Natural Sciences Department

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Jennifer Firestine, PhD, Department Head

Biological Sciences

The Biological Sciences Program offers several different degrees to prepare students for a variety of interesting and fulfilling career opportunities. Many students who elect to major in the biological sciences are interested in pursuing careers in healthcare, such as physician, dentist, physicians’ assistant, clinical laboratory scientist, and many others. For these students, the Bachelor of Science in biological sciences is the best degree choice. It is also the best preparation for students who plan to pursue graduate studies in biology and related fields. Many students who elect to major in biological sciences because they plan to teach at the high school level. For those students, the Biological Sciences Program offers the Bachelor of Arts in biological sciences with certification in secondary education which prepares students to teach high school biology.

Students who plan to enter the workforce immediately after earning a bachelor’s degree often pursue the Bachelor of Arts in biological sciences. These graduates find employment in testing and research labs in a variety of industry and academic settings.

Access biological sciences minor here .

Chemistry

The field of chemistry offers diverse opportunities for those students graduating with a major in chemistry. Degrees in chemistry prepare students for careers in industry, teaching, and graduate school programs and may be used as a pre-professional program for students wishing to apply for medical, dental, optometry, veterinary, or related programs.

Those graduates who culminate their education with a bachelor’s degree will be prepared for opportunities in the chemical industry in either the laboratory, sales, or product development areas. Students looking to teach chemistry and other sciences in high schools will benefit from one of the various degree plans offering Missouri state certification in secondary education. Those students who wish to extend their education should choose to pursue one of the Bachelor of Science degrees, which are more appropriately suited for graduate work in chemistry and biochemistry. The Bachelor of Science with an emphasis in biochemistry is well-suited as a pre-health science degree, requiring a number of the chemistry, math, and biology courses required by such professional programs.

A minor in chemistry is an ideal complement for those students pursuing degrees in criminal justice, business administration, biology, or psychology. The minor also opens additional career opportunities for post-graduate careers in the fields of forensics, pharmaceutical sales, patent law, and healthcare administration.

Access biochemistry minor here .

Access chemistry minor here .

Typical Coursework

Majors in chemistry are required to complete significant coursework in math, chemistry, and physics as well as biology for the biochemistry emphasis. Typically, the major requires that the student participate in at least one lab course per semester with many semesters in which multiple lab courses are required. Chemistry is an exciting field that focuses on critical thinking through both qualitative and quantitative problems that are applicable to real world scenarios, ranging from energy consumption and environmental issues to pharmaceuticals and criminal investigations. Majors should enjoy both math and science courses and should be prepared to work outside of the classroom on course assignments, lab work, and reports.

Environmental Sciences

The Earth Sciences Program offers a Bachelor of Science degree in environmental science, as well as courses in earth sciences. A degree in environmental sciences provides students with the necessary skill sets to find a job related to the environment in business, industry or a regulatory agency, or as preparation for further training in graduate school. This degree prepares students in the physical and chemical processes related to the environment that allows them to perform a variety of tasks required of environmental scientists, such as: project planning; data acquisition; physical and chemical analysis of samples to identify threats to the environment; data processing and analysis; assessment of potential environmental hazards and health risks; environmental remediation techniques and their evaluation; preparation of technical reports and presentations to explain environmental findings.

Additionally, the curriculum offered in earth sciences meets or provides the following:

• Requirements for secondary science teachers when demand for science educators is at an all-time high.
• Additional flexibility in meeting the general education science requirements for all undergraduates.
• New opportunities for undergraduates interested in environmental science.

Physics

Courses in physics are offered in the College of Science, Technology, and Health in support of majors in other academic programs. No physics major is offered at this time. However, a minor in engineering physics is offered, which requires the completion of 38 credit hours of coursework.

Access engineering physics minor here .

Pre-Engineering

Students can take the first two or three years of their pre-engineering program at Lindenwood and complete the remainder of their degree in their chosen engineering specialty at an affiliated university. Depending on the program, the student can either obtain a single degree in engineering or two degrees: one from Lindenwood in the student’s major and an engineering degree from the affiliated university. Engineering programs typically require completion of a certain core of courses in mathematics, physics, computer science, chemistry and engineering. Since the specific core course requirement depends upon the engineering specialty and the engineering degree desired from the transfer university, each pre-engineering student should contact a Lindenwood Liaison Officer for Engineering as an advisor so that the student will be on track for his or her program. Note that any student intending to finish at Lindenwood in the given number of years must be prepared to take MTH 27100  (Calculus I) during the first semester.

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