Biology is the study of life, from the molecular level to the whole organism to the global biosphere. Biologists explore all aspects of living systems, and biological discoveries continue to improve human health, food production, and environmental sustainability.
This Biology major provides a foundation in biological principles with the largest range of flexibility in electives to explore a variety of biological topics. As a Biology major you learn to identify, alter or manage biological processes from single cells to whole organisms.
Other majors in the Biological Sciences:
| Botany | Microbiology | Genetics |
| Zoology | Pre-Professional Zoology | Neuroscience |
| Environment & Sustainability | Health & Human Kinetics | Biochemistry |
Every Biology major is encouraged to seek distinctive learning, research, and field experiences. These often take the form of independent study, summer research at OWU or other institutions, summer classes at a biological field station, and internships at hospitals and ecological or agricultural centers.
Jemil Ahmed ('17) studied how turmeric, a common spice in Asian cusine, affects genes that combat virus infections.
Travel-Learning Courses provide a unique way to go from theory into practice—and to journey to a distant land and interact with people from other cultures. OWU offers dozens of these courses each year (usually during spring break or at the end of classes in May), and the University covers a substantial portion of the travel costs, lodging, meals, and on-site transportation.
In a class taught by Professor Laurie Anderson, students examined three Brazilian ecosystems as case studies: Manaus, a city on the Amazon River; the Chapada savanna region; and an ecotourism lodge in the Pantanal, a wetlands area.
Ohio Wesleyan maintains multiple "living labs." At OWU, you'll find a campus arboretum, an herbarium with 16,000 specimens, the Moore Greenhouse with almost 500 specimens from around the world, and two forested nature preserves.
OWU's 150,000-square-foot science center features an array of sophisticated equipment for hands-on use by OWU students. Examples of the technology include digital imaging equipment, 3D printer, fluorescence microscope, scanning transmission electron microscope, and state-of-the-art equipment for molecular biology studies.
Students have the opportunity to engage full-time in cutting-edge research with faculty mentors at OWU, with free on-campus housing and a generous stipend for 10 weeks in the summer. Students present their findings at an all-college scientific symposium and often at national and international conferences.
Chloe presented her undergraduate research at the American Society for Microbiology Annual meeting in New Orleans. After graduating from OWU, she worked at Neogen Corp. and went on to study medicine at Michigan State University.
A Saddleback caterpillar at the OWU Kraus Wilderness Preserve.
Rainforests, cloud fountains, and the flying river of Brazil
Students organizing soil and biological samples collected from a local stream.
