Degrees type: Bachelor
Main Campus
With a Biology degree from Mount Aloysius College your career options are exciting, varied and compelling. You may want to teach, delve into research, study medicine, dentistry or other areas of the health sciences.
Your professors are scientists who take you from concept to application by being supportive and accessible. Biology students have opportunities to immerse themselves in research in the lab and in the field, participate in internships, and apply classroom concepts directly to the natural world.
Discover. Connect. Learn. Launch.
Find a successful, rewarding career in Biology with MAC!
The topics that fall under Biology are immense, and we want to do our best to cultivate students’ interests in the vast world of biology. This includes exposure to a diverse variety of fields from Agronomy to Zoology, and everything in between. Through our new study structure within the Biology department, students will discover the vast number of opportunities available to work in the field of math or biology.
Discover
Freshman YearFreshman biology students will take the time to discover more about Biology and to really learn about what is available to them. Students will have the opportunity to explore different topics and cultivate a love for science and learning.
Club fairs
Workshops
Peer mentoring
Meet with faculty advisors
Create a digital portfolio
Connect
Sophomore YearSophomore students take the skills they learned freshman year and begin to apply them to the research process. They start to take their first steps into creating their own projects, and learn how to synthesize and analyze information to benefit their work.
Primary literary analysis and synthesis
Develop projects and write a hypothesis
Write grant proposals
Learn
Junior YearThrough working with a faculty mentor, junior biology students will begin to repeat existing biological experiments, while learning more about how to properly research and perform tests and studies.
Work with faculty mentor
Repeat known experiments
Practice research ethics
Develop methodologies to test hypotheses
Research and keep lab notes
Launch
Senior YearIn their final year at MAC, senior biology students will present their work to faculty and peers. Students will learn how best to display their findings and how to communicate about their projects with their contemporaries, all with the goal of finding their perfect job upon graduation.
Present works
Complete 20-page research paper
Perform poster and oral presentation
Career survey
Program Highlights
As a biology graduate, your potential career choices are endless and include:
- Research
- Medicine and Other Areas of Healthcare
- Environmental Conservation
- Education
- Forensic Science
Research enables you to learn hands-on skills, answer scientific questions, and fulfill the scientific method.
- Do you want to identify diatoms in Abandoned Mine Drainage? We’ve got it!
- Want to measure the bone size of dinosaur fossils? We’ve got it!
- Want to understand the role of proteins in human placenta? We’ve got it!
Research is a rewarding part of your undergraduate degree.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects the following employment growth from 2014-2024:
- Physicians/Surgeon employment rate will grow by 14% with a median pay of $208,000.
- Zoologists/Wildlife Biologists employment rate will grow by 4% with a median pay of $60,520.
- Environmental Scientists employment rate will grow by 11% with a median pay of $68,910.
- Biological Technicians employment rate will grow by 10% with a median pay of $42,520.
The Biology major at Mount Aloysius College prepares students to enter careers in biology or to pursue graduate or professional education with a foundation in the liberal arts. The goals of the program include:
- Scientific Method – Students will be able to effectively define and use the scientific method to answer biological questions;
- Reasoning and Analysis – Students will be able to critically analyze scientific data and its interpretation both in the literature and in their own experimental work;
- Core Biological Knowledge – Students will be able to demonstrate knowledge of core biological subjects with additional proficiency related to their chosen specialization;
- Research Skills – Students will be able to identify and utilize appropriate resources for both primary and secondary research. In addition, students will be able to identify and utilize the appropriate experimental design, methodology, and equipment to conduct field and laboratory research in an ethically sound manner; and
- Communication Skills: Students will be able to organize and express scientific knowledge and their own ideas clearly and coherently both in written and oral formats.
Mount Aloysius College Biology students may aspire to become a physician, surgeon or other medical professional–advancing their education by attending medical school or studying in another health-oriented graduate program. The Mount Aloysius Biology Department also prepares students for a variety of health professions including physician assistants, physical therapists, chiropractors, occupational therapists and other professional occupations in healthcare. Students typically complete a four-year degree at Mount Aloysius College in Biology and then take the appropriate entrance exam (MCAT, GRE, etc) for their chosen field. A Mount Aloysius advisor assists students in the application process and helps them stay on track to reach their goals.
Mount Aloysius College has three articulation agreements with Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) for Dental Medicine, Osteopathic Medicine, and Pharmacy. Students may also have the opportunity to apply for the LECOM Early Acceptance Program. This enables them to apply to LECOM once they have been accepted at Mount Aloysius College and, if successful, gain a conditional early acceptance letter for their graduate studies.
Learn more about the cooperative programs by visiting the pages below.
A Wide Variety of Post-Graduate Options
Watch Dr. John Whitlock, a professor in the science and mathematics department, discuss sauropods.
Watch a video with alum Zara Apakoh talking about the biology program.
Watch a video with alum Patrick McKee talking about learning sustainability at the Mount.
Watch a video with Dr. Merrilee Anderson, a professor in the science and mathematics department, talking about the living classroom.
See the latest on the Biology Program’s Instagram
@biology_mac
Student Voices & Success Stories
- Kris Hansen, ‘09, currently furthering his education at Edward Via Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine.
- Patrick McKee, ‘11, is a Sustainability Manager and works as adjunct faculty at Eastern Kentucky University.
Faculty & Staff
Merrilee Anderson
Professor of Science and Mathematics
Juan Diaz, Jr.
Professor of Science and Mathematics
Mike Engle
Associate Professor Science & Mathematics
Crystal Goldyn
Associate Professor of Science and Mathematics
Laura Michaels
Associate Professor of Science and Mathematics
Sandra Nypaver
Associate Professor of Science and Mathematics
Penny O'Connor
Professor of Science and Mathematics
John Whitlock
Department Chair of Science and Math, Associate Professor of Science & Mathematics
Upcoming Admissions Events
Still have questions?
A member of the admissions team would love to get connected with you!
Admissions Office
Main Administration Building
7373 Admiral Peary Highway
Cresson, PA 16630
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