Biology

• FACULTY
• EDUCATIONAL AIMS
• MAJOR IN BIOLOGY
  • Elective Restrictions
• INTERDISCIPLINARY MAJOR IN BIOLOGY/CHEMISTRY
• INTERDISCIPLINARY MAJOR IN BIOLOGY/PSYCHOLOGY
• OTHER INTERDISCIPLINARY MAJORS
• MINOR IN BIOLOGY
• MINOR IN NATURAL SCIENCES
• COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

FACULTY

Chair: David B. Rivers, Professor

Professors: Henry C. Butcher IV (emeritus); Charles R. Graham, Jr. (emeritus); Donald A. Keefer (emeritus); David B. Rivers

Associate Professors: Rebecca S. Brogan; Elissa Miller Derrickson; Kim C. Derrickson; Bernadette M. Roche; Andrew J. Schoeffield

Assistant Professors: Armina A. Kazi; Lisa Z. Scheifele; Christopher Thompson; Maren E. Veatch-Blohm

Affiliate Faculty: Alfredo J. Herrara; Marie M. Lau; Bradley H. Levin

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The Biology Department is an active, student-centered department that focuses on excellence in teaching and undergraduate research. The Major in Biology is designed to provide the depth, scope, and skills necessary for admission to graduate and professional schools or for the job market. The biology degree requirements include a minimum of 10 courses in the biology department, as well as courses from chemistry, physics, and mathematics and statistics.

The three introductory biology courses required for the major provide a foundation to each of the three major areas of biology: cell and molecular biology, structure and function of organisms, and ecology and evolutionary biology. The upper-level curriculum allows students flexibility to explore the subdisciplines of biology in greater depth. In the upper-level curriculum, courses generally consist of a classroom component with associated laboratory and/or seminar experiences.

The discipline of biology is experiential in nature, which means that students are active participants in their own education. Students are required to take one advanced course in each of the three major areas of biology. These advanced courses include laboratory components in which students learn how to think and write like scientists while designing and executing an experiment. They also learn how to work cooperatively as contributing members of a team and develop a greater sense of academic community.

The general biology curriculum is flexible in the major's requirements for upper-division courses. This flexibility allows students to individualize their curriculum to suit their academic and career goals. Loyola's biology curriculum helps to prepare students as academicians, for their professional career after Loyola, and as lifelong learners.

EDUCATIONAL AIMS

The preparation of students to be independent scientific scholars, nurturing their abilities in three areas:

• Students master the current factual content of the discipline and learn how to organize the large quantities of new scientific information into a meaningful framework.
• Students learn how to conduct research: how to ask scientific questions, how to design experiments, and how to analyze and interpret data.
• Students become proficient in communication through verbal, written, and symbolic (mathematical) channels: they learn to read and understand scientific articles, write papers in scientific format, discuss scientific experiments in a group, present results verbally and in poster format, and use computer statistical and graphics packages.

The fostering of student-faculty relationships:

Students engage in a caring and open student-faculty relationship in which they view faculty as both models and mentors. Students understand the inevitability of making mistakes during the process of growing from student to biologist.

The preparation of students for life after Loyola as members of the job market or for studies in graduate or professional schools:

Through a flexible curriculum, students make appropriate connections between their coursework and the world around them.

The fostering of an informed and engaged citizen:

• Students learn to articulate the ethical issues surrounding the practice and direction of biological research.
• Upon graduation, alumni take active roles in leadership and service in the larger community, particularly when issues related to their biological training arise.

MAJOR IN BIOLOGY

Requirements for a major and an example of a typical program of courses are as follows:

Bachelor of Science

Freshman Year

Fall Term

Spring Term

Sophomore Year

Fall Term

Spring Term

Junior Year

Fall Term

Spring Term

Senior Year

Fall Term

Spring Term

* Required for major.

** Terms may be interchanged.

† One math course is required for the biology major. A second math course may be required for medical, graduate, and other professional schools. A nondepartmental elective is used for this purpose.

1. Biology majors must successfully complete BL118/BL119, BL121/BL126, and BL201/BL202 before starting their junior year.
2. The math requirement (MA251 or MA252 or ST210 or ST265) may be taken anytime. Most students choose the sophomore or junior years. Students who plan to take General rather than Introductory Physics should arrange to take Calculus I and II during their freshman or sophomore year.
3. Courses from BL100-118, BL121, and BL201 may be elected in partial fulfillment of the natural science core requirement for the nonnatural science major.
4. If a student decides to withdraw from either the lecture or laboratory component of corequisite courses, then the student must withdraw from the corresponding lecture or laboratory course as well. Likewise, if a student fails either the lecture or laboratory component of corequisite courses, both courses must be retaken with passing grades to receive credit within the biology major. A student will not receive credit for completing the lecture or laboratory-only either at Loyola or another institution, unless the department chair gives prior written permission.
5. To count in the biology major or an associated interdisciplinary major with biology, Human Anatomy and Physiology I (BL206/BL207) and Human Anatomy and Physiology II (BL208/BL209) must be taken at Loyola or a consortium school.
6. Students interested in studying abroad will find many programs available to both biology and interdisciplinary biology majors. Students are encouraged to visit the Office of International Programs early in their careers to plan a course of study for Loyola and the host institution. Students should also consult their academic advisor.
7. Honors students who complete the functional anatomy course while studying abroad in Glasgow, Scotland may not take Introduction to Anatomy and Physiology (BL105), Human Anatomy and Physiology I (BL206/BL207), Human Anatomy and Physiology II (BL208/BL209), or Vertebrate Morphology (BL260) at Loyola.
8. For those students interested in a career in nursing, Loyola has an articulation agreement with the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing. A summary of the biology major requirements can be found in the Nursing chapter.
9. Students must complete the diversity requirement through a designated diversity core, major, or elective course (see Diversity Requirement in Curriculum and Policies).

