Biological Sciences
www.linnbenton.edu/biology
The Biology Department provides a variety of courses to meet the needs and interests of at least four groups of students:
- Transfer students in majors other than science who take general biology courses to meet their perspectives or the science requirement for an Associate of Arts Oregon Transfer, Associate of Science or Bachelor’s degree.
- Students who require specific biology courses in order to earn a degree or certificate. For example, students in the Nursing, Dental Assisting and Animal Technology programs are required to take courses such as Human Anatomy and Physiology, Nutrition or Microbiology.
- Science majors in fields such as biology, forestry, fisheries and wildlife, agriculture, or pre-medicine who complete their first two years at LBCC, then transfer to a four-year institution. These students enroll in required courses such as Biology or Wildlife Conservation.
- Students who have a general interest in biology, natural history, or the environment.
In biology courses, students learn to understand life processes, the diversity of life and the role and responsibility of humans in the natural environment. Most courses are laboratory or field oriented.
The department offers two Associate of Science degrees.
The Associate of Science degree with an emphasis in Biological Sciences is a lower-division transfer program designed to assist students planning to complete their baccalaureate studies in a biological science at Oregon State University, where baccalaureate degrees may be earned in biology, microbiology, botany, entomology, general science or integrative biology.
The Associate of Science degree with an emphasis in Fisheries and Wildlife is designed for students who want to complete their lower-division coursework prior to transferring to a four-year institution. It allows for completion of general education requirements, as well as preparatory coursework for continued study in fisheries and wildlife. It is a lower-division transfer program designed to transfer to Oregon State University (OSU) or another four-year school with a program in fisheries and wildlife. Students completing the degree requirements of either Associate of Science degree will be prepared to enroll in upper-division coursework.
Students seeking to transfer to an institution other than OSU may be best served by pursuing an AA(OT) while taking specific biology, physical science and mathematics courses that will transfer to the student’s selected college or university. The AA(OT) is a general transfer degree and does not include program requirements. It is important that you identify the four-year school you plan to attend. You should review the requirements of the program you plan to study at that institution and take those classes at LBCC. You may want to work with two advisors; one at LBCC and a second at the institution you hope to attend to make sure you are taking the courses that will meet program requirements.
Program Requirements
Both Associate of Science degrees are designed to be completed in two years. This assumes that entering students are prepared to take MTH 111Z Precalculus I: Functions, WR 121Z Composition I, and CH 121 or CH 221. If this is not the case, students need to allow extra time to complete this degree.
CH 221 General Chemistry, which is usually taken in the first term of the Biological Sciences program, requires that students possess a basic knowledge of chemistry prior to enrolling in the course. In order to fulfill this requirement a student must either:
- Pass a Chemistry Entrance Exam, or
- Take a college-level chemistry course (CH 112, CH 121, or CH 150).
To schedule an entrance exam or for further information contact the Student Assessment Center.