The undergraduate program in biology, leading either to
the B.A. or to the B.S. degree, is designed to give students
an understanding of fundamental and current biological knowledge
in a variety of fields. The program offers a wide array
of courses to undergraduates, ranging from introductory
courses to advanced, specialized, graduate-level courses
in many of these areas. The biology department has 25 full-time
faculty members with teaching and research interests in
the fields of genetics, molecular biology, development,
immunology, neurobiology, motility, cell biology, and structural
biology.
Since the interests and needs of our students vary, the
concentration is designed to provide flexibility once the
core courses have been completed. Students may elect undergraduate
level courses in a variety of areas of biology and biochemistry,
or may choose to obtain more advanced, in-depth training
in one particular area. Students are also encouraged to
take advantage of opportunities to become integral members
of research laboratories in the department and to attend
departmental colloquia.
A concentration in biology provides excellent preparation
for students intent on careers in biological research who
want to go to graduate school, for those seeking careers
in medicine, veterinary medicine, and dentistry, and for
those interested in the allied health professions such as
public health, genetic counseling, physical therapy, or
physician assistant. For those seeking courses concerned
with ecology or environmental science, the biology department
offers study in those areas and participates in a program
for a residential semester in Environmental Science at the
Woods Hole Biological Laboratory.
The Brandeis
University Bulletin will provide you with more information
regarding how to become an undergraduate concentrator, the
requirements for the undergraduate concentration and the
courses of instruction in biology.
The Senior Research
Program & Senior Honors in Biology
The Senior
Research Program is designed to provide an opportunity
for undergraduate students concentrating in Biology to engage
in a year-long, independent research project and to receive
credit for that research. Any senior concentrating in Biology
can participate in Senior Research. Seniors conducting Senior
Research may petition for candidacy for Senior Honors; eligibility
is determined by the student's academic record and research
performance.
Students interested
in doing Senior Research can use this website to obtain
information pertaining to the Biology Department faculty's
research interests and publications. Also, the main library
has a collection of Senior Honors theses from previous years,
which students can read. Another way to become informed
about faculty research is to attend the oral presentations
of Senior Honors research by the candidates for Senior Honors.
These presentations are open to the public and occur in
May. Schedules will be posted outside the Biology office
(Bassine 119) and the Neuroscience office (Volen 206) in
mid-April.
Combined B.S./M.S. Program
Candidates for departmental honors may be admitted to a
special four-year B.S./M.S. program upon recommendation
of the department and approval by the Graduate School. Application
must be made by May 1 preceding the senior year; applications
should include a proposed course of study, specifying how
all degree requirements will be met, a transcript, and a
brief description of the proposed research project. To qualify
for the B.S./M.S. degree in biology, students must complete
a total of 38 courses; these courses must include those
needed to satisfy requirements A, option II, and B, as indicated
above plus three additional electives in biology or biochemistry
or as listed under requirement A, option II, above. Of the
eight electives required for the B.S./M.S. degree, at least
six must be at the graduate level (and completed with a
grade of B- or above) and they must include courses from
at least three of the research areas of the biology department.
Research areas include genetics, molecular biology, cell
biology, structural biology, immunology, and neurobiology.
In addition, a substantial research contribution is required
and students must submit a research thesis to the biology
department Graduate Committee for review. A thesis submitted
for the master's degree may also be submitted to the biology
department for departmental honors.
Graduate Programs in the Biological Sciences
For M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in the biological sciences,
see the separate listings for Molecular
and Cell Biology, Biophysics
and Structural Biology, Neuroscience,
and Genetic Counseling
programs.
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