Bachelor of Science [B.S] [Biology] From Hope College

The Department of Biology offers all Hope College students an opportunity to participate in biology, either in courses listed here or in some of the GEMS and Environmental Science courses. Several members of the Department of Biology faculty have been recognized as outstanding educators at the state and national levels. Biology majors leave Hope College well prepared to pursue a number of different careers. Many of our majors go on to earn advanced degrees in graduate, medical, dental or other professional schools. Our success at placing students in graduate and professional schools is outstanding. Other students go on to careers in the allied health professions, industrial research and laboratory positions, conservation and natural resources management, secondary education and environmental/outdoor education.

We give students the chance to learn biology in well-taught courses in a diverse curriculum. Courses emphasize active participation by the students in lecture, discussion and laboratory settings. A hallmark of the department's approach is the belief that students best learn biology by doing biology. Thus, almost all of our courses include investigative laboratories. In addition, we provide students with the opportunity to be biologists by participating in research projects with our faculty. Student/faculty research occurs both in the summer,when stipends are available to give selected students the experience of full-time research, and during the academic year. More than 100 research papers co-authored by students have been presented or published in the last five years.?

Biology majors desiring either a B.A. or B.S. must take the entry-level core courses in biology. The two General Biology courses provide a comprehensive overview of the basic principles of biology. They stress the central ideas in the biological sciences, such as ecology and evolution, adaptation, structure-function relationships and the global diversity and unity of life with an emphasis on the process of scientific discovery and investigation.