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Biology
Fast Facts:
- About 50 percent of Bethel biology majors over the past 15 years have gone on to earn a Ph.D. or an M.D. degree.
- Eighty-five percent of Bethel biology majors are currently active in a biology-related field.
- More Bethel Fast Facts…
Biology is the scientific investigation of living systems as natural phenomena. The life sciences seek answers to questions about the nature of the vast diversity of organisms from viruses to humans – their form, functional dynamics, interactions with the environment and the way in which they are adapted for survival.
The Bethel College Department of Biology features some of the area’s finest teachers. In lectures and in the lab, you will be taught by professors with doctorates, not graduate assistants. Your peers will also challenge you to excel – peers who share your interests and ambitions in the sciences.
Hands-on experience in the laboratory is essential to the study of biology. At Bethel, you won’t have to wait until you are an upper-level student to work with the most modern scientific instruments. From introductory classes to your own senior research projects, Bethel’s labs are open to you and the facilities you will have to work with are top-notch. Classes and labs are held in the state-of-the-art Krehbiel Science Center, completed in 2002, which includes a greenhouse for plant study. Emphasis on undergraduate research is one of the things that sets the Bethel biology program apart from that of other colleges and universities of similar size.
If you enjoy travel and field research, our January interterm tropical biology trip may be for you. On the Costa Rica trip, you will study the biology of both upland and lowland rain forest, dry forest and marine intertidal ecosystems, while also learning about local culture and history. You can be part of ongoing research right on campus or close by in one of the college’s tallgrass prairie restoration/conservation areas.
Bethel’s focus on environmental studies is highly regarded throughout the state. Rooted in scientific knowledge and research, the program is also strongly interdisciplinary, dealing with larger political and social issues related to the environment. Your liberal arts education will serve you well as a biology major.