COAS begins 2 new majors

The IU College of Arts and Sciences has added two new Bachelor of Sciences degrees, human biology and biotechnology. Biotechnology has been offered as an intended major since fall 2004, meaning students could declare it as their major. The earliest expected graduation date for anyone majoring in the field is May 2008 because upper-level required courses will be offered beginning in fall 2006. \nHuman biology has been offered as a certificate for students with a large blend of credit hours on their transcripts, said Program Director Whitney Schlegel. The Department of Biology is now offering it as a major as well. \n"The plan was originally to go for a major, but the certificate serves a different population," Schlegel said. "The two overlap, but the certificate is designed for students who are engaging in broader fields of study. We are offering a core curriculum that is innovative and integrative." \nBiotechnology combines elements of several sciences, especially chemistry and biology. The major requires no less than 122 completed credit hours, including 18 hours in chemistry and 43 hours in biotechnology-related courses, including general biology, microbiology, molecular biology and biochemistry, according to the IU Department of Biology Web site.\n"I think that the complex problems that are facing the 21st century mandate that we approach things from an interdisciplinary perspective. We allow students to bring together several disciplines at once," Schlegel said. "There are problems in the world today, global warming, bird flu, etc. that cannot be solved by focusing on only one discipline. Human biology is a field of study that brings together biology and humanities and social sciences to help students better solve the social and biological problems that we face today." \nThe program helps to better prepare students for the world they will enter upon graduation, said senior biology major Albert Marks. \n"For the future, you need to be prepared," Marks said. "You can't just focus on one area of study because you need to be able to relate to a wide range of people and issues in today's world." \nMarks said the human biology program was very helpful to him as a pre-med student. \n"I wish they had offered this as a major when I was a freshman," he said.\nThe program seeks to help students better analyze and critically consume the world around them in terms of everyday science. \n"We are going to foster a type of graduate who is ready to lead and excel in many different areas," Schlegel said. "They will be leaders because they can critically understand the nature of science. Students in human biology will gain a better overall understanding of what it means to be human"