

• Office Supervisor at Arizona Urology Specialists, Scottsdale, AZ
• Operations Director at Custom Performance Engineering, Bettsville, MD

Graduate School:

• Doctoral student at West Virginia University's School of Pharmacy
• Graduate student at Johns Hopkins University's Bloomberg School of Public Health
• Graduate student at Chatham University
• Doctoral student at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine
• Graduate student at the University of Pittsburgh's Graduate School of Public Health
• Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine
• University of North Georgia