Department of Biology
University of West Georgia

B.S. Degree Mission Statement

The mission of the B.S. Degree Program in the Department of Biology at the University of West Georgia is to provide undergraduate students the background knowledge and training necessary to pursue graduate education, professional studies, or employment. In pursuit of this mission, the Department of Biology offers a B.S. Degree Program with four defined tracks: general, pre-professional, secondary education, and honors track.

• General Track: The general track is designed to offer the greatest flexibility in selecting major courses, thus allowing students, who wish to specialize in a specific area of biology, to better prepare for graduate studies or employment in the specific sub-discipline.
  
  
• Pre-Professional Track: The pre-professional track is designed as a more streamlined program to prepare students for the standardized tests, entrance exams, and high performance standards required by programs in the medical and allied health fields.
  
  
• Secondary Education Track: The secondary education track is designed as a restrictive degree program which ensures that future teachers meet all state and national content standards for science education.
  
  
• Honors Track: The Honors Track is designed for academically gifted students who have qualified for admission to the University of West Georgia’s Honors College. Students in this track receive special advising, options to begin research projects as freshman, and opportunity to add special enrichment activities to acquire honors credit for virtually any course offered by the Biology Department.

The ultimate goal of the B.S. Degree Program in the Department of Biology is to promote the development of skilled professionals, effective teachers, competent scientists, and informed citizens to enhance the quality of life within the University of West Georgia’s scope of influence.

1. To develop a strong diversified background in modern biology appropriate to the individual student goals. The anticipated outcome will be a student with an appreciation for the areas of modern biology and the inter-relatedness of theses areas.
   
   
2. To develop critical-thinking and problem based learning skills. The anticipated outcome will be a student with the ability to develop new ideas, to explore new areas of science or other academic endeavors, to design, implement, and evaluate scientific investigations, and to assess, interpret and understand data and its meaning.
   
   
3. To develop the ability to communicate scientific ideas in both written and oral formats. The anticipated outcome will be a student who can organize and present his or her scientific ideas in both written and oral formats.
   
   
4. To educate the students in the areas of data generation and interpretation. The anticipated outcome will be a student who is capable of critically evaluating information so that it is useful for addressing questions in science.

1. Learning Outcome I
1. We will evaluate the performance in upper level courses for both content and critical thinking.
2. Students successfully completing upper level courses in each of the sub-disciplines: ecological / behavioral biology, eukaryotic biology, genetics, physiology, and prokaryotic biology.
   
   
2. Learning Outcome II
1. Whenever possible, subjective, critical thinking and problem-solving questions will be incorporated into exams, literature evaluations, assignments, and projects for all upper division courses regardless of sub-discipline.
2. Upper level laboratory courses will incorporate experimental design and formal, subjective lab reports whenever appropriate.
3. Undergraduate students will be encouraged to undertake research projects with faculty. Each undergraduate research student will be evaluated with regards to critical-thinking and problem solving skills.
   
   
3. Learning Outcome III
1. Students will be required to participate in a seminar program where he or she will present at least two seminars. The first of these seminar courses will occur during the sophomore year.
2. Whenever possible, examinations in the upper level courses will include subjective questions designed to promote creative thinking and the generation of new ideas.
3. Upper level laboratory courses will emphasize comprehensive laboratory reports.
4. Undergraduate research students will be encouraged to present their research in an appropriate format (written / oral) and presented at appropriate venues, either on campus or off-campus (e.g. Sigma Xi, Arch, Georgia Academy of Science).
   
   
4. Learning Outcome IV.
1. All biology courses, whenever applicable, will emphasize on the collection of data, its organization, analysis, and the interpretation. This emphasis may take the form of classroom examples, examination questions and/or laboratory exercises and reports.
2. All undergraduate research students will be encouraged to take an active role in all phases of their research activity, including collection, organization, analysis and interpretation of data.

1. The Biology Department will maintain copies of appropriate standardized exam scores (GRE, MCAT, etc.) as indicators of academic performance by students.
   
   
2. Exit surveys will be conducted with graduating seniors, to determine their views of the biology program’s success in preparing them for their future goals and aspirations.
   
   
3. A 1, 2 and 5-year survey will address alumni’s perception of the biology program and its effectiveness in preparing the student (alumni) for their current career.
   
   
4. A survey of regional academic institutions, governmental agencies and biotech industries will be conducted, periodically, to assess the success of the UWG’s biology program in preparing students for success in the marketplace.