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4-Year Plans

Biology as a discipline is rapidly expanding in all directions. Public health, climate change, and conservation concerns are central in this expansion and in all areas of biology from population ecology to molecular biology and neuroscience.

In response to these changes and disciplinary integration, the Biology department has crafted the following 4-year sample plans as potential pathways for students seeking a Biology major degree. These plans are representations of the variety of routes one can take as a Biology major – from an Integrated Biology path; to Cellular and Molecular Biology; to an Ecology, Evolution and Organismal path; to a Pre-Medicine and Pre-Health path. These plans excellent flexibility a strong course portfolio, and more importantly they can be modified/adapted to fit each student interest, including off-campus and internships/research options, while building a strong set of experiences in and outside the curriculum.

Our department believes that the Biology major provides a comprehensive preparation for students seeking any career under the umbrella of life sciences and these plans are a good start. If you have any questions, please contact any member of the Biology Department.

Sample Four-Year Course Plan

    Curricular Other Courses/
Co-curricular
Year 1 Fall Earlham Seminar I BIOL 111 Ecological Biology CHEM 111 Principles of Chemistry   
  Spring Earlham Seminar II BIOL 112 Cells, Genes, & Inheritance CHEM 221 Organic Chemistry I  
  May/Term Summer May Term***     Research or internship***
Year 2 Fall BIOL 341 Cell Physiology BIOL Upper Level Class 1*    
  Spring BIOL 226 Biodiversity BIOL Upper Level Class 2*    
  May/Term Summer May Term***     Research or internship***
Year 3 Fall BIOL Upper Level Class 3*   Science Option 1**  
  Spring Possible Off-campus study      
  May/Term Summer May Term***     Research or internship***
Year 4 Fall BIOL 480 Senior Seminar BIOL Upper Level Class 4*    
  Spring BIOL 488 Senior Capstone Experience      
  May/Term Summer May Term***      

 

*For a Biology Major with an Integrative Focus, students should balance the upper-level biology selection between Cell-Molecular-Genetics (CMG) and Ecology-Evolution Organismal and Environmental Biology (EEOB)

** For Science option see: www.earlham.edu/biology/the-program/

*** The Biology Department recommends students to engage, when possible, in research, internship and off-campus (May Term or semester abroad) experiences. These experiences are not required for the major but are strongly recommended. Majors in the past have done at least one and up to 6 of these combined experiences.

Courses in bold are required; all others are strongly recommended. 

Sample Four-Year Course Plan

    Curricular Other Courses/
Co-curricular
Year 1 Fall Earlham Seminar I BIOL 111 Ecological Biology CHEM 111 Principles of Chemistry AdviseStream
  Spring Earlham Seminar II BIOL 112 Cells, Genes and Inheritance CHEM 221 Organic Chemistry I Volunteer Experience***
  May/Term Summer       Research or internship***
Year 2 Fall BIOL 341 Cell Physiology CHEM 321 Organic Chemistry II PSYC 116 Behavior, Health and Society - Psychology for health professions Volunteer Experience***
  Spring BIOL 226 Biodiversity

A statistics course		 BIOL Upper Level Class 1* CHEM 331 Equilibrium and Analysis** Volunteer Experience***
  May/Term Summer       Research or internship***
Year 3 Fall BIOL Upper Level Class 2* CHEM 351 Biochemistry PHYS 120 General Physics I or PHYS 125 Analytical Physics I Volunteer Experience*** 
  Spring BIOL Upper Level Class 3* MCAT PREP PHYS 230 General Physics II or PHYS 235 Analytical Physics II Volunteer Experience*** 
  May/Term Summer       Research or internship***
Year 4 Fall Possible Off-campus study BIOL Upper Level Class 4*   Volunteer Experience*** 
  Spring BIOL 488 Senior Capstone Experience BIOL 480 Senior Seminar  BIOL Upper Level Class 4*  Volunteer Experience*** 
  May/Term Summer        
IMPORTANT — For details on course choices or other specific Health Career Paths options for Biology Majors (e.g. Pre-Vet; Pre-Dental, Physical Therapy, etc.), visit: www.earlham.edu/health-careers-advising/ip-health-sciences-program-4-year-plans.

*For a Biology Major with a Pre-Medical Focus, a recommendation of upper-level biology courses may be found here. Note than any upper-level biology will fulfill the requirement for the biology major.

** This course fulfills the science option for the biology major and the chemistry requirement of Pre-Med.

*** The Biology Department recommends students to engage, when possible, in research, internship and off-campus (May Term or semester abroad) experiences. For Pre-Med students at least 2 volunteer experiences and 1 research or internship are required.

Courses in bold are required for both Biology and Pre-Med; all others are strongly recommended. When possible, the Biology Department recommends students to engage in research, internship and off-campus experiences.

