Study how plants and animals interact within their species and as part of a larger ecosystem. Learn how humans affect the environment as you gain a strong foundation in biology, chemistry, and mathematics. Prepare for an environmental career or graduate study in a number of related fields with our environmental biology major.
Possible career paths with an environmental biology degree include environmental consultant, field biologist, conservation, public policy, education, or opportunities related to natural resources and renewable energy.
Practical experience and internships are an important part of GU’s environmental biology major. Recent GU graduates have worked with the Army Corps of Engineers in North Dakota, South Dakota, and Illinois, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, East Side Health District, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
Hands-on education
Benefit from unique experiences at the Ayers Science Field Station located 15 minutes from campus. Adjacent to campus, Hoiles Gardens offer over 40 acres of woods. Participate in one of 23 intensive field-based classes offered in four locations through the Au Sable Institute of Environmental Studies. Topics of study include marine biology, alpine ecology, animal ecology, lake ecology and management, among others.
A holistic approach
Our environmental biology major incorporates many fields of study to give you a sound foundation. From wildlife protection to law, the environmental biology major prepares you for your future.
Why GU
Unique coursework. Students from GU can participate in intensive field-based courses in Biology with the Au Sable Institute in one of four campuses: Northern Michigan, Pacific Rim, Costa Rica, and India. Courses include Animal Ecology, Aquatic Biology, Marine Mammals, Alpine Ecology, and 19 others. Turn anatomy and physiology concepts into reality by taking a human cadaver anatomy course
Personalized attention. Experience personal growth and plan your career under the guidance of faculty who know your name and cheer your success. GU’s low 11:1 student/faculty ratio and community atmosphere allow professors to invest in their students, and know your strengths and abilities in the field of social work.
Faith-based. Learn to incorporate your faith into both your studies and your career.
Deepen your education. We’re a liberal arts school. That means you get a holistic education that introduces you to many subjects and ideas, helping you grow your interests and skills.
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Success Stories
Find an internship in the field you want to pursue and learn from people already in the profession. I ended up getting my first internship with the Fish and Wildlife Service the summer after my freshman year . . . My favorite class, Science and Christianity, blended my faith and my love of science. The exposure I gained to environmental law and policy has been important throughout my career.
The environmental biology major requires the completion of 59 credits and leads to a bachelor of science degree.
Environmental Biology, BS Courses
Our everyday wellbeing and sustenance are connected to our environment in many ways, but many of these connections are not obvious. This course focuses on how human society relates to and depends on the environment. This course incorporates the topics of human population, patterns of resource use, energy, and pollution while considering how to move toward a sustainable future for the Creation. Some aspects of the following disciplines are included: ecology, animal and plant biology, physics, chemistry, oceanography, and atmospheric science. Three hours of lecture and two hours lab per week. Meets the general education laboratory science requirement. (Offered fall semester of odd calendar years.)
This course deals with the basic principles of biology. Consideration is given to cell biology and structural and functional organization of plants and animals. Principles of reproduction, genetics, and ecology are introduced as well as a brief survey of the kingdoms of living organisms. Beginning course for all biology majors. Meets the general education laboratory science requirement. (Three hours lecture and two hours lab per week.) (Offered every semester.) Corequisite: BIOL 110L
Major emphases in this course are the scientific method; structure and function of plants, and their economic and ecological importance; and discussion of current issues such as genetic modification of crops. Meets the general education laboratory science requirement. (Three hours lecture and two hours lab per week.) (Offered fall semester of even calendar years.) Corequisite: BIOL 115L
In this course the major emphasis is on a survey of the vascular plants and common families of flowering plants. Topics included are principles of flowering plant taxonomy, mechanisms of adaptation and plant ecology. (Three hours lecture and two hours lab per week.)
Prerequisite: BIOL 110 & BIOL 112. (Offered spring semester of even calendar years.) Corequisite: BIOL 215L
This will be a study of the similarities of anatomy and phylogenetic relationships of major vertebrate groups. Specifically, it will compare phylogeny, ontogeny, and morphology in groups ranging from protochordates to highly derived vertebrates. It will examine structure of anatomical features, emphasizing how anatomy relates to function including comparisons of specialized features in organisms adapted to different conditions. Laboratories will involve detailed dissections.
Prerequisite: BIOL110, and BIOL 112. (Offered fall semester of odd calendar years.)
Corequisite: BIOL 309L
A study of legislation and implementing regulatory bodies dealing with U.S. and international policy. Students will gain a balanced, yet critical, account of how regulation is carried out, and the effect of political forces. Issues of general interest (e.g., solid waste, water, and air quality) are explored, as are emerging issues such as environmental waste at nuclear weapons facilities and political problems inherent in protecting biodiversity. The crisis of regulatory capacity in the U.S., which has developed in the environmental field since 1970, including deficiencies in institutional and policy design are also examined.
