Graduate Certificate in Biology

Collaborative Online Degree (18 cr.)

This 100 percent online, consortial program is taught by IU South Bend, IU Bloomington, IU East, IUPUI, IU Kokomo, IU Northwest, and IU Southeast. This consortial model allows you to take coursework from several campuses and learn from a wide range of faculty.

This program is authorized, exempt, or not subject to state regulatory compliance and may enroll students from all 50 states.

Many online support services are available to assist you as you progress through the program.

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.

The Graduate Certificate in Biology wil cover the following content areas:

• Evolution
• Ecology/Environmental biology
• Organismal Biology
• Cell / Molecular Biology / Biochemistry
• Genetics / Bioinformatics and Genomics
• Anatomy and Physiology
• Developmental Biology

Many online support services are available to assist you as you progress through the program.

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

The Graduate Certificate in Biology is ideal for those who want to teach dual-credit courses and who need to meet Higher Learning Commission dual-credit qualification standards. These standards require teachers wanting to teach dual-credit courses in biology to hold either a master's degree in biology or a master's degree in another discipline (such as education), plus at least 18 credit hours of discipline-specific graduate coursework.

• If you hold a master's degree in a discipline other than biology, you can meet HLC standards by completing the 18 credit hour Graduate Certificate in Biology.
• If you plan to pursue the IU Online MAT in Biology, you may apply the 18 credit hours from the Graduate Certificate in Biology toward the master's degree.

Admissions

Admissions requirements vary by campus.

Certificate Requirements (18 cr.)

• Evolutionary Biology (3 cr.)
• Molecular-Cellular Biology (6 cr.)
• Organismal Biology (6 cr.)
• Biology Capstone (3 cr.)

• All courses are 3 credit hours, unless otherwise noted.

Certificate Requirements (18 cr.)

Evolutionary Biology (3 cr.)

• BIOL-T 570 Evolution 

Molecular-Cellural Biology (6 cr.)

Select two from the following:

• 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

Organismal Biology (6 cr.)

Select two from the following:

• BIOL-T 582 Advanced Field Zoology
• BIOL-T 583 Problems in Genetics-Higher Organisms
• BIOL-T 585 Model Organisms in Research
  Can be taken only once
• BIOL-T 586 Principles of Ornithology

Biology Capstone (3 cr.)

Select one from the following:

• BIO-T 585 Model Organisms in Research
  Can be taken only once
• BIOL-T 591 History of Life
• BIOL-T 592 Social Implications of Biology