Department of Biology

Chair: Dr. Bryan Schmidt

The Department of Biology offers two degrees (BA and BS) and offers courses for those who wish to obtain a teaching degree (BSEd Composite Science):

The Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Biology is designed for those students who desire to go to professional schools of medicine, dentistry, optometry, chiropractic, physical, and occupational therapy, mortuary science, and veterinary medicine or who wish to pursue graduate work in biology. The BA degree is also designed for those students who desire employment in the biomedical industry, environmental sciences, or wildlife management.

The Bachelor of Science (BS) in Medical Laboratory Science (MLS) [Medical Technology] is a joint program of Minot State University and the University of North Dakota (UND) and complies with the National Accrediting Agency for MLS. Full-time students can complete coursework in three years, and begin clinical training during the summer session at UND in Grand Forks, ND. MLS majors are required to take a minimum of 38 credits of General Education courses. The General Education math and science requirements are automatically met by taking MLS required courses. Following successful completion of coursework, fourth-year students are guaranteed admission to the clinical year at one of the participating accredited hospitals in North Dakota, Montana, Minnesota, Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Students who earn the BS-MLS degree obtain employment in a number of different medical areas including hospitals, physicians’ offices, clinics, public health agencies, and pharmaceutical firms.

The Bachelor of Science (BS) in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology prepares students to enter the bioinformatics field in commercial or academic settings. Bioinformatics is a cross-disciplinary field that encompasses computer science, mathematics, and biology in order to extract meaningful information from large biological data sets. The global bioinformatics industry has grown at double-digit rates for the past decade. Minot State University is the only school with the surrounding five state region to offer an undergraduate bioinformatics degree.

For all degrees in Biology, a minimum GPA of 2.50 is required for graduation.

In addition to the degrees, Biology also directs several pre-professional programs (pre-medical, pre-dental, pre-veterinary, pre-mortuary, etc.) and provides courses required for professional degrees in nursing, medical technology, radiologic technology, social work, criminal justice, physical education, elementary education, and special education. Biology also offers a number of general education courses that fulfill the FC2 category of general education.

Biology Department Mission:

The mission of the Department of Biology is to equip students with a broad and substantive knowledge of biology. We actively promote the development of critical thinking skills and an ingrained sense of the scientific method among our students. By actively mentoring students in the classroom and in our research labs, we seek to develop the skills that enable them to apply their newfound knowledge in a research setting and advance the frontiers of biology.

Biology Department Goals:

The goals of the Department of Biology are:

to provide research opportunities for our students so that they may contribute meaningfully to the study of Biology;
to prepare students for advanced study in Biological Sciences and Health Sciences;
to prepare students for biological careers in teaching, government, business, and industry;
to enrich the General Education of students with Biology courses;
to support the University and larger community with faculty and student service.

BA Biology Student Learning Goals and Outcomes

Student Learning Goals and Student Learning Outcomes
Student Learning Goals	Student Learning Outcomes
1. Biology majors demonstrate a broad background in fundamental principles of biology.	1.1 Biology majors recall biological processes and concepts.
	1.2 Biology majors explain biological processes and concepts.
	1.3 Biology majors apply biological processes and concepts to specific biological topics.
2. Biology majors demonstrate knowledge and experience in the basic methods, instrumentation, and quantitative analytical skills used to conduct scientific research.	2.1 Biology majors practice conducting experiments.
	2.2 Biology majors analyze results of experiments.
	2.3 Biology majors draw conclusions from experimental results.
3. Biology majors will develop critical reasoning and communication skills	3.1 Biology majors engage in original research.
	3.2 Biology majors produce critical reviews of research.
	3.3 Biology majors present to local, regional, or national audiences

BS Medical Lab Science Student Learning Goals and Outcomes

Student Learning Goals and Student Learning Outcomes
Student Learning Goals	Student Learning Outcomes
1. First-year MLS majors demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the curricular requirements, timelines, and career expectations for the MLS professional.	1.1 First-year students summarize MLS degree requirements.
	1.2 First-year students shadow professionals in the field.
2. Second and third-year MLS majors demonstrate proficiency in concepts of biology and chemistry related to human health.	2.1 MLS majors recall biological processes and concepts.
	2.2 MLS majors practice laboratory techniques applicable to clinical testing for human disease.
3. Fourth-year students demonstrate experience in specific clinical testing for human disease.	3.1 MLS majors practice laboratory tests in the areas of blood banking, microbiology, clinical chemistry, hematology, and immunology.
	3.2 MLS majors interpret results of laboratory tests in the areas of blood banking, microbiology, clinical chemistry, hematology, and immunology.
	3.3 MLS majors pass national board exams to earn licensure for Medical Lab Science.

