Maybe you can think of nothing better than dedicating your life to studying organisms. Perhaps you’re kind of obsessed with relationships between living things and the environment around them. If you’re interested in finding a fulfilling degree in the biomedical world – whether in research labs, for pharmaceutical companies, or as field biologists – or you know that you’re on your way to a graduate or professional program, a biology degree from Indiana University Kokomo is the degree for you! Prepare yourself for whatever comes next with a Bachelor of Science or a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from the School of Sciences.
As a biology major, you’ll learn and implement a variety of techniques and concepts to study living things. As a biologist involved in basic research, you’ll set out to discover how organisms work. Students in this program have all kinds of opportunities to go on trips where they go out into the field – or creek or Yellowstone National Park or woods – to see what they learn in the classroom and the lab in action.
In addition to the extensive laboratory and classroom experiences, research opportunities are also available with faulty, IU Kokomo’s Undergraduate Research Program, and through independent study courses.
The Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree program in Biology centers on a traditional core that includes cell biology, genetics, physiology, morphology, physiology, molecular biology, microbiology, and immunology. Additional courses in general chemistry, organic chemistry, physics, and mathematics round out the basic program. But good scientists also need to be exposed to other fields of knowledge—to the arts, the social sciences, and humanities. That's why our biology curriculum also includes course requirements in subject areas such as history, English, sociology, psychology, foreign languages, mathematics, and information sciences. To graduate, you'll need a minimum of 120 credit hours, which includes a mix of required biology courses, general education courses, and electives.
The Bachelor of Science (BS) in Biology centers on a traditional core that includes cell biology, genetics, morphology, physiology, plant science, microbiology, and immunology. Additional courses in general chemistry, organic chemistry, physics, and mathematics round out the basic program. But good scientists also need to be exposed to other fields of knowledge—to the arts, the social sciences, and humanities. That's why our biology curriculum also includes course requirements in subject areas such as history, English, sociology, psychology, mathematics, and information sciences. To graduate, you'll need a minimum of 120 credit hours, which includes a mix of required biology courses, general education courses, and electives.
To find out what the next four years might look like for this degree, fill out your information and follow the prompted steps to arrive at a sample degree map. For more information specific to you and your situation, please schedule a visit with an advisor today. For the most recent and up-to-date information regarding this degree, please visit our Academic Bulletin.
Biology Recruitment Video Transcript – Spring 2022
Fun pop-rock music plays as the video opens up with footage of Hunt Hall in the fall with an overlay of the IU Kokomo logo and the text “Biology” appearing on screen. The voice of Biology major Katie Fincher is heard until she appears on screen in a microbiology lab on campus. Throughout the video, extra footage of students studying in labs and doing fieldwork are shown on screen.
00:00:00:03 - 00:00:07:02
Katie Fincher
“I want to be a part of something that changes the world. I think everyone does, but it really seems possible with CRISPR that you can do that.”
00:00:07:02 - 00:00:20:07
Marcus Amoah appears on camera in the same microbiology classroom.
“I kind of realized that there was more to biology than just like photosynthesis, I feel like, which is a thing I just remember from high school. We have immunology. Getting to learn about animal physiology. Relating that to humans.”
00:00:20:07 - 00:00:32:17
Katie Fincher appears on screen again.
“I like the question “Why?” And I like the answers that science can bring to that. I think it's really interesting to learn the reason behind things and science is, that's what it does. It’s the reason behind everything.”
00:00:32:17 - 00:00:51:05
Mike Finkler appears in the same microbiology lab for his interview.
“Biology is fundamentally the... the study of life. You know, there's this remarkable process that is occurring in so many different things on our planet. Being a biology major simply doesn't mean that you're going to be camped into a laboratory surrounded by equipment and chemicals at all times.”
00:00:51:08 - 00:01:02:11
Mike Finkler
“Some of it involves laboratory work. Some of it involves fieldwork where you can... will actually be outside looking at living organisms in their natural environment.”
00:01:02:11 - 00:01:17:15
Katie Fincher speaks again.
“I do really enjoy the plant side of genetic biology, the agricultural uses of CRISPR. You can increase food supply with resisting disease and just more production. I think that... that can solve world hunger.”
00:01:17:15 - 00:01:29:19
Marcus Amoah speaks again.
“I want to be a pediatrician, because you know, a pediatrician gets to have the same patient from like since birth till they're 18. So, you get to kind of have an impact on their lives. And that's kind of what draws me to that.’
00:01:29:19 - 00:01:45:21
Mike Finkler speaks again.
“Many people go directly into things such as quality assurance or chemical treatments, you know, getting careers within, say, departments of natural resources or working for a different city and county types of organizations directly with a bachelor's degree.”
00:01:46:02 - 00:01:54:18
Marcus Amoah speaks again.
“These classes just expose you to a large amount of science, especially if you want to get into science. You know you want to get to research, again med school.”
00:01:54:18 - 00:02:25:09
Mike Finkler speaks again.
“A biology degree, more than anything else, teaches you how to think. It teaches you how to examine information, process that information, come up with reasonable objective conclusions based upon that information, and then enables you to apply that type of information correctly to solving your variety of different problems. And those are skills that really apply to any profession that you might go into.”
As the video ends, the IU Kokomo logo appears on screen again along with the website iuk dot edu slash sciences.
Plan on earning an advanced degree?
If you're planning to enter graduate school or a professional school after earning a bachelor's degree, you'll want to inquire about IU Kokomo's pre-professional tracks in biology, pre-medicine, and pre-dentistry. Graduates who have followed these tracks have been accepted into advanced programs in medical, dental, optometry, and chiropractic schools throughout the country. Biology is a great path to a professional career in medicine and IU Kokomo will help you get there!
If you're interested in becoming a science educator, IU Kokomo offers a program that enables you to earn a biology degree and become certified to teach biology at the secondary school level. Chat with your advisor for more details!
Ready to get started?
How great does all this sound? If a biology degree from IU Kokomo sounds like the perfect fit for you and your future goals, you can get started by applying now. If you have questions about the Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts in Biology, we’d love to hear from you. Reach out to the School of Sciences faculty and staff any time.
