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Organismal Biology

Organismal Biology is is subdiscipline of biology focused on physiology, ecology, and evolution. If you are interested in understanding how different organisms function or how they interact with their environment, Organismal Biology might be the major for you.

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ΒιΆΉΤ­΄΄ Our Organismal Biology Program

  • Learn the fundamental principles of Physiology, Ecology, and Evolutionary Biology through hands-on research and fieldwork.
  • Research is at the core of ΒιΆΉΤ­΄΄β€™s Organismal Biology program. We have extensive lab facilities at the Nucleus, our brand-new, 65,000-square-foot science building.
  • You can conduct fieldwork with faculty on almost 100 acres of protected land at the Robert Redford Conservancy and Bernard Field Station, adjacent to the Claremont Colleges.
  • Conduct research abroad and work to restore Costa Rica’s lowland rainforests at ΒιΆΉΤ­΄΄'s Firestone Center for Restoration Ecology.

At a Glance

Degree Awarded

  • Bachelor of Arts

Field Group

Program Type

Area of Study

This program is offered through the Department of Natural Sciences

Organismal Biology & Our Values

ΒιΆΉΤ­΄΄β€™s core values are woven throughout all of our academic programs. Learn how our Organismal Biology program addresses interdisciplinary learning and social responsibility.

Student Engagement

We’ve consistently been a top producer of Fulbright students: Over the past five years, Organismal Biology students have received three Fulbright grants to continue their undergraduate research abroad. 

3 Research Fulbrights

Three ΒιΆΉΤ­΄΄ students have received Fulbright grants for their research, and several more have done fieldwork through our study abroad programs.

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Environmental Sustainability

You’ll have the chance to conduct biological fieldwork on campus with our Robert Redford Conservancy and Bernard Field Station providing ample research opportunities in Biology, Ecology, and Environmental analysis.

Explore the Robert Redford Conservancy
97 Acres

The Robert Redford Conservancy and Bernard Field Station sit on a combined 97 acres of conserved land, providing students a chance to study California’s native wildlife just steps from their dorms.

0 Net Energy Usage

The Redford Conservancy draws its power from two 21 kW solar arrays onsite, making it one of the first buildings to accomplish net zero energy usage.

Students walk out of the Robert Redford Conservancy building
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Alumni Voices

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"The biology major provided me with the background in science that I would need, and the environmental analysis major would lay the groundwork for the policy impacts my research could produce. I am really grateful for the breadth that ΒιΆΉΤ­΄΄ and its programs afforded me on both counts.”

Dawn Barlow '16

Organismal Biology and Environmental Policy double major

Get Involved

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Research

Lily Gane ’20, Organismal Biology major, conducted research on the role that a protein called titin plays in muscle movement, and won a Keck Summer Research fellowship to continue her research in labs at the Department of Natural Sciences and Northern Arizona University.

ΒιΆΉΤ­΄΄ alumna Alyssa Dunn '23

Awards

Alyssa Dunn ’23, an Organismal Biology major, won a Fulbright U.S. Student Program grant to conduct research in Poland. Her work focused on the ways that blood-borne infections and parasites interact with each other and their hosts.

Jana Biedenwig smiles in the panda enclosure with a panda sitting behind her.

Careers

Organismal Biology major Jana Biedenweg ’20 oversees the welfare of the first giant pandas to come to the U.S. in two decades, putting her passion for biology and wildlife conservation into practice.

Read Jana's Story

Organismal Biology Program Details

As an Organismal Biology student, you’ll gain the skills and knowledge to engage with and evaluate issues in Biology and the wider world, leaving you poised to take the lead in a wide range of fields.

What You'll Learn

  1. How to understand, articulate, and apply foundational scientific principles and findings in Physiology, Ecology, and Evolutionary Biology.
  2. How to think critically, analytically, and scientifically by developing scientific questions and using research tools and methods to answer them.
  3. How to read and critique original research articles.
  4. How to use quantitative approaches to data analysis, presentation, and modeling.
  5. How to articulate the ways science relates to current problems, especially in relation to conservation, climate change, and ecosystem degradation.

Learn More

Visit the Department of Natural Sciences website for more information and resources. 

Next:

The major in Organismal Biology requires completion of at least 14 courses. Students wishing to pursue a combined major in Organismal Biology should instead pursue a combined major in Biology.

Required Courses

  • BIOL 043L KS -Introductory Biology or BIOL 042L KS -Integrated Biology & Chemistry  and BIOL 044L KS -Introductory Biology
  • CHEM 014L KS -Basic Principles of Chemistry and CHEM 015L KS -Basic Principles of Chemistry (or CHEM 029L KS -Accelerated General Chemistry ), or CHEM 042L KS -Integrated Biology & Chemistry
  • MATH 030 PZ -Calculus I (or a new Biomath course)
  • PHYS 030L KS -General Physics Life Sciences and PHYS 031L KS -General Physics Life Sciences
  • BIOL 120 KS -Research Tools:Organismal Biol 

  • Seven upper division biology courses, including 3 with lab. At least six courses must be from the four groups listed below, with at least one course from each group AND at least three from Group 1 or Group 3.  No more than one course from Group 4 may be counted.  Other biology courses may also be appropriate to fulfill the group requirements, if approved in advance by the biology faculty.  One upper division Environmental Analysis course offered by Department of Natural Sciences may count as a non-lab elective, but will not count towards any of the Group requirements.