Sample Four-Year Course Plan

    Curricular Other Courses/
Co-curricular
Year 1 Fall Earlham Seminar I BIOL 111 Ecological Biology CHEM 111 Principles of Chemistry  
  Spring Earlham Seminar II BIOL 112 Cells, Genes and Inheritance CHEM 221 Organic Chemistry I  
  May/Term Summer May Term***     Research or internship***
Year 2 Fall BIOL 341 Cell Physiology BIOL Upper Level Class 1*    
  Spring BIOL 226 Biodiversity BIOL Upper Level Class 2*    
  May/Term Summer May Term***     Research or internship***
Year 3 Fall BIOL Upper Level Class 3*   Science Option 1**  
  Spring Possible Off-campus study      
  May/Term Summer May Term***     Research or internship***
Year 4 Fall BIOL 480 Senior Seminar BIOL Upper Level Class 4*    
  Spring BIOL 488 Senior Capstone Experience      
  May/Term Summer May Term***      

 

*For a Biology Major with an Ecology, Evolution and Organismal focus, students should take courses listed below:

Organismal Courses

BIOL 348 Ornithology; BIOL 350 Field Botany; BIOL 362 Insect Biology; BIOL 357 Animal Behavior

Ecology-Evolution Courses

BIOL 360 Conservation Biology; BIOL 383 Bioinformatics; BIOL 410 Applications of GIS Ecology, Environmental and Health Sciences; BIOL 451 Evolution; BIOL 455 Population and Community Ecology

** For Science option see: https://www.earlham.edu/biology/the-program/

*** The Biology Department recommends students to engage, when possible, in research, internship and off-campus (May Term or semester abroad) experiences. These experiences are not required for the major but are strongly recommended. Majors in the past have done at least one and up to 6 of these combined experiences.

Courses in bold are required; all others are strongly recommended.

Sample Four-Year Course Plan

    Curricular Other Courses/
Co-curricular
Year 1 Fall Earlham Seminar I BIOL 111 Ecological Biology CHEM 111 Principles of Chemistry  
  Spring Earlham Seminar II BIOL 112 Cells, Genes and Inheritance CHEM 221 Organic Chemistry I  
  May/Term Summer May Term***     Research or internship***
Year 2 Fall BIOL 341 Cell Physiology BIOL Upper Level Class 1*    
  Spring BIOL 226 Biodiversity BIOL Upper Level Class 2*    
  May/Term Summer May Term***     Research or internship***
Year 3 Fall BIOL Upper Level Class 3*   Science Option 1**  
  Spring Possible Off-campus study      
  May/Term Summer May Term***     Research or internship***
Year 4 Fall BIOL 480 Senior Seminar BIOL Upper Level Class 4*    
  Spring BIOL 488 Senior Capstone Experience      
  May/Term Summer May Term***      

*For a Biology Major with an Cell, Molecular and Genetics Focus, students should take the courses listed below:

Cell-Molecular-Genetics

BIOL 251 Nutrition; BIOL 343 Immunology; BIOL 461 Microbiology; BIOL 462 Parasitology, BIOL 464 Advanced Cell Physiology; BIOL466 Molecular Genetics

Other Courses

BIOL 345 Anatomy and Physiology; BIOL 383 Bioinformatics; BIOL 410 Applications of GIS Ecology, Evolution and Systematics; BIOL 451 Evolution; BIOL 455 Population and Community Ecology

** For Science option see: https://www.earlham.edu/biology/the-program/

*** The Biology Department recommends students to engage, when possible, in research, internship and off-campus (May Term or semester abroad) experiences. These experiences are not required for the major but are strongly recommended. Majors in the past have done at least one and up to 6 of these combined experiences.

Courses in bold are required; all others are strongly recommended.

Sample Four-Year Course Plan

    Curricular Other Courses/
Co-curricular
Year 1 Fall Earlham Seminar I BIOL 111 Ecological Biology CHEM 111 Principles of Chemistry  
  Spring Earlham Seminar II BIOL 112 Cells, Genes and Inheritance CHEM 221 Organic Chemistry I  
  May/Term Summer May Term***     Research or internship***
Year 2 Fall BIOL 341 Cell Physiology BIOL Upper Level Class 1*    
  Spring BIOL 226 Biodiversity BIOL Upper Level Class 2*    
  May/Term Summer May Term***     Research or internship***
Year 3 Fall BIOL Upper Level Class 3*   Science Option 1**  
  Spring Possible Off-campus study      
  May/Term Summer May Term***     Research or internship***
Year 4 Fall BIOL 480 Senior Seminar BIOL Upper Level Class 4*    
  Spring BIOL 488 Senior Capstone Experience      
  May/Term Summer May Term***      

*For a Biology Major with an Environmental, Wildlife, and Field Biology Focus, students should take any of the organismal biology or courses from the new Environmental Sustainability Program.

Some recommended courses to consider in Biology:

BIOL 348 Ornithology; BIOL 350 Field Botany; BIOL 362 Insect Biology, BIOL 360 Conservation Biology

Recommended courses in the Environmental Sustainability Program

ENSU 141 Environment, Society and Sustainability, ENSU 210 Outdoor Trip Leadership, ENSU 341 Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation, ENSU 310 Applications of GIS

** For Science option see: https://www.earlham.edu/biology/the-program/

*** The Biology Department recommends students to engage, when possible, in research, internship and off-campus (May Term or semester abroad) experiences. These experiences are not required for the major but are strongly recommended. Majors in the past have done at least one and up to 6 of these combined experiences.

Courses in bold are required; all others are strongly recommended.

 

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Earlham College, an independent, residential college, aspires to provide the highest-quality undergraduate education in the liberal arts and sciences, shaped by the distinctive perspectives of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers).

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