The Department of Biology offers students several degree options depending on interest and long-term career goals. Four Bachelor of Science degrees are offered: biology, environmental biology, medical technology, and molecular biology/biotechnology. The major requirements for all degrees are similar in the first two years, allowing students to switch between degree options and to readjust career objectives. All degrees are designed to prepare the student for success in the job market or pursuing advanced studies.
For those students interested in a career in teaching, the Biology Department offers a secondary education-biology degree and a secondary education-general science degree through the Department of Education. Also available is a Teaching Certificate in Environmental Education for grades K-12.
Biology Department programs prepare students for a variety of health careers including pre-medical, pre-veterinary, pre-chiropractic, and pre-dental. The necessary training to pursue other careers in the health sciences is also available through the Pre-Professional Program. Students more interested in ecology may choose the ecology and evolutionary biology concentration within the biology B.S. degree.
Three minors, two in biology, with options in either cellular/organismal biology or ecology/evolutionary biology, and one in biotechnology are available to non-majors interested in a more in-depth study of these aspects of biology.
There is also an opportunity for students to continue their education within the Biology Department by pursuing a Master of Science degree in biology. There are thesis and non-thesis options as well as an environmental science concentration offered cooperatively through both the Department of Biology and the Department of Anthropology, Geography, and Earth Science (AGES).
Whatever the degree or interest, the faculty in the Biology Department are committed to helping students reach their professional goals.
Environmental Studies
The Environmental Studies program introduces students to environmental problems confronting contemporary society and examines these problems from a multidisciplinary point of view. Students have the opportunity to learn the role of science in various environmental situations, as well as management policies. The Departments of Physics, Anthropology, Geography and Earth Sciences (AGES), Chemistry, Biology and the Science Education program are participants in the Environmental Studies program.
Clarion University is a member of the Regional Science Consortium located at the Tom Ridge Center at Presque Isle.Clarion University’s membership in the consortium allows students and faculty access to research and educational facilities on Lake Erie.
Pymatuning Laboratory of Ecology
Through a unique cooperative program with the University of Pittsburgh, Clarion University offers a program of study in field ecology at the Pymatuning Laboratory of Ecology. Courses are taught by faculty from cooperating institutions. Sessions at Pymatuning are open to undergraduate and graduate student, are three weeks in length, and students normally reside on site.
The Pymatuning Laboratory of Ecology (PLE) is a field station dedicated to environmental education and ecological research. In PLE courses, direct observation and hands-on experience with living organisms under field conditions are combined with modern laboratory and computer techniques in the discovery of structure and function in ecological systems. PLE is located within Pymatuning State Park and overlooks Sanctuary Lake, part of an 11,000 acre tract of water, wetlands, and forest. The region contains many natural lakes, marshes, streams, and intact forests, making it an ideal location to study field biology.
Regional Science Consortium
Located at the Tom Ridge Center at Presque Island, Clarion University's membership in the consortium allows students and faculty access to research and educational facilities on Lake Erie.
