Monday Major Madness: Biology

If the way a plant, animal, human, or any other organism functions is of interest to you, a degree in biology might just be what you're looking for. From jobs in the medical field to teaching high school biology, there is a wide variety of career options. As a pre-med student myself, UA's biology requirements are perfect for simultaneously fulfilling the pre-med requirements as you make degree progress. Also for pre-med students, don't forget to check in with Chris Hutt or any of the other pre-health advisors for great tips and ways to stay on track. As for those of you who love research and labs, consider a career as a geneticist or microbiologist. Other careers with great job outlooks include biochemists, biophysicists, zoologists, and research biologists. That being said, a bachelor's degree in biology is often a stepping stone for higher level degrees. The employment of biological scientists is on the upswing, so the chance of securing a job after graduation is above average.

            Here at UA, the workload for a biology degree can be as challenging as you want. If you want to enhance your education by adding a minor, doing undergraduate research, or choosing a pre-professional track, there are plenty of opportunities to do so! Upper level courses in biology can be challenging, but it's the ancillary requirements like physics and organic chemistry that, although they are at times fascinating, more often seem to present problems for the biology student. Even so, there are some wonderful professors to help you through even the toughest classes. Of the required classes I've taken so far, my favorites would have to be BSC 118: Honors Biology I with Dr. Guy Caldwell. His class was fun and engaging and he offered some intriguing weekly enrichment times, not to mention that it applies 4 honors credits to the 18 credits needed to graduate with honors. He and his wife both teach entry level biology courses and offer very prestigious research opportunities to undergraduate students. An upper division biology class that I have found particularly enjoyable is BSC 385: General Ecology with Dr. Jonathan Benstead. As a professor, he makes his expectations clear and his tests are straightforward and reasonable.

            Aside from the helpful faculty here at UA, there are also honor societies to get involved with like Beta Beta Beta, the biology honors society, and Alpha Epsilon Delta, the pre-med honor society. These associations are fantastic ways to get connected with like-minded students and explore the best routes to achieving your goals. Knowing your fellow classmates can be an important part to excelling in a class, and it makes the work so much more fun! Majoring in biology isn't the easiest course of study here at UA, but it is a gratifying one that offers a bright future to its students.