Biologists are experts in living things, and they’re also problem solvers who analyze, interpret, and report new and existing data. This important data is used across a variety of fields to solve problems and answer questions about life and its effects. These fields include:
- medicine
- agriculture
- environmental management
- biodiversity
- wildlife management
- pollution control
- renewable resources
- human population growth
The Biology 7-12, B.S. program is designed for those who aspire to become biology teachers in the future. This program has the same biology requirements as the B.S. Biology program, but generally takes fewer cognate Chemistry courses and requires a number of educational courses from the College of Education.
Students acquire a sound subject knowledge base and the practical skills needed to become competent biologists, whichever concentration they choose. In addition to courses in the Biology program, students have the opportunity to build specialized ancillary professional skills via courses in GIS (Geography Department), statistics (Mathematics Department), chemical analysis (Chemistry Department), and geomorphology (Earth Science Department).
Learning Outcomes
- Students will be able to demonstrate both a theoretical and a practical mastery of biology. Students may also choose to specialize in a particular field within biology.
- Students will be able to demonstrate mastery of the scientific method and scientific primary literature, the design and application of experiments, and evaluation of content information.
- Students will be able to demonstrate appropriate laboratory techniques and mastery of basic laboratory skills in multiple fields of biology.
- Students will be able to demonstrate a practical mastery of the importance of and contributions of biology history to both the historical component and modern applications.
- Students will be able to demonstrate mastery of the art of critical thinking, associated cognitive skills in the formulation of a problem, data gathering and analysis, and interpretation of results to address practical questions in biology.
- Students will be able to demonstrate a clear understanding of the issues and involvement of biology in modern society.
Careers
Employment of biological technicians is projected to grow 7 percent through 2028, faster than the average for all occupations U.S. Department of Labor.
Typical Job Titles
- High School Biology Teacher
- Middle School Science Teacher
- Environmental Science Educator
- Science Curriculum Coordinator
- Science Department Chair
- STEM Program Director