The College of St. Scholastica

A Foundational Science

Biology in the broadest sense is the study of life. It is a diverse subject and understanding it requires a background in all the sciences. The biologist must understand the basics of physics, chemistry, math, and the social sciences as they relate to living systems. He or she must also be able to synthesize that knowledge in order to understand the living world, a world that is both remarkably unified and wonderfully diverse.

Career Opportunities

The study of biology offers a wide variety of career opportunities ranging from agribusiness to zoology. With a four-year biology degree you may be qualified to teach in secondary schools, or you may develop laboratory skills allowing you to be a lab technician. Some careers will require that you have extra training of the type received in graduate school. A biology degree provides the pre-professional preparation necessary for physicians, dentists, optometrists, veterinarians, cytotechnologists, cytogeneticists, forensic scientists, industrial hygienists, and wildlife managers, among other occupations.

Professional biologists find careers in industry, government organizations, medical and environmental research, and education. Besides the traditional areas of medicine, teaching, and research, new areas requiring a broad background are emerging such as land-use planning, systems modeling, resource development and conservation.

By adding a second field of study to biology, many more career areas can become available to you. Management, English, chemistry, library science and computer science are excellent companion fields for biology. A combination of biology and management offers employment opportunities in pharmaceutical and biological equipment manufacturing firms. A biologist with writing skills can write about biology for general and technical publications. A biology and chemistry degree can lead to careers in research. Computer science, math and statistical training enables the biologist to do research analysis and consulting.

Biology at St. Scholastica

The St. Scholastica Biology Department is very strong in human biology. Our department will provide you with a view of the human from the anatomical to the molecular. In addition to our focus on the biology of the human, we also provide you with many other courses and opportunities in biology.

St. Scholastica's Biology Department is smaller than science departments in large university settings. This advantage allows you to have extensive interaction with the biology department's faculty. We go to great lengths to provide help and encouragement outside of class. This is the rule rather than the exception.

The flexibility of St. Scholastica's biology program provides ample opportunity for personal investigation while providing a solid grounding in the science of biology. While in our department, you will have the maximum opportunity for individual growth. Lab work and close interaction with instructors make a very personal study experience readily available to you.

We are proud that our St. Scholastica graduates go on to professional schools prepared with broad-based laboratory skills, sound research experience, good study habits, and confidence in their ability to succeed. And succeed they do. Recent graduates are engaged in research at Potlatch and the Medical College of Wisconsin in Biomedical Sciences, and attending physician programs at UMD Medical School, UM Medical School, Creighton, Nebraska, University of South Dakota, Osteopathic Medicine at Des Moines University, Iowa and the Fertility Clinic at the Mayo Clinic.

Internships

Many St. Scholastica's students complete an internship or clinical experience prior to grad-uation. An internship provides you the opportunity to test your knowledge and skills learned in an academic environment and to acquire new knowledge and skills from a career environment.

Curriculum

A course of study for the major in biology is outlined with the help of an advisor according to your career goals. Your career choice will guide you through many of the required courses, but it is with the personalized help of your advisor that your education can be tailored to meet your needs. In addition to the many courses in the Biology Department, there are courses in related science fields at The College.

Courses

Biology courses available at St. Scholastica include:

Conversations with the Naturalists
Human Biology and Heredity
Biochemistry and Cell Biology
Life Science
Current Environmental Topics
Natural History and Ecology
Plant Biology
Plant Anatomy and Physiology
Plant Systematics
Ecology
Animal Biology
Animal Behavior
Vertebrate Anatomy/Physiology I
Vertebrate Anatomy/Physiology II
Advanced Physiology I
Advanced Physiology II
Histology
Pathophysiology
Biology of Aging
Embryology
Endocrinology
Immunology
Microbiology
Medical Microbiology
Genetics
Molecular Cell Biology
Techniques in Microscopy
DNA Analysis I
DNA Analysis II
Advanced Laboratory
Topics in Biology
Internship in Biology
Problems in Biology