Biology, BS

Program Mission Statement

The mission of the Department of Biology is to provide students an outstanding and comprehensive undergraduate education in the life sciences. We strive to provide our students a fundamental understanding of the processes that govern living systems and the techniques necessary to study them. We prepare students to pursue careers in the life sciences, to understand complex biological issues, and to use scientific thinking throughout their lives. Student development occurs through a rigorous course of study that emphasizes interdisciplinary, experience-based classes and research projects. Faculty accessibility to students is a priority; therefore, we endeavor to offer small classes with integrated labs and research experiences that promote student and faculty interaction. Students gain work experience through thesis research and/or internships that are supervised by faculty and/or professional mentors. The Department serves the campus through (1) supporting the General Education program; (2) providing the scientific content that contributes to the certification of pre-service teachers; and (3) offering a Bachelor of Science degree, which includes various areas of focus or specialization.

Program Information

Students graduating with this degree will be extremely well prepared to compete with peers for careers in many areas of the biological sciences. This degree is perfect for students interested in attaining careers after graduation in cutting edge fields such as the pharmaceutical industry, biotechnology, wildlife biology, ecology, government and private research labs, forensics, wildlife law enforcement, and many more. In addition, the curriculum of this degree has been tailored to provide students with all of the coursework necessary to attend top graduate and professional schools including Ph.D. and M.S. programs (in areas such as wildlife biology, ecology, molecular or cellular biology), veterinary medicine, medical school, dental school, pharmacy school, physician assistant, physical therapy, nursing, sports medicine, athletic training, and many others.

The Option Areas listed for the BS: Biology degree are designed to allow the student to attain additional coursework in a number of very popular and exciting areas within the biological sciences, while still preserving the student’s flexibility to choose a career anywhere within biology. The Wildlife Ecology Option Area is designed for students who want to continue on to graduate studies in the exciting field of wildlife biology or ecology and for students who wish to begin a professional wildlife biology career. Job opportunities for students in this option include careers in the private sector with environmental consulting firms and laboratories, in state fish, wildlife and ecology departments, federal land and wildlife management agencies, or with non-governmental organizations working in fields of conservation and management of fish and wildlife. The Molecular Bioscience Option Area is perfect for students interested in many aspects of biomedical science including those interested in careers in the pharmaceutical industry, biotechnology, forensics, and research labs, as well as for those who wish to pursue advanced degrees in the biomedical sciences, including Ph.D., M.D., and D.V.M., or in many of the professional health sciences fields such as physical therapy, pharmacy, physician assistant, occupational therapy, sports medicine, athletic training, nursing, and more. The Molecular Bioscience Option Area is especially appropriate for students who want to continue on to veterinary school and is the only degree that contains all the prerequisite Bachelor of Science: Biology courses for acceptance into most veterinary schools. Finally, the Integrative Biology Option Area is designed for students who want more flexibility in the coursework required for their BS: Biology degree. This degree is especially appropriate for students who transfer to Montana Western with science courses that are not perfect equivalents of our required courses, and for students who would like to take courses from across different scientific disciplines.

All degree programs within the BS: Biology require students to complete an internship or senior thesis as part of their educational experience. This internship/thesis component is an especially important aspect of this degree, providing students with hands-on experience as they become actively involved in their own education. In many cases, students perform an internship by working or volunteering for an employer in their chosen area of interest. In addition, Montana Western’s active faculty members provide students with a variety of opportunities to perform cutting-edge research projects in novel areas of cell/molecular biology, wildlife biology, ecology, and mathematical biology, as well as other areas within the discipline. These research opportunities allow students to closely interact with professors to design and implement experiments to address interesting and novel questions in biology, which can form the basis of a senior thesis project. In total, the Biology degree enables our students to gain both depth and breadth in preparation for their professional careers.

Graduate Outcomes

Program graduates will:

• Display an understanding of basic concepts in the diverse fields of biology including cell biology, zoology, ecology, molecular biology, genetics, and evolution.
• Demonstrate an ability to use the scientific method to ask biological-related questions and formulate testable questions.
• Demonstrate the ability to read and understand primary scientific literature.
• Acquire practical experience with research methods in the biological sciences by mastering basic laboratory and field techniques.
• Acquire skills and methods necessary to collect, assess, and analyze biological data.
• Acquire writing skills and analytical methods necessary to effectively present biological data.
• Exhibit the ability to write a research paper using a format that conforms to published scientific journal articles.
• Demonstrate effective oral communication for interaction with profession colleagues and the community.
• Develop skills to participate in research both independently and as a member of a team.
• Critically evaluate contemporary issues and debates within the biological sciences, including the ethical dimensions of those issues.
• Acquire real-world experience in biology through an internship or a senior thesis project.

Assessment

The graduate outcomes for the BS: Biology degree are assessed through the graduate/exit survey, employer survey, alumni survey, feedback from internship supervisors, review of collected student-generated exhibits over time, and program self-study and/or reports from external reviews. The assessment plan for the BA: Biology is available on the web at http://my.umwestern.edu/administration/vcaa/accreditation/accbiology/.