Microbiology

In Biological Sciences .

• Minor in Biomedical Sciences.

Course Offerings 

Microbiology is the study of organisms that are too small to be seen with the unaided eye: prokaryotes (eubacteria and archaebacteria), viruses, and unicellular eukaryotes.

Microorganisms thrive in every corner of the world, from Antarctic ice (< 0 degrees C) to deep-sea thermal vents (> 100 degrees C); from the gastrointestinal tracts and skin of animals to the root nodules of leguminous plants; from sewage treatment plants to pristine lakes and streams. To study microbiology is to pursue the breadth of biology, as microorganisms provide experimental material for understanding physiology; cell structure and function; biochemistry; molecular biology; photosynthesis; ecology; evolution; genetics; development; and even simple behavioral responses and “memory.” Studies with microorganisms continue to lay the foundation for molecular genetics, recombinant DNA research, biotechnology, environmental sciences, human health and many areas of biochemistry.

All students participating in the concentration must take an Introductory Course as well as an Introductory Laboratory which provides training in basic laboratory skills used by microbiologists. Additional classes that can be used to fulfill the credit requirement for the concentration reflect current areas of research in microbiology as well as the research interests of the faculty in the Department of Microbiology. These offerings include courses in environmental microbiology, microbial physiology, bacterial diversity, bacterial genetics, microbe-host interactions, virology, marine microbiology, advanced laboratory skills, applied microbiology and genomics. One of these classes must come from a designated list that includes courses dealing with core concepts in microbiology. The remaining credit requirements can be fulfilled using any of the courses from the approved lists.

The Microbiology concentration provides excellent preparation for graduate study in many areas of biological science, as well as for professional study in medical, veterinary, or dental school. Graduates with bachelor’s degrees can pursue careers in biotechnology or industrial microbiology, environmental microbiology, clinical microbiology, food microbiology, or pharmaceutical microbiology, and can also work as technicians in university, government, industrial, or hospital research laboratories.