ACADEMIC PROGRAMS
CONCENTRATIONS
Biology
Molecular Biology
Environmental Biology 
Marine/Freshwater
Course Offerings

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Concentrations (Majors) In BIOLOGY

A concentration in biology is the traditional undergraduate preparation for students planning to pursue career interests in the biological or health-related sciences. Although the majority of concentrators ultimately pursue careers in the life sciences, a significant number of individuals with other career interests choose the concentration within the liberal arts context. The department’s concentrators are found today in positions of responsibility in many fields outside the life sciences, including business, theology, law and the performing arts.

Biology Concentration:

This concentration is ideal for students seeking a broad, general training in the study of living organisms from the molecular level to that of the ecosystem. Students complete core courses in ecology, cellular biology, genetics, and inorganic chemistry, and select two courses in organismal biology (one each from zoology and botany) and two 400-level research courses.  Students design a program suited to their interests, choosing from electives as diverse as animal physiology, plant evolution, genes: introduction to molecular analysis, and limnology. Also available, the living yeasts!

Opportunities for research include work in the field and/or laboratory with a Colgate professor. Students participate in off-campus study groups  including Australia, Wales, the Flathead Lake Biological Station (Montana), and the NIH.

Graduates in this concentration have gone into graduate school, health-related professions, environmental law, secondary and elementary education, government and private consulting, research technical positions, and museum science.

Molecular Biology Concentration:

The topical concentration in Molecular Biology is designed for students who are interested in biology at the molecular level and who wish to take courses in both biology and chemistry. Many who choose to concentrate in this field pursue graduate work not only in molecular biology but also in other areas of biology where the methodology of the molecular biologist is now being applied, e.g. developmental biology, neurobiology, immunology, etc. Requirements are described under “Molecular Biology,” listed alphabetically in this chapter. For further information, contact Professors Belanger, Hoopes,  Kainz, or Pruitt.

Environmental Biology Concentration:

This concentration is in affiliation with the Environmental Studies Program (ENST), and is designed for students interested in biology and the environment. Students take a set of core courses in the ENST Program as well as courses within the Biology Department that have an environmental emphasis but also provide breadth in biology. These biology courses include BIOL 211, vertebrate environmental physiology, animal behavior, phycology and aquatic plants, limnology, and conservation biology. The ENST courses focus on interdisciplinary approaches to the ethical, philosophical, and natural/social scientific aspects of environmental issues. For further information, contact Professors Arnold, Frey, Fuller, Hoham,  T. McCay, McHugh or Novak. See also the Environmental Studies Web for more information.

Marine Science- Freshwater Science Concentration: 

Freshwater Science This topical concentration is intended for students who are interested in aquatic sciences and who wish to take courses in both biology and geology. Concentrators have been very successful getting into graduate, health-related, and law schools, as well as private and government consulting positions and nautical education. Students planning graduate study need to plan course selections carefully in preparation for the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) in either biology or geology. Requirements for this topical concentration include BIOL 211, oceanography, invertebrate zoology, aquatic botany, aquatic ecology, sediments, three electives in biology and geology, inorganic chemistry, and one year of courses from two of the following three areas: organic chemistry, mathematics, and physics. A semester off-campus experience at a marine or freshwater station is also required. For further information, contact Professors Hoham, Fuller, McHugh or Novak.  

Other topical concentrations Certain courses in biology count toward concentration in biochemistry, geology, and neuroscience.