Our special program in Environmental Biology at Cedarville University seeks to equip students to integrate scientific knowledge with a biblical environmental stewardship ethic. This environmental ethic provides a framework within which students prepare for careers in ecology, conservation biology, and environmental education out of a desire to promote restoration of biotic communities and to promote mediation between the creation and human resource demands. Our students gain a broad understanding of life from "molecule to ecosystem" before specializing in ecology and field biology courses and completing an undergraduate research or internship experience. This breadth and depth in the sciences is essential to becoming cultural "gatekeepers" at a time when global and local ecosystems are being altered by such developments as global climate change, agricultural and urban impacts on landscapes, applications of biotechnology, and global transport of pathogens and invasive species.
Above Right: Environmental Biology research at Cedarville involves students in practical, problem-solving projects such as management of local habitats against invasive species such as the Asian vine, kudzu.
Program Description and Careers for Graduates
The environmental biology curriculum, within the biology major, provides undergratuate preparation for students who wish to emphasize the biological sciences while pursuing careers in such fields as conservation biology, wildlife biology, environmental toxicology, and environmental health. In addition to formal courses in biology, chemistry, and mathematics, employment criteria for these professions include prior experience (e.g. as a summer employee or intern), field biology skills (i.e. plant/animal taxonomy, habitat assessment and restoration), interpersonal skills, mathematical and communication skills, and the ability to reason critically and integrate across disciplines. Students who wish to exchange some of the emphasis on biology for a greater breadth of courses in the environmental sciences, public policy, and environmental ethics should consider the Environmental Science major.
Above Right: Environmental Biology and Environmental Science students estimate microclimate properties above and below the snowpack along the shore of Big Twin Lake in Northern Michigan.
Biology Core (for B.A. or B.S. Biology) - 30 hours
Departmental Requirements - 31 hours
Special Program - 16 hours selected from including:
- BIO-2210 Microbiology: 4
- BIO-3410 Invertebrate Zoology: 3
- BIO-3420 Vertebrate Zoology: 3
- BIO-3510 Plant Physiology: 3
- BIO-3520 Plant Taxonomy: 3
- BIO-3610 Environmental Physiology & Ecology: 4
- BIO-4910 Environmental Biology Internship: 4
- BIOA-____ Courses at Au Sable Institute: 4-12
- ENVS-2100 Introduction to Geographic Information Systems: 3
- ENVS-3200 Ecosystem Science: 3
The environmental biology curriculum can also serve as a useful component for students who plan to serve in missions ministries through programs related to soil, water, and plant/animal resource management. It also provides an avenue for students to be involved in environmental education (e.g. interpretive naturalist)
Right: The plant taxonomy class studies diverse spring flora of the Appalachian Mountains at various latitudes and elevations.