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Swenson College of Science and Engineering  Departments and Programs  Biology Department  What is Biology?

What is Biology?

What is Biology?
Biology is a natural science discipline that studies living things. It is a very large and broad field
due to the wide variety of life found on Earth, so individual biologists normally focus on specific
fields. These fields are either categorized by the scale of life or by the types of organisms
studied.

Scale of Life
For example, the scale of biology can cover everything from genetics, biochemistry and
molecular biology – studying the molecules of life inside our cells and how they help us function
– to cell biology which focuses on the basic unit of life. There is also anatomy, physiology and
other fields that focus on whole organisms, and to even larger scales such as animal behavior,
population biology, and ecology and systematics that study groups and entire communities of
organisms.

Study of Organisms
Other fields within biology focus on specific types of organisms such as bacteria and other
microbes (microbiology), viruses (virology), plants (botany), animals (zoology), wildlife biology
and marine biology. And often, biologists focus on both a particular scale and a particular
organism, such as plant cell biology.

Many of the most interesting recent discoveries in biology have happened at the intersection
with other disciplines such as biochemistry, biophysics, bioengineering, and computational
(mathematical) biology and these intersections will be increasingly important in the future.

Biology is also a foundation for other biology-based professions such as medicine, nursing and
allied health, pharmacy and pharmacology, dentistry, and veterinary medicine.

How do I know if Biology is right for me?

You may be wondering how to figure out what kind of biology and what career path is right for
you.

College is a journey, not a destination. One of the major goals of a college experience is to learn
what your path will be, as well as get an education that enables that path.

Some students come to UMD knowing exactly what they want for a major and what career path
they want to pursue. But it is more common for students to know generally what they are
interested in and then use their college experiences to help focus and define those goals.

Figuring Out a Focus

If you are interested in biology and the types of careers described above, you may still not know
precisely what kind of biology, or what kind of career you want. You will learn through your
coursework, discussions with your advisers, and other experiences here what you are most
interested in and you will be exposed to a wide variety of career options that can assist you in
choosing the right path for you.

Many students enter UMD with a general interest in science but do not know whether they will
pursue biology, chemistry or another related discipline. That is okay too. You will be exposed to
a broad spectrum of science, math and other disciplines as a first-year Swenson College
student that will help you determine what major is best for you. No one is locked into their
choice, particularly in the first two years.

Our advising staff is happy to talk with you about these different options so you can better
understand how to make the right choices.

What does a Biologist do?

Biologists with a Bachelor’s degree often do laboratory or field-based work directly related to
their undergraduate training. For example:
Work in an academic or private industry research lab.

Join a biology-based agency such as the state’s department of natural resources or forestry
service

Get hired by federal agencies such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency or U.S.
Department of Agriculture

Do environmental assessments or wildlife surveys with a consulting firm

Graduate School Options

You may decide to pursue graduate training in a sub-discipline at the Master’s and Ph.D. levels
to explore a broad spectrum of options including basic and applied research, working in
biotechnology and consulting.

Another popular option is to get your undergraduate biology degree as an entry point for
graduate programs that prepare you for careers in nursing, allied health, medicine, dentistry,
veterinary medicine or pharmacy.
Biology can also be your foundation for advanced training in other disciplines that allow for
specialization like law, policy making, scientific illustration, teaching, and a host of other career
paths.

Career Opportunities
UMD's most recent graduate follow-up report, shows we have a very high placement rate for
our graduates.

That means - nearly all students completing our program have successfully found work or
entered graduate school for further study after completing our program.

The report also includes information on where students found employment in case you're
interested in what career options would be available to you.

RELATED LINKS
Graduate Followup Report

Contact Us
biology@d.umn.edu
+1 218 726 6262
TTY/TTD
1-800-627-3529

Fax
+1 218 726 8142

Department of Biology University of Minnesota Duluth

1035 Kirby Drive 207 Swenson Science Building
Duluth, MN 55812
 Contact
140 Engineering Building
1303 Ordean Ct
Duluth, MN 55812

scse@d.umn.edu

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