BS Bioinformatics and Computational Student Learning Goals and Outcomes

Student Learning Goals and Student Learning Outcomes
Student Learning Goals	Student Learning Outcomes
1. Bioinformatics majors demonstrate an understanding of basic molecular biology.	1.1 Bioinformatics majors recall basic cellular metabolic pathways and mechanisms pertinent to molecular biology.
	1.2 Juniors and seniors will demonstrate, interpret, synthesize, and apply biological processes and content to specific biological topics
	1.3 Bioinformatics majors describe basic cellular metabolic pathways and mechanisms pertinent to molecular biology.
	1.4 Bioinformatics majors apply biological processes and content to specific biological topics.
2. Bioinformatics majors master computer languages used prominently in bioinformatics.	2.1 Bioinformatics majors create their own code using different computer languages.
	2.2 Bioinformatics majors apply computer programming to facilitate biological data analysis.
3. Bioinformatics majors demonstrate critical reasoning and communication skills.	3.1 Bioinformatics majors engage in original research.
	3.2 Bioinformatics majors present at local, regional or national meetings.

University Teacher Education Policies

Refer to the Teacher Education Policies and Procedure pages of the catalog for details regarding Teacher Education at Minot State University. These pages will explain admission, retention, and exit requirements of the program for Composite Science majors in Teacher Education.

Any students who wish to major or minor in Biology as they obtain their BSEd Composite Science degree should speak to their advisor.

Bachelor of Arts with a Major in Biology

Two introductory courses (8 cr.) must be completed prior to enrolling in 300+ courses required for the degree.

Students must take:
BIOL 151	General Biology II	4
BIOL 150	General Biology I	4
200 level Required Courses
BIOL 215	Genetics	4
BIOL 240	Biometry	4
300 and 400 level Courses
Select 6 Biol prefix courses of 300-400 level. Excludes BIOL 492		18-24
Remaining Coursework		8
Students take elective Biol courses and/or directed research (BIOL 492) to equal 8 additional credits. BIOL 111, BIOL 115, BIOL 127, and BIOL 202 are NOT acceptable).
CHEM 121	General Chemistry I	5
CHEM 122	General Chemistry II	5
CHEM 240	Fundamentals of Organic Chemistry	5
or CHEM 341	Organic Chemistry I
PHYS 211 & PHYS 212	College Physics I and College Physics II	8-10
or PHYS 251 & PHYS 252	University Physics I and University Physics II
General Education Coursework		38
Minor/Concentration(s)--Students earn two minors (physical science and chemistry) with required coursework. A minor or 3rd concentration may be earned to reach 120 credits required for graduation.
Total Hours		103-111

Bachelor of Science with a Major in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology

Bioinformatics and Computational Biology is a cross-disciplinary field that encompasses computer science, mathematics, and biology in order to extract meaningful information from large biological datasets. Minot State University is the only school within the surrounding five state region to offer an undergraduate bioinformatics degree.

GOALS: To prepare students for a career in biological data analysis and management. At the end of this program, students will:

Have an understanding of different computer programming languages that can be applied to answer various biological questions with big datasets.
Have the fundamental biological scaffolding for major principles in biology, including concepts in molecular and cellular biology, evolution, and general zoology, botany, or microbiology.
Understand and apply biologically relevant statistical analyses.
Be able to manage and work with “Big Data” management systems and datasets.
Be comfortable with the hands-on, laboratory preparation methods that precede data analysis, and be able to take a biological system and prepare it for proper data analyses.

