Biological and Environmental Sciences

Professors: Anderson, Lahm

Associate Professor: Larson

Assistant Professor: Losko, Mersfelder, Witzky

The mission of the Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences at Capital University is to develop scientifically literate students across disciplines, and to prepare science students for a wide variety of scientific careers or entry into graduate and medical programs. We accomplish this through high impact teaching practices including hands-on research experiences, and the development of critical thinking and problem-solving skills with inquiry-based learning.

The department offers a wide array of majors, many of which can be tailored to individual student needs. Majors offered include biology (for students interested in pursuing dentistry, optometry, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, physician assistant programs, graduate school degrees, and entering the job market immediately), pre-med biology (for students interested in medicine), pre-occupational therapy (preparing students for a clinical doctoral degree), pre-physical therapy, and environmental science (see the separate alphabetical listing for this program). Minors are available in biology and environmental science.

Biology Program Learning Outcomes

Students graduating with the B.A. in Biology will be able to:

1. Demonstrate a working knowledge of the core areas of biology including molecular, genetic, microbiological, organismal, evolutionary, and ecological as they apply to the diverse nature of the field

2. Retrieve, critically evaluate, and explain information from the relevant scientific literature.

3. Use the scientific method to formulate research questions and hypotheses.

4. Use appropriate data collection and computational analysis tools (including laboratory equipment and statistical analyses) to collect and analyze scientific data individually and collaboratively.

5. Communicate biological information effectively and appropriately for the discipline to different audiences in multiple formats.

6. Conduct actions and experiments responsibly and ethically.