Biological Sciences, Ecological Sciences Concentration, B.S.

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Professor Waltzer, Chair
Associate Professor Brandon
Associate Professor Neiswinger

The department of biology at Belhaven University seeks to encourage students to develop an appreciation for the created world, to make an impact academically, and to use their knowledge in service to society. Students are expected to develop a broad background in biological science as preparation for teaching, graduate school, and the health-related professions, government, and industry.

Recommended for students majoring in Biology: PHY 241 -PHY 242 , PHY 243 -PHY 244 ; and CHE 216 and CHE 218 . Biology majors are required to take one semester of non-majors science: either SCI 125 or SCI 126 . Students who enter having taken algebra and with an ACT 25 in the sciences may take BIO 105 -BIO 106 , BIO 107 -BIO 108 concurrently with CHE 111 -CHE 112 , CHE 113 -CHE 114 .

53 hours to include:

Required Major courses (26 hours)

Statistics Choice (3 hours)

Cellular/Molecular Biology Choice (4 hours)

Ecology courses (16 hours)

Comparative Anatomy/Microbiology Choice (4 hours)

Honors Program:

The Biology Department offers opportunities to enroll in honors courses from its department. The following are general education, elective, and major courses that may be taken as honors courses: BIO 105 -BIO 106 , BIO 320, BIO 336 , BIO 342 , BIO 370, BIO 371, BIO 382 and BIO 411 -BIO 412 . For students majoring in this department, a student must pass a minimum of 12 hours of honors courses within the discipline and a minimum of nine hours from the honors programs of other departments. The student must take BIO 411 -BIO 412 during the junior or senior year. Each course must be passed with a B or better. No more than 21 hours are required for the honors degree. For other honors program policies, see “Honors Program” under the “Administration of the Curriculum ” section of the catalogue. Upon enrolling in the university honors program, the honors student must meet with the Department Chairman to determine a plan to complete the honors requirements for biology. For specific honors courses, the designation must be made during the registration.

Note:

In order to obtain a degree in Biology (or a minor in Biology) from Belhaven University, a student must take a minimum of 16 hours in Biology from Belhaven University. In order to declare a major in Biology, a student must have completed eight hours in Biology at Belhaven University. For recommendations for professional, graduate school or jobs, see instructions given under “Pre-Professional Programs.” Within the Biology major, anatomy and physiology and nutrition will count only as elective credit.

All rising juniors must take the Educational Testing Service Major Field Test in Biology. The test should be taken after completion of a minimum of 12 hours in biology at a time during the spring semester to be selected by the department chairman. The test will be used to aid in the advising and course selection process of the student. This test must be retaken during the senior topics course as part of the course grade.

Students will be required to have completed one semester of internship or research or mentoring to gain real-world experience. This may or may not involve course credit and may be fulfilled a number of ways; i.e. Health Careers Development Program; undergraduate research; internships at Voice of Calvary or Museum of Natural Science; Summer research programs; research at UMMC. Students may work with the chairman beginning as early as the end of their freshman year.