General Education
General Education Requirements		38
Core Requirements Coursework
Biology
Students must take:
BIOL 150	General Biology I	4
BIOL 215	Genetics	4
BIOL 301	Evolution	3
BIOL 480	Molecular Biology	4
BIOL 402	Bioinformatics	4
BIOL 492	Directed Research	1-5
One of the following:		4
BIOL 151	General Biology II
or BIOL 202	Introductory Microbiology

Chemistry
CHEM 121	General Chemistry I	5
CHEM 122	General Chemistry II	5
Mathematics
MATH 165	Calculus I	4
MATH 208	Discrete Mathematics I	4
MATH 345	Linear Models	4
One of the following:
MATH 210	Elementary Statistics	4
or BIOL 240	Biometry

Computer and Data Science
(17 credits; which would qualify the student for a Certificate in Data Science)
CSCI 111	Introductory Programming and Big Data	4
DATA 211	Applied Statistics and Data Visualization	4
DATA 240	Programming for Data Science	4
CSCI 260	UNIX Environment	4
CSCI 356	Database Management I	4
Total Hours		108-112

The Medical Laboratory Science (MLS) program at Minot State University is a four-year program leading to the Bachelor of Science Degree in Medical Laboratory Science/Medical Technology. The program consists of courses that are designed to give the medical laboratory science student the necessary, scientific background to enter clinical training at an accredited hospital laboratory.

The program consists of three years of academic coursework completed at Minot State University. Through an affiliation with the University of North Dakota (UND), students spend 12 months in a clinical internship at one of the many participating accredited hospitals, as a member of the Western College Alliance for MLS.

The academic portion of the program provides the student with a broad-based background in the sciences as well as General Education courses in communications, the humanities, and the social and behavioral sciences. The clinical year provides practical, hands on, experience in clinical laboratory techniques.

The first two years of the program primarily involve General Education courses and fundamental courses in chemistry, microbiology, anatomy, and physiology. The third year involves the students in courses more directly relevant to their major, such as parasitology, hematology, and immunology. These courses address more specifically what the student will encounter during the clinical internship year. Minot State University’s medical laboratory science program is accredited by the NAACLS through UND. All affiliated hospitals are accredited by the Council on Medical Education. Upon completion, the student is eligible to take the national examination conducted by the Board of Registry to become a certified clinical laboratory scientist by the American Society of Clinical Pathologists MT (ASCP) and the National Certification Agency for Medical Laboratory Personnel National Exam for certification as Medical Laboratory Scientist.

Acceptance to clinical year requires:

Cumulative GPA of at least 2.80.
No more than one D in any math or science prerequisite course.
No standing letter grade of D or F in any MLS major/core course.
A recommendation from the applicant's college/university advisor.
Completion of required prerequisite coursework.

Bachelor of Science with a Major in Medical Laboratory Science

Required Courses
BIOL 150	General Biology I	4
BIOL 103	Intro to Medical Lab Science	1
BIOL 202	Introductory Microbiology	4
BIOL 220	Anatomy and Physiology I	4
BIOL 221	Anatomy and Physiology II	4
BIOL 450	Parasitology	4
BIOL 455	Hematology	4
BIOL 465	Immunology	4
CHEM 121	General Chemistry I (& CHEM 121L)	5
CHEM 122	General Chemistry II (& CHEM 122L)	5
CHEM 230	Quantitative Analysis	5
CHEM 240	Fundamentals of Organic Chemistry	5
CHEM 481	Biochemistry I	3
or CHEM 381	Fundamentals of Biochemistry
MGMT 301	Fundamentals of Management	3
MATH 103	College Algebra	4

Biology Minor (Teaching and Non-Teaching)

Students must take:
BIOL 150	General Biology I	4
BIOL 215	Genetics	4
Select two of the following:		8
BIOL 151	General Biology II
BIOL 154	Introduction to Botany
BIOL 202	Introductory Microbiology
Choose three 300 or 400 level courses		12
Total Hours		28

Bioinformatics Minor

BIOL 402	Bioinformatics	4
Mathematics Courses:
MATH 146	Applied Calculus	3
MATH 165	Calculus I	4
Computer Science
CSCI 160	Computer Science I	4
CSCI 161	Computer Science II	4
CSCI 260	UNIX Environment	4
CSCI 356	Database Management I	4
Total Hours		27

Biology Concentration

Students must take:
BIOL 150	General Biology I	4
Select two of the following:		8
BIOL 151	General Biology II
BIOL 154	Introduction to Botany
BIOL 202	Introductory Microbiology
BIOL 215	Genetics
Total Hours		12

Faculty

Biology Faculty

Dr. Alexandra Deufel
Professor

Dr. Joseph Pettit
Assistant Professor

Dr. Rachel Schomaker
Assistant Professor

Janelle Green
Instructor

Medical Laboratory Science

Dr. Rachel Schomaker
Program Coordinator