Department of Biology

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Chair: John W. Moon Jr., Ph.D.

Associate Chair: Steven C. Moore, Ph.D.

Professors:

Ronald Doran, M.S.
John W. Moon Jr., Ph.D.
Steven C. Moore, Ph.D.
Michael V. Plummer, Ph.D.

Associate Professors:

Joe Goy, Ph.D.
Nathan E. Mills, Ph.D.

Assistant Professors:

Benjamin F. Bruner, Ph.D.
Steve Cooper, M.S.
Jo Goy, M.S.
Rebecca Rampey, Ph.D.
Don Sanders, M.S., M.Ed., MT (ASCP)

The mission of the Department of Biology is to give students a deep appreciation and understanding of the diverse life on earth and instill in students a sense of their God-given responsibility to be good stewards of that life. In pursuit of this mission, we strive to:

Give students a rigorous working knowledge of the database from which current biologists work and an in-depth understanding of the theoretical framework for organizing this knowledge;
Train students in the process by which biological data are gathered, analyzed and interpreted;
Encourage critical thinking when evaluating biological data and theories; and
Encourage students to develop an internally consistent philosophy of life that integrates science and scripture and recognizes God as the source of all life.

Students who major in biology at Harding University are prepared to:

Be competitive in graduate school in the biological sciences, fisheries and wildlife programs;
Be competitive in professional schools such as medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine;
Teach in the biological sciences at the primary and secondary levels; and
Fill entry-level positions as research technicians in nonprofit organizations, industry and government.

In addition, students who take nonmajors courses in biology are provided with a basic knowledge of biology as a necessary part of their general education.

Biology majors may elect either the Bachelor of Arts degree – if licensing to teach – or the Bachelor of Science degree. Senior majors must take the Major Field Test in Biology, preferably during the last semester.

As a rule, students with ACT math scores of 29 and below (O-SAT 630 and below; R-SAT 630 and below) need leveling work before taking MATH 201 . Students with ACT math scores between 19 and 24 (O-SAT between 410 and 530; R-SAT between 450 and 550) should take MATH 151 (4 hours) and MATH 152 (2 hours); those with ACT math scores between 25 and 29 (O-SAT between 540 and 630; R-SAT between 560 and 630) should take MATH 171 (5 hours). Leveling work decreases electives or increases total hours in the degree.