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Biology
Biology
Philip A. Cochran, Ph.D., Chair
The goal of the biology department is to promote the discovery and transmission of biological
knowledge. The department is committed to teaching and to empowering its community of learners.
It provides a challenging environment distinguished by sensitivity to the intellectual, personal, and
professional needs of students, staff, and faculty, all within a liberal arts context.
The biology program provides its majors with academic and professional preparation for postbaccalaureate
endeavors in a wide array of disciplines, including cell biology, ecology, environmental
biology, environmental toxicology, microbiology, molecular biology, and zoology. Graduates in biology
may also be prepared to pursue careers in health-related fields, such as medicine, dentistry, veterinary
science, cytotechnology, nuclear medicine technology, pharmacy, physical therapy, and optometry. In
addition, the biology department meets the needs of non-science majors with a selection of general
education courses that expose them to the assumptions and methodologies of the scientific process
and provide them with an awareness of contemporary biological problems.
In keeping with the understanding that biology as a science is an activity as much as a body of
knowledge, the biology program strives to provide students with hands-on proficiency in laboratory
and field procedures as appropriate to the specific major. This culminates for most biology majors in an
independent research project and the writing of a senior thesis. The thesis demonstrates the student’s
ability to explain a problem, the methods used to address it, the results of the investigation, and the
conclusions that are reached.
General Department Goals
• To provide biology majors with adequate academic and professional preparation for post-baccalaureate
endeavors;
• To provide biology majors with proficiency in the use of laboratory and/or field equipment and techniques;
• To provide biology and environmental biology majors with the ability to conduct original biological
research and the skills necessary to write a scientific thesis containing an explanation of the problem,
the methods employed, an analysis of data, and the conclusions; and
• To offer a selection of specifically designed general education courses that meet the needs of nonscience
majors.
Biology students may participate in a variety of activities outside of the classroom, including the
biology department seminar series, the Journal Club, the Biology Club, and the Saint Mary’s chapter of
the national biological honor society, Beta Beta Beta. The biology department also sponsors an annual
undergraduate research symposium.
Majors Offered:
Biology
Environmental Biology
Life Sciences Education
Allied Heath Majors:
Biology Clinical Laboratory Science/Medical Technology
Biology Cytogenetic Technology
Biology Cytotechnology
Biology Nuclear Medicine Technology
Biology Pre-Physical Therapy
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