Biological Sciences
Offered at IU South Bend by College of Arts and Sciences
About
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) students receive a rigorous grounding in biology that provides a launching pad for careers in private industry, with nonprofit or government organizations, teaching at the secondary level, or some health professions (e.g., optometry, physician assistant, or physical therapy). Students have the opportunity to couple their biology education with a minor degree (e.g., business, environmental studies, sustainability studies, or psychology) that supports their career aspirations. To help foster student success, faculty provide high-quality academic and career advising throughout the student's time at IU South Bend. The curriculum includes up-to-date content in a wide variety of elective courses as well as education in the process of scientific discovery, with emphasis on reading scientific literature, writing about and presenting scientific information, designing scientific studies, and collecting, manipulating, and analyzing scientific data. Many students also work closely with faculty on independent research projects that teach valuable laboratory and field skills and increase success in applications for postgraduate employment or admission to professional programs. Compared to the B.S. degree, the B.A. places less emphasis on the cognate disciplines of chemistry, physics, and mathematics, and because of this, students seeking to enter M.S. or Ph.D. programs or medical, pharmacy, dental, or veterinary school are advised to take the B.S. in place of the B.A.