Elective Restrictions

Students take seven upper-level biology electives. Of the seven biology electives, students must take at least one course from each of three categories described below, and these three courses must be taken within the Biology Department at Loyola. At least four of the seven courses must be taken at the 300-level or higher (BL300-499). Only one semester of research or internship may count toward the seven biology electives. Additional research or internship biology courses may be taken as free electives. Students should consult their faculty advisor before selecting their electives.

Category A: Cellular/Molecular Biology

Category B: Organismal Biology

Category C: Population Biology

INTERDISCIPLINARY MAJOR IN BIOLOGY/CHEMISTRY

The boundary separating biology and chemistry has blurred in recent years as chemical principles are increasingly used to characterize biological processes. Jointly offered by the Biology and Chemistry Departments, this interdisciplinary major provides students with a thorough understanding of the life sciences from a molecular point of view. The curriculum offers students excellent preparation for careers in medicine and other health-related professions, as well as for careers in science related areas such as the biotechnology industry. It is also an excellent foundation for graduate studies in biochemistry, molecular, or cell biology.

Students should declare this major by the end of their freshman year. A summary of the major requirements can be found under Chemistry.

INTERDISCIPLINARY MAJOR IN BIOLOGY/PSYCHOLOGY

Jointly offered by the Biology and Psychology Departments, this interdisciplinary major provides students with an opportunity to explore the underpinnings of the life sciences and human behavior. This curriculum provides excellent preparation for careers in medicine and other health-related fields, as well as careers in science and psychology-related areas. It is also an excellent foundation for graduate studies in the life sciences (e.g., neurobiology, physiology, microbiology), the interdisciplinary field of neuroscience, and various programs in psychology (e.g., clinical, neuropsychology, health). Students should declare this major by the end of their freshman year.

Requirements for the biology/psychology interdisciplinary major include:

• BL118/BL119, BL121/BL126, BL201/BL202.
• Three biology electives, selected from the following courses: BL316, BL401, BL403 or BL405, BL410, BL435, BL449, BL452, BL454/BL455.
• Two additional biology electives (not restricted to the list above), with one at the 200-level or higher and the other at the 300-level or higher.
• PY101, PY291, PY292.
• PY200 (1 credit).
• PY241 or PY242 or PY243 or PY244.
• PY261 or PY325.
• One PY advanced topic (Group I) course.
• Two psychology electives at the 200-level or higher. Students who do not take BL403 or BL405 must take PY331 or PY332 as one of the psychology electives. BL403 and BL405 are closed to students who take PY331 or PY332.
• ST110 or ST210 or ST265.
• Two additional courses (100-level or higher) from CH, CS, MA/ST, or PH.

OTHER INTERDISCIPLINARY MAJORS

Interdisciplinary majors allow students to combine interests in two different disciplines. This enables students to individualize their curriculum and helps to prepare them for our interdisciplinary world. Disciplines combined with biology in this way include communication, computer science, mathematics, philosophy, physics, political science, sociology, and writing. It is possible, however, to combine biology with many other disciplines. The general biology requirements for an interdisciplinary major (unless specified by targeted programs) are as follows:

• BL118/BL119, BL121/BL126, BL201/BL202
• Three biology electives (200-level or higher)
• Two biology electives (300-level or higher)
• Two courses from CH, CS, MA/ST, or PH

MINOR IN BIOLOGY

• BL118/BL119, BL121/BL126, BL201/BL202
• Three biology electives (200-level or higher), at least two with an associated lab or seminar

MINOR IN NATURAL SCIENCES

• BL118/BL119, BL121/BL126
• BL201/BL202 or BL Elective/Lab (200-level or higher)
• CH101/CH105, CH102/CH106
• CH301/CH307, CH302/CH308
• MA251 or MA252 or ST210 or ST265
• PH101, PH102
• One biology elective (200-level or higher)

Students interested in prehealth programs can take this minor along with a nonscience major and thereby satisfy the necessary course requirements for most health professional schools. Students are encouraged to meet with the prehealth professions coordinator before electing a nonscience major as preparation for a health-related career. Students should also consult with the prehealth professions coordinator about the math requirement, as it varies for health professional schools.