Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Biology

Are you interested in the biological systems of plants, animals, humans, and other living organisms? Love the liberal arts and humanities? Consider earning a B.A. in Biology, which offers the best of both worlds.   

Biology is a broad field that branches into many different disciplines and a range of career paths. With this major, you’ll graduate with a firm foundation in both the sciences and humanities. 

What will you study?

To earn a B.A. in Biology at Marian, you will complete general education courses, biology core courses, and elective courses necessary to build foundational intellectual and knowledge acquisition skills.  

Degree requirements include 46 credits in science and mathematics, including the biology core. A minimum of 18 credits must come from Biology courses at the 300-level or above. Students may apply up to three credits of internship or research coursework to that total. 

Sample four-year plan and checklist

Why choose the B.A. in biology at Marian?

Marian University’s Bachelor of Arts in Biology curriculum includes math and science courses that will give you a good understanding of biological concepts and theories. 

 The core of your coursework, however, will be built on a broad, traditional liberal arts platform, providing you with the subjects and skills that are essential to take an active role in civic life. This means you can take more courses in writing, art, language, psychology, communications, philosophy, global studies, and other humanities than students who pursue the B.S. in Biology. 

The B.A. in biology is a great choice for careers that emphasize skills like managing people, collaborating and effective teamwork, and interacting with the public in advocacy, policy, or informal educational settings. 

What are your career paths?

With a B.A. in biology, you can choose from professional careers in an array of public and private settings. If your ultimate career goal requires an advanced degree, you may also apply for admission to a master’s or doctoral program.

Some students choosing this major want to teach biology or science in middle or high school settings. Others want to become lawyers, patient advocates, science writers or marketers, medical illustrators, or pharmaceutical sales managers.

In general, most B.A. in biology graduates (1) want to work in positions on the business, administrative, and human sides of science or (2) apply to graduate programs that are related to healthcare or the environment.

According to the United States Department of Labor’s Bureau of labor Statistics, here are some employment outlooks for biology-related careers:

Internship Opportunities

As you near the end of the core curriculum, our biology careers course will enable you to explore your strengths, values, and career interests. You’ll select elective courses tailored to your career goals and prepare application materials for internships, jobs, and/or graduate study.

The internship and employment market in Indianapolis is thriving. You will be encouraged to pursue at least one internship, although many of our students complete two or more internship experiences.

• If you are interested in the business of healthcare, the life sciences, and related fields, you’ll have excellent access to internship positions at top life science start-up enterprises, businesses, and corporations like Beckman Coulter, Cook Medical, Covance Laboratories, Dow Agrosciences, Eli Lilly and Company, Roche Diagnostics, and Zimmer.
• On the other hand, if you are interested environmental or nonprofit work in fields like public advocacy, education, and policy, you can choose to pursue internships with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Indiana State Department of Agriculture, Department of Environmental Management, Indiana Forest Alliance, Indianapolis Zoo, Indiana State Museum, Indianapolis Children’s Museum, Cornea Research Foundation, and dozens of other agencies.