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Biology
Biologists study all living things, from plants and mammals to microscopic single-cell organisms. They help us do vital things such as fight disease, protect the environment, conserve nature, and increase the world’s production of food. A wide variety of careers are open to biology graduates. Many of those who study biology at La Sierra University go on to health-related careers in medicine, dentistry, nursing, veterinary medicine, or physical therapy. Others go into teaching, forest or park service, fish and wildlife management, biomedical sales, environmental safety, research, or medical technology.
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Programs Offered
Biological Science
Bachelor of Science
Quick Facts
Level
Undergraduate
Location
La Sierra Campus
Duration
106 Units
Accreditation
WASC
- Curriculum Sheet
Description:
Students with the biological science emphasis will have the opportunity to gain more breadth in the field of biology as they take classes like bioinformatics and genomics, systematic botany, animal behavior, or biology of marine invertebrates. Graduates with this emphasis usually prepare to go into doctoral programs, fieldwork, or field studies.
Biomedical Science
Bachelor of Science
Quick Facts
Level
Undergraduate
Location
La Sierra Campus
Duration
106 Units
Accreditation
WASC
- Curriculum Sheet
Description:
The biomedical science emphasis includes classes like histology, virology, immunology, and human gross anatomy which provide an in-depth program for students interested in going into dentistry, medicine, and other pre-professional programs.
Biology
Minor
Quick Facts
Level
minor
Location
La Sierra Campus
Duration
30 Units
Accreditation
WASC
Description:
A minor typically consists of taking a portion of the classes required for a major in that same subject. To get an idea of what you would be studying, check out the corresponding major. The requirements for your minor will differ by program, so be sure to ask a counselor to know exactly what courses are in store for you.
Meet a Biology alum
Career Outlook Microbiology
5% Job Market Growth
$85,470 Average Median Salary
Many Research Opportunities
The median annual wage for microbiologists was $85,470 in May 2023. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $49,070, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $147,470.
In May 2023, the median annual wages for microbiologists in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:
- Research and development in the physical, engineering, and life sciences $102,570
- Government $99,740
- Pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing $79,190
- Colleges, universities, and professional schools; state, local, and private $63,180
- Testing laboratories $54,700
- Most microbiologists work full time.
Program Stats
Our Alumni Work in these Occupations
- Dentists8
- Pharmacists4
- Teaching Assistants4
- General and Operations Managers4
- Clinical Laboratory Technologists and Technicians3
- Business Development and Marketing Managers2
- Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics2
Our Alumni Work Here
- Loma Linda University5
- INTERNATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL2
- Western University of Health Sciences2
- Kaiser Permanente2
- University of California2
- Antech Diagnostics, Inc.1
- Genomeweb LLC1
Student Learning Outcomes
- Demonstrate knowledge and understanding representing appropriate breadth and depth in the following content areas of biology: molecular, genetics, cell, organismal, population, ecology, and evolutionary biology.
- Use effective critical thinking skills.
- Be able to design and conduct biological research and use proper data analysis.
- How to competently write results in a basic manuscript format.
- Be comfortable with Science as an ongoing process, where answers are developed over time and are not always well defined.
- Demonstrate an ability to read and understand primary literature in the biological sciences.
- How to seek and evaluate scientific evidence of biological claims.
- How to identify basic biological principles and apply them to problem solving.
- The student will examine the intersection of Faith and Science through Adventist Christian and broader religious views on Faith and Science while experiencing service-oriented occupational responsibilities.
Related Programs
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The biophysics major has a very broad background in the sciences with an emphasis on physics and biophysics. The biophysical background is unique in the approach it takes to studying biological problems from a physics point of view.
Students who study neuroscience analyze the brain, the nervous system, and the mental processes by which we perceive, act, learn, and remember. The knowledge of neuroscience has been pivotal to new treatments for cardiovascular disease, stroke,…
Partial information in this page was retrieved from Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Microbiologists, at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/life-physical-and-social-science/microbiologists.htm (visited April 17, 2024).
