Biology
From Duke Wiki
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| Chair | Dr. Philip Benfey |
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| Director of Undergraduate Studies | Dr. Susan Alberts |
| Degrees Available | Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Arts, Minor |
| Possible Concentrations |
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| Major Requirements | Math: Minimum of 26 for A.B.; minimum of 32 for B.S.
Chemistry: Introductory (add at least 1 semester of organic for B.S.) Physics: Minimum 53L (only required for B.S.) Introductory Biology Biology 116: Ecology and Evolution Biology 118: Genetics and Molecular Biology One Biology Class Designated as a "Structure and Function" class 5 Biology Electives. All electives must be above the 100-level. This includes a maximum of 2 independent study credits. At least 3 must be listed or cross-listed as Biology courses above the 100 level. Two courses must be laboratory courses (only one semester of independent study can count as one full lab course). One course must be a 'capstone' course or an approved alternate. A 'capstone' course is an approved course above the 200-level. |
| Minor Requirements | The Biology minor requires five courses, which can include Biology 25L, but does not include AP credit. In other words, if you take Biology 25L, it counts toward the minor, but if you have AP credit for Bio 25L, you need to take five other courses. Three courses must be above the 100-level, and only one can be an approved credit from another department. |
| Classes |
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| Affiliated Student Groups | Biology Major's Union |
| Website | http://www.biology.duke.edu/ |
Contents |
[edit] Biology
The Biology department at Duke University is one of the larger departments on campus. This reflects the large number of students who major in Biology, as well as the usefulness of the major for careers after college. Many students who decide to follow the pre-medicine track find that majoring in Biology is easiest since they are completing the core courses for the major already. Biology classes range from large lecture style classes to small lab classes. The higher-level laboratory classes allow students to use techniques that they previously may have only read about, such as Western Blotting and DNA sequencing.
[edit] Studying Abroad
The common places for Biology majors to study abroad are Costa Rica, the Duke Marine Lab, Australia, and South Africa. All of these places provide courses that will satisfy Biology course requirements. There are no study abroad sites for pre-med students specifically; rather, it is advised that they take all of their pre-med classes at Duke. This makes it a bit more difficult for them to study abroad, but it is not impossible.
[edit] Double Majoring with Biology
As with all subjects, Biology is the easiest to double major in when the second major is a subject closely related, such as chemistry. Still, doubling in a second field that is not so closely related (i.e., Public Policy Studies or English) is also possible, though the schedule of any student who wishes to do so will be much more rigid.
[edit] Research Opportunities
The good part about having such a large Biology department on campus is that there are plenty of labs looking for undergraduates to help out. Generally, what needs to be done to obtain work with a lab is for a student to look for a faculty member conducting research on a topic that interests the student, and for the student to contact the faculty member about working with them. This method may not always work, though, because inevitably labs will be contacted by a number of students to the point where they must decline more help for the semester. Also, finding a lab to work in does not necessarily mean that the jobs performed will be 'cutting-edge' research; students may find that they are cleaning test tubes for a while. On the other hand, they may also get to help out with experiments. There is really no way of telling what jobs are possible and what are not without actually contacting the lab and inquiring.
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