Departments & Programs

Human Biology

Certificate in Human Biology
Purpose

The Certificate in Human Biology provides a broad and rigorous introduction to the biological sciences and relates these sciences to the problems raised by relationships of human beings to one another and to their environment. This distinctive program is designed to meet societal demand for students with broad biological knowledge and a scientific approach to problem-solving, who also possess an understanding of the social and cultural issues facing them as scientists. What is the biological basis of life, diversity, and disease? What is the biological basis of human behavior? How does the social construct of our society influence science and our understanding of what it means to be human? These are samples of the types of broad questions that can be explored within the Certificate in Human Biology.

Required Courses

A student may earn a certificate as part of completing the bachelor's degree and in addition to completing requirements for a major. Students should contact the Human Biology Program advising office to apply for the certificate. Students must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.700 at the time of admission and must maintain this GPA to graduate with the certificate. Additionally, in order to complete the certificate, students must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.000 in courses taken for the certificate. Students will also be required to complete exit surveys and to develop an electronic portfolio that demonstrates the connections students have made between the courses they complete as part of the certificate and their goals for career and further study after graduation.

The certificate requires 28–29 credit hours as follows:

  1. BIOL-L 112 Introduction to Biology: Biological Mechanisms (3 cr.).
  2. BIOL-L 211 Molecular Biology (3 cr.).
  3. MSCI-M 131 Disease and the Human Body (3 cr.).
  4. ANAT-A 215 Basic Human Anatomy (5 cr.).
  5. PHSL-P 215 Basic Human Physiology (5 cr.) or BIOL P 451 Integrative Human Physiology (4 cr.).
  6. BIOL-L 350 Environmental Biology (3 cr.) or ANTH-B 370 Human Variation (3 cr.).
  7. PSY-P 201 An Introduction to Neuroscience (3 cr.), P315 Developmental Psychology (3 cr.), or P346 Neuroscience (3 cr.).
  8. REL-D 340 Religion and Bioethics (3 cr.).
  9. HUBI-B 480 Human Biology E-portfolio Capstone (1 cr.).