College of Arts and Sciences

Departments

Biology
Graduate Certificate in Biology

This 100 percent online, consortial program is taught by IU Bloomington, IU East, IU Kokomo, IU Northwest, IUPUI, and IU Southeast. 

As a student in the IU Online Graduate Certificate in Biology, you analyze and explore the nature of life and living organisms at an advanced level. You gain the ability to break down and analyze biological concepts for an undergraduate audience, the ability to develop and analyze hypotheses and experiments, a fluency with scientific literature, and a richer understanding of biology in the natural world around us.

Specific areas of focus include: 

  • Evolution 
  • Ecology and environmental biology
  • Organismal biology
  • Cell and molecular biology, and biochemistry
  • Genetics, bioinformatics, and genomics
  • Anatomy and physiology
  • Developmental biology

Of Special Interest for Dual-credit and Community College Instructors Needing to Meet HLC Standards

The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) requires all high school teachers who teach dual-credit or other college-level courses to hold a master's degree in the field, or to have a master's degree in another area (such as education), plus at least 18 credit hours of graduate coursework in the discipline. The Graduate Certificate in Biology provides these 18 discipline-specific credit hours and prepares you for such careers as:

  • Biology dual-credit teacher (high school)
  • Biology instructor (community college) 

Certificate Requirements

To earn the Graduate Certificate in Biology, you must complete 18 credit hours.

Required Coursework

To earn the Graduate Certificate in Biology students will complete six graduate biology courses that meet the distribution and breadth requirements described below for a total of 18 credits. All courses are three (3) credit hours unless otherwise noted.

1. Evolutionary Biology (3 cr)

GC Biology students complete the following course:
BIOL-T 570 Evolution

2. Molecular-Cellular Biology (6 cr)

GC Biology students complete two (2) courses selected from this list:
BIOL-T 571 Introductory Biochemistry
BIOL-T 574 The Immune System and Disease
BIOL-T 575 Molecular Biology
BIOL-T 577 Molecular Genetics and Genomics

3. Organismal Biology (6 cr)
GC Biology students complete two (2) courses selected from this list:
BIOL-T 582 Advanced Field Zoology
BIOL-T 583 Problems in Genetics - Higher Organisms
BIOL-T 585* Model Organisms in Research (*Counted only once)
BIOL-T 586 Principles of Ornithology

4. GC Biology Capstone (3 cr)

GC Biology students complete one capstone course selected from this list:
BIOL-T 585 Model Organisms in Research
BIOL-T 591 History of Life
BIOL-T 592 Social Implications of Biology

For more information on the Graduate Certificate in Biology see https://online.iu.edu/degrees/biology-certificate.html

Academic Bulletins

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