The curriculum in biology offers an opportunity for students to understand the structures and processes that characterize life and to appreciate the tremendous diversity of living organisms. Course work is balanced among three scales of biological resolution: cellular, organismal, and ecological. An important component of the major is independent research that enables students to become familiar with the process of science by investigating a specific biological problem in the laboratory or field.
Most courses are extensive rather than intensive in content, providing students with considerable breadth in the biological sciences as a whole. Such training may lead to more specifically focused work in a graduate or professional program, to employment in government or industry, or to teaching at the secondary or college level. Biologists who are graduates of liberal arts colleges often offer employers a broader, more flexible outlook in approaching problems as well as strong communication skills.
Facilities, Habitats, and Programs:
The Department of Biology occupies the fourth floor of the Haldeman-Thiessen Science Center. In addition to the comfortable classrooms and well-equipped laboratories that this building provides, the department has access to the facilities, habitats, and programs described below.
LeSuer Nature Preserve. A 16.5-acre plot of land within a mile of campus provides new opportunities for field research. Rolling hills bisected by a large stream offer upland grassland, forest, riparian, and aquatic habitats for study. Restoration of the entire area to pre-settlement conditions (including several acres of native tall grass prairie) will provide abundant opportunities for student research.
Hamilton Pond. This healthy, freshwater environment was deeded to Monmouth College for use by the Department of Biology as a teaching resource. Just one block from campus, Hamilton Pond is a rich source of aquatic animals and plants for use in laboratories. The pond also offers opportunities for field research on behavior and ecology of amphibians and reptiles.
Spring Grove Prairie. Members of the biology faculty are trustees of Spring Grove Cemetery, giving Monmouth students access to one of the finest virgin prairie plots in Illinois. The plant community present in the plot remains from pre-settlement times and offers unique opportunities for research on prairie plants and soils and the fauna that inhabit them.
Required Core Courses for the Biology Major
(5.5 course credits):
BIOL 150 Investigating Biological Concepts
BIOL 202 Genetics
BIOL 210 Biology Research Methods
BIOL 350 Science Seminar (2 semesters)
BIOL 440**
Research I
BIOL 450**
Research II
CHEM 140 General Chemistry
Additional Courses Required for the Cell/Molecular Track (9 course credits)
BIOL 155 Ecology, Evolution & Diversity
BIOL 200 Cell Biology
BIOL 302 Microbiology
BIOL 354/355 Molecular Biology
CHEM 220 Analytical Chemistry
CHEM 228 Organic Chemistry I
MATH 141 Elementary Functions (ifMath ACT<26)
MATH 151 Calculus I
PHYS 130 Physics I
Additional Courses Required for the Ecology Track (6 course credits)
BIOL 155 Ecology, Evolution & Diversity
BIOL 201 Field Botany
BIOL 307 Ecology
BIOL 315 Conservation Biology
BIOL 333 Evolution
MATH 207 Statistics for the Sciences
Additional Courses Required for the Pre-Health Careers Track (10 course credits)
BIOL 200 Cell Biology
BIOL 204 Anatomy & Physiology
CHEM 220 Analytical Chemistry
CHEM 228 Organic Chemistry I
CHEM 230 Organic Chemistry II
MATH 141 Elementary Functions (ifMath ACT < 26)
MATH 151 Calculus I
MATH 152 Calculus II
PHYS 130 Physics I
PHYS 132 Physics II
**BIOL 440 and 450 must be taken in sequential semesters and may be replaced with an approved off-campus research experience.
BIOL
201 Field Botany
BIOL
203 Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy
BIOL
250 Special Topics
BIOL
300 Special Problems
BIOL
302 Microbiology
BIOL
308 Vertebrate Embryology
BIOL
315 Field Zoology
BIOL
320 Parasitology
BIOL
325 Advanced Physiology
BIOL
333 Evolution
BIOL
345 Animal Behavior
BIOL
354 Molecular Biology
BIOL
355
Molecular Biology Laboratory
BIOC
300 Bioinformatics
Required Courses for the Biology Minor (6 course credits):
BIOL
150 Investigating Biological Concepts
BIOL
155 Introduction to Ecology, Evolution, and Diversity
BIOL
200 Cell Biology
BIOL
202 Genetics
BIOL
204 Human Anatomy and Physiology
BIOL
307 Ecology
Students seeking teacher certification must complete the Biology Major cited above. This work also qualifies the candidate to teach general science. Other requirements for certification are described on pages 58–65. EDUC 342 must be included with this work.
“G” courses fulfill the General Education requirement in the life sciences. Non-science majors are best served by BIOL 101 or BIOL 201. Science majors are best served by BIOL 150 or 155.