Undergraduate Programs We Offer
Biology is one of the largest departments at UMD and we play a vital role in the undergraduate mission of UMD, providing courses in the biological sciences for liberal education majors as well as a strong biological background for other undergraduate majors and students seeking entry to various professional schools.
All Biology Courses
For a complete listing of courses – visit the Public Course Catalog. Enter “Duluth” in the Institution and Campus fields; and enter "BIOL" for Subject Area, then click “Search.”
Expectations
All degree candidates must complete a minimum of 120 semester credits with a minimum GPA of 2.0 in all work taken through the University of Minnesota system.
These degrees also require:
- A liberal education component
- An advanced writing requirement
- A core of biology major course requirements
- Elective upper division biology credits
- Supporting courses from other fields (chemistry, math, physics)
- Coursework for completion of a minor or second major
The B.A. degree is broader in scope and has fewer math and science supporting courses. Also, biology elective credits for the B.S. are more specific than those for the B.A. major.
Advising & Academic Services
The Department of Biology is part of the Swenson College of Science & Engineering which has advising staff that can answer questions about being part of our program.
Visit their webpages for more information on admissions requirements and transfer guidelines.
The Department of Biology takes academic integrity very seriously and sets consistent and clear guidelines for students, staff, and faculty to follow. All students should be aware of and review stated policies to ensure that they operate within appropriate academic standards. In addition, please read the Department of Biology plagiarism statement.
Student Learning Outcomes
Our Department has established six program learning outcomes for our undergraduate
biology majors as part of the campus-wide assessment plan. Upon completion of their
biology courses, students will be able to:
- Analyze and explain scientific data and literature in a specific field of biology
- Organize and analyze complex data sets with discipline-specific tools (software, statistics, graphics, etc.)
- Communicate the results of scientific knowledge to others in oral forms
- Appropriately utilize at least one instrument commonly used in biological research to investigate, engage in research, or to solve a problem
- Identify ethical and cultural considerations associated with scientific inquiry and application
- Communicate the results of scientific knowledge to others in written form.
The complete assessment plan for the Department of Biology is available here.