Course description
The medical biology major is designed to provide a strong foundation in the biological sciences for students who ultimately pursue careers in human medicine, dentistry, other health professions (e.g. physical therapy), biomedical research, or the biotechnology industry. Students in the medical biology major can choose one of two possible tracks: (1) medical sciences track, and (2) pre-physician assistant track.
The medical sciences track provides students with a solid foundation in the biological sciences at the molecular, cellular, tissue, organ, and organismal levels. In addition to the comprehensive introduction to general biology, the courses offered in this track introduce the student to the fields of physiology, biochemistry, cellular biology, and genetics. This track also includes those courses that are pre-requisite courses for entrance into medical and dental schools and graduate programs in Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy and other health professional programs. The many laboratory-based courses in this track allow students to become familiar with the most up-to-date laboratory techniques used for biological research, an advantage for students who wish to enter graduate schools in the biomedical sciences or to work in the biotechnology industry. Finally, students in this track have the opportunity to complete off-campus internships for college credit (e.g. in hospital, clinical, or laboratory setting).