The Biological Sciences curriculum provides the foundation for our majors: Biological Sciences, Bio-Medical Sciences and Natural History. Our two-year Associate in Arts Degrees are designed to provide the knowledge and skills for success before and after transfer to a four-year institution. Students who complete specialized one-year programs of study in Bio-Medical Sciences, Marine Science and Natural History can earn Biological Sciences Departmental Awards.

The Bio-Medical Sciences Emphasis: Associate in Arts Degree in Liberal Arts provides a strong foundation for students interested in pursuing a career in the health sciences.

Learning Outcomes

• Articulate the principles of evolutionary theory, the history of its development, and the role that evolution plays in the continuity and diversity of life.
• Communicate the unifying principles governing the organization of organisms from molecules to populations.
• Explain and apply fundamental ecological principles, from populations to communities through ecosystems, and the geographical distribution of life on Earth.
• Summarize and illustrate an understanding of the development of the organism from fertilization to the adult form.
• Compare and contrast organismal diversity and life histories including nomenclature, taxonomy, and systematics.
• Characterize fundamental metabolic pathways, describe bioenergetics, and relate the interdependence of these pathways.
• Demonstrate understanding of the structure and function of tissues, organs, and organ systems, describing interrelationships and mechanisms of their integration to support the whole, functioning organism and the underlying causes of dysfunction.
• Describe and connect the role of DNA in regulating cell activity to its importance as the basis of inheritance, evolution, and biotechnology.
• Demonstrate proficiency in the basic methods, instrumentation, and quantitative analytical skills used to conduct biological research, including fundamental methods of microscopy, animal and plant dissection, and molecular and cellular biology.
• Produce original research reports and review papers in a standard scientific format based on laboratory, field experiments, and literature searches that include critical quantitative and qualitative evaluation of data to effectively communicate results, interpretations, and concepts.
• Evaluate how human populations impact and are impacted by abundance and diversity of other species and the structure and function of ecosystems.
• Describe the physical environment defining the limits to life on Earth and correlate the physical properties of life that allow it to thrive within these limitations.