Biological Sciences Major

The Biological Science course sequence offered by the Department of Biology is designed to prepare students for a wide variety of professional and paraprofessional occupations in both the applied and academic fields.

The concepts, content, and procedures of biology courses provide the knowledge and practical experience essential for students interested in practicing agriculture, agronomy, animal and plant physiology, animal science, biotechnology, bioinformatics, botany, conservation biology, ecology, entomology, evolutionary biology, fish and wildlife biology, genetics, marine biology, microbiology, plant breeding, systematics, or zoology in private or public institutions and labs. Courses fulfill prerequisites for allied health programs such as pharmacy, physical therapy, physician assistant, dietitian and medical technology as well as undergraduate preparation for medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, and landscape design, and graduate programs leading to teaching, research, and the assessment and management of natural resources.

A great many of the students who begin studying biology at Chaffey College report an interest in the biomedical sciences. The National Institute of Health and Howard Hughes Medical Institute requested that the National Academy of Sciences explore the requirements of undergraduates being trained for careers in the biomedical sciences, and to make recommendations about how best to train them. The report, Bio 2010: Transforming Undergraduate Education for Future Research Biologists, is the product of that effort. As then President of the National Academy of Sciences wrote (Alberts. 2003. Bio 2010 Misinterpreted? Science 302: 1504) in a letter clarifying the intent of the report:

    "The Committee...has concluded that the best preparation for the biomedical research of the future is a broadly based education in biology with a strong foundation in the physical sciences and mathematics. A well-educated biology major should understand the principles of population and evolutionary biology, ecology, cognitive neurobiology, and plant biology, irrespective of his or her future research area. The connections between biomedical research and other sciences will become more intimate and mutually reinforcing in the years ahead. Most compelling, the fundamental unity of biology speaks strongly against the desirability of compartmentalization too early in one's education."

The biology majors transfer sequence is designed to provide students with experience and competency over a range of key biological principles, while providing opportunities to explore the content and processes of various aspects of the field in some depth. These Biology Majors courses include:

Other courses that meet transfer requirements for biology majors at some universities are:

Students are strongly encouraged to consult a current catalog (download as a pdf file from www.chaffey.edu/schedule/index.shtml) for course descriptions and their Academic Counselor for general information about transfer. Students are also urged to drop by the Counseling Center to pick up Biology Major a transfer sheet, and to visit ASSIST (www.assist.org) and current catalogs of receiving institutions, to verify specific transfer requirements for their upper division program of study.

Finally, all biology majors should speak to an Academic Advisor in the Life Sciences as soon as possible, and throughout their studies at Chaffey. An advisor can help sort out transfer and professional school requirements, help you connect with internships and volunteer opportunities, and can provide information about careers.