THE BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN BIOLOGY
- Program Description
- Degree Name
The degree program described herein shall be called Bachelor of Science in Biology (BS Bio).
- Nature of the Field of Study
Biology, as an academic discipline has broadened and diversified with the
development of advanced laboratory equipment and sophisticated techniques in collaboration with chemists, physicists, and engineers. This has led to the dynamic development of research in all levels of biological complexity from the molecules to ecosystems, where their properties and interactions are analyzed.
The original fear that education and training of biologist in such diversified
specialized macro-areas of biology will create graduates unable to bridge the gap between low and high complexity levels seems to be unfounded, as long as a core program in the curriculum ensures the basic concepts of biology: structures/function; regulation; growth; development, and evolution. BS Biology program offered in the university should be updated to integrate the latest trends in the teaching and the conduct of research in the field and promote social responsibility. Thus, it is imperative to set the minimum course requirements that all institutions nationwide offering the program must adopt to achieve this objective.
- Program Goals
The BS Biology program is structured as a generalized framework of the study with the end view of grounding students with the fundamental concepts, principles, and theories of the biological, natural, and physical sciences and the conduct of research. This includes the acquisition of appropriate skills, and training in the efficient processing and presentation of information in both written and oral form.
The BS Biology program is structure to meet the needs of professional
Biologist who:
- can be employed in government/ private institutions and other
agencies where scientists with biological expertise are needed;
- can engage in entrepreneurial activities;
- conduct research in the various areas in biology;
- undertake post-graduate education in Biology and allied fields; and
- pursue a career in teaching.
- Specific professions/careers/occupations or trades that BS Bio Graduates may go into
The biological sciences present exciting and worthwhile career opportunities. With the wide range of areas of interest offered in the discipline, the workplaces are likewise varied from universities, zoos, hospitals, government, and laboratories in tropical rainforests to ocean depths.
A graduate of BS Biology may be engaged in basic and applied research where they can be employed as research assistants or biological laboratory technicians in government agencies, museums, zoos and aquaria, and private organizations. They can also go into industrial research work involving product development, food and nutrition, pharmaceutical, and other health care related industries.
The bachelor’s degree is adequate for some non-research jobs such as testing and inspection, and technical sales or service representatives. Some private and non-government organizations also hire BS biology graduates for advocacy and communication work involving science, technology and the environment.
Graduate may also be engaged in biology-based industries such as production, food science and technology, management, marketing, and bioprospecting, public lectures and workshops, writing science articles in newspaper, magazines, and books, production of educational software or multimedia applications, development of educational films and television programs, and collection, preservation, and sale of biological specimens. The program qualifies one to work as a teaching assistant in a college or university. With additional courses in education and passing of the Licensure Exam for Teachers, a BS Biology graduate can also be employed as a high school biology teacher. Biology is closely related to the fields of agriculture, fisheries, forestry, nutrition, medicine, veterinary medicine, animal and plant sciences, and environmental science.
- Curriculum Map and Course Map
Based on the required minimum set of program outcomes, the curriculum committee has determined a program of study that leads to the attachment of the outcomes. This program of study specifies a set of courses sequenced based on the flow of content, with each course having a specified title, description, course outcome, and credit unit.
It is a matrix of all courses and the minimum set of program outcomes showing which outcome each course addresses and in what way. The map also determines whether the outcomes are aligned with the curriculum.
Curriculum Description
The curriculum of the BS Biology program presents a balanced treatment of all branches of biology with the inclusion of recent advances in biology. It emphasizes particular fundamental core courses such as microbiology, ecology, zoology, or botany. The institution opted to implement Plant Biology as its specialization for it has available resources and faculty qualifications are sufficient.