    Group 1:

    • BIOL 129 KS -Neuromusc Physiol/Health/Disease  
    • BIOL 131L KS -Vertebrate Physiology w/Lab         
    • BIOL 132L KS -Comparative Physiology   
    • BIOL 141L KS -Vertebrate Anatomy  
    • BIOL 150AL KS -Anat & Biomech:Limbs & Movement
    • BIOL 150BL KS -Anat & Biomech:Bck/Core Stabliza
    • BIOL 163L KS -Plant Physiology & Biotech
    • BIOL 166 KS -Animal Physiological Ecology
    • BIOL 167 KS -Sensory Evolution  
    • BIOL 185L KS -Biochemical Physiology with Lab   
    • NEUR 133L KS -Intro Computational Neuroscience
    • NEUR 140 KS -Selected Topics in Neuroscience
    • NEUR 149 KS -Systems & Behavioral Neuroscience

    Group 2:

    • BIOL 118 KS -Life in Extreme Environments
    • BIOL 143 KS -Genetics        
    • BIOL 144 KS -Drugs and Molecular Medicine  
    • BIOL 151L KS -Developmental Biology
    • BIOL 156L KS -Genomics and Bioinformatics
    • BIOL 157L KS -Cell Biology
    • BIOL 158 KS -Cell Cycle Diseases & Aging
    • BIOL 164 KS -Virology
    • BIOL 168L KS -Microbiology  
    • BIOL 170L KS -Molecular Biology
    • BIOL 171 KS -Biology of Cancer  
    • BIOL 177 KS -Biochemistry  
    • BIOL 187A KS -Special Topics: Epigenetics
    • BIOL 187B KS -Special Topics:Molecular Ecology
    • BIOL 187F KS Special Topic: Probs Genetics
    • NEUR 148L KS -Cell and Molecular Neuroscience
    • NEUR 181 KS -Neurological Disorders

    Group 3:

    • BIOL 113L KS -Ornithology
    • BIOL 118 KS -Life in Extreme Environments
    • BIOL 135L KS -Field Biology         
    • BIOL 138L KS -Appl Ecol + Conservation Lab
    • BIOL 138 KS -Applied Ecology & Conservation
    • BIOL 145 KS -Evolution
    • BIOL 146L KS -Ecology with Lab
    • BIOL 147 KS -Biogeography
    • BIOL 154 KS -Animal Behavior
    • BIOL 154L KS -Animal Behavior Lab
    • BIOL 165 KS -Adv Topics: Environmental Biol
    • BIOL 169L KS -Marine Ecology
    • BIOL 176 KS -Tropical Ecology
    • BIOL 182L KS -Applied Phylogenetics
    • BIOL 184L KS -Disease Ecology and Evolution
    • BIOL 187M KS -Special Topics: UAV’s 

    Group 4:

    • BIOL 174L KS -Intro Biological Research Stat
    • BIOL 175 KS -Applied Biostatistics
    • MATH 058 PO -Intro to Statistics w/Lab
    • MATH 058B PO -Intro to Biostatistics w/ lab 
       
  • A one- or two- semester thesis (BIOL 191 KS -One-Semester Thesis in Biology ; or BIOL 188L KS -Sr Thesis Rsrch Project in Biol and BIOL 190L KS -Sr Thes Rsrch Proj Biol-2nd Sem ; orBIOL 189L KS -Sr Thes Summer Rsrch Proj in Bio and BIOL 190L KS -Sr Thes Rsrch Proj Biol-2nd Sem)

Organismal Biology Program Faculty

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Jennifer Armstrong

  • Professor of Biology
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Robert Brodman

  • Visiting Professor of Biology
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Michael Brown

  • Biology Education Specialist
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Sarah Budischak

  • Associate Professor of Biology
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Pete Chandrangsu

  • Associate Professor of Biology
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Robert Comito

  • Visiting Lecturer of Biology
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Elise Ferree

  • Professorial Lecturer in Biology
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Patrick Ferree

  • Professor of Biology
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Findley Finseth

  • Associate Professor of Biology
Professor Sarah Gilman

Sarah Gilman

  • Professor of Biology
  • Associate Dean of Faculty
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Ashley Heers

  • Assistant Professor of Biology
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Kyle Jay

  • Visiting Assistant Professor of Biology
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Erin Jones

  • Visiting Assistant Professor of Biology
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Cory Kohn

  • Biology Education Specialist
Donald A McFarlane

Donald A. McFarlane

  • Kenneth S. ΒιΆΉΤ­΄΄ Professor of Biology & Environmental Science
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Jenna Monroy

  • Associate Professor of Biology
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Marion Preest

  • Professor of Biology
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Benjamin Schlau

  • Visiting Assistant Professor of Biology
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Aditi Vyas

  • Visiting Assistant Professor of Biology
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Emily Wiley

  • Professor of Biology
  • Associate Dean CMC

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Contact Us

Office of Admission

(909) 621-8129