Prerequisite: BIOL 110, BIOL 112, and CHEM 112
Organisms do not exist or function in a vacuum, but are strongly influenced by their environment and, in turn, alter that environment and affect the growth and development of other organisms. In this course we will consider the interaction of organisms and their environments. We will study ecological processes functioning at levels of individuals, populations, communities, and ecosystems. (Three hours lecture and three hours lab per week.)
Prerequisite: BIOL 112. (Offered fall semester.) Corequisite: BIOL 370L
A capstone course for majors in Biology and Environmental Biology, with an emphasis on technical writing and scientific communication. Students select a topic and utilize the primary literature to develop a technical review article and a presentation on the topic. Secondary education and pre-medical/technical biology majors should take this course during their junior year. Cross-Listed as CHEM 409. Meets the general education upper division writing intensive requirement.
Prerequisite: 16 credits of biology
Basic principles of chemical reactions and descriptive chemistry are integrated in terms of atomic structure, bonding theory, molecular geometry, reaction rates, equilibrium, and thermodynamics. Meets the general education laboratory science requirement. (Three lecture hours and three lab hours per week.) (Offered fall semester.) Corequisite: CHEM 111L
Basic principles of chemical reactions and descriptive chemistry are integrated in terms of the periodic table, atomic structure, bond types, molecular geometry, reaction rates, and thermodynamics. (Three lecture hours and three hours lab per week.) (Offered spring semester). Corequisite: CHEM 112L
Advances in biology have pushed the development of statistical methods and depended on those methods for decades. Biostatistics focuses on three core areas: 1) general statistical concepts; 2) correct use and interpretation of statistical methods commonly used in biological sciences; and 3) basic familiarity with the R statistical software language, which has become an important tool in dealing with many kinds of data, including genetic data. Meets the general education quantitative reasoning requirement.
Prerequisite: MATH106. (Offered spring semester.)
Course content focuses upon basic concepts and operations in descriptive and inferential statistics. The areas of study will include measures of central tendency and dispersion, probability, correlation and regression analysis, parametric (t-tests and ANOVA) and non-parametric (chi-square) tests of significance. A basic introduction to Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software is provided. Cross listed with SCWK 202. Meets the general education quantitative reasoning requirement.
Course content focuses upon basic concepts and operations in descriptive and inferential statistics. The areas of study will include measures of central tendency and dispersion, probability, correlation and regression analysis, parametric (t-tests and ANOVA) and non-parametric (chi-square) tests of significance. A basic introduction to Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software is provided. Cross listed with PSYC 202. Meets the general education quantitative reasoning requirement. (Offered every semester.)
AIES355 Watersheds in Global Development (4 Credits)
AIES359 Marine Mammals (4 Credits)
AIES365 Insect Ecology (4 Credits)
AuSable Institute of Environmental Studies
AIES491 Research Methods II (1 Credit)
Biology majors may earn a maximum of eight semester credits while engaged in a practicum/internship experience related to their specific field of interest. The potentials for the internships are unlimited. The internship may involve work or volunteer service, or shadowing in any biologically related career. Each internship will need the approval of the Department chair. It is the student's responsibility to initiate a request for the internship suggest prospective openings, and declare in writing their learning objectives for their internship experience.. The internship will be taken for pass/fail credit.
Prerequisite: 16 credits of biology
Biology majors may earn a maximum of eight semester credits while engaged in a practicum/internship experience related to their specific field of interest. The potentials for the practicum are unlimited. The practicum may involve work or volunteer service in any biologically related career. Each practicum will need the approval of the Department chair. It is the student's responsibility to initiate a request for the practicum, suggest prospective openings, and declare in writing their learning objectives for their practicum experience. Students taking BIOL 405 will write a research paper on a topic related to their practicum experience, and will receive a letter grade.
Prerequisite: 16 credits of biology
This course will strengthen the mathematics skills of those students who must use mathematics in their major, such as business, biology, or the social sciences. Topics will include functions, systems of linear equations, matrices, linear programming, probability and statistics, and mathematics of finance including compound interest. Meets the general education quantitative reasoning requirement.
Prerequisite: MATH 105. (Offered every semester.)
This course is designed to prepare students, with the minimum required prerequisites, to pursue the calculus sequence. Selected topics in algebra, trigonometry, and analytic geometry are integrated by the concept of functions. Meets the general education quantitative reasoning requirement.
Prerequisite: MATH 106. (Offered fall semester.)
An intuitive introduction for non-majors to the basic concepts of calculus. Topics include techniques of differentiation and integration of algebraic, exponential, and logarithmic functions. Applications to business and biology are stressed. Meets the general education quantitative reasoning requirement.
Prerequisite: Three years of high school courses in algebra and geometry, or MATH 106. (Offered spring semester of even calendar years.)
The first course in the regular calculus sequence. Basic techniques of differentiation and integration are covered. Topics from Analytic Geometry are introduced. Meets the general education quantitative reasoning requirement.
Prerequisite: MATH 111 or equivalent background. (Offered fall semester.)
