Undergraduate Admission

Biological Sciences

Career paths include research, teaching, laboratory manufacturing, and pharmaceutical or medical equipment sales. And, with biotechnology and genetics playing an ever-increasing role, many students target Amgen, Baxter, and Biosource International, all headquartered near campus, who hire CLU graduates each year.

(Botany, Ecology, Genetics, Marine Biology, Physiology, Pre-Med, Pre-Dental, Pre-Veterinary)

As a biological science major at Cal Lutheran, you'll be "doing" science-not just reading or hearing about it. Like our sister programs in the sciences, the University's biological science program emphasizes hands-on work, bringing the subject to life and making our graduates more competitive in their chosen careers.

The study of biological science covers everything from the molecular details of how cells work to the study of entire ecosystems. It includes field programs in marine science and botany that take students into the environment in which they plan to work. Classes are small and students are encouraged to work one-on-one with a faculty whose diverse scientific interests allow them to get involved in a wide variety of research projects. In their final year, all biological science students conduct an undergraduate research project in their field of interest.

Biology majors typically focus on one of three general career paths: health professions such as physician, dentist, veterinarian, or physical therapist; research work in such fields as botany, physiology, marine biology, ecology, genetics, and molecular biology; or teaching.

With a comprehensive program in both the liberal arts and biological science, graduates compete successfully for entrance into medical, dental, and graduate school programs throughout the United States. In recent years, medical schools to which CLU graduates have been accepted are UCLA, USC, Georgetown University, and the University of Tennessee. Students pursuing a teaching career may obtain teaching credential through CLU's School of Education while completing their studies in biological science.

Requirements

Minimum Credits: 40
Upper Division Credits: 28

Required Courses: Introduction to Biology, three semesters (Bio 120, 121, 122); Introduction to Biological Experimentation, two semesters (Bio 123, 124); Ecology and Evolution (Bio 311); Senior Research (Bio 494 or 495) or Scientific Literature (Bio 463, 2 units); four courses from the following three categories with at least one course from each category: Molecular and Cellular Biology (Bio 331, 375, 425 and 425L, 426, 428); Organismal Biology and Ecology (Bio 325, 345, 352, 361, 452); Functional Biology (Bio 341, 342, 343, 461). At least 16 biology units must be taken at CLU.

Required Supporting Courses:
Math - 251 Calculus or 231 Biostatistics; General Chemistry - Chem 151/L and 152/L, 331/341 Organic Chemistry or 201 Organic Chemistry; Physics - Physics 201 Mechanics and Thermodynamics - Algebra, 202 Electricity, Magnetism and Optics - Algebra, 211 Mechanics and Thermodynamics - Calculus, 212 Electricity, Magnetism and Optics - Calculus