collageBiology Major Programs
Goals and Learning Outcomes
The focus of Harvey Mudd’s biology program is on preparing students for professional practice in diverse areas related to biology. Following graduation the majority of our students go on to PhD programs in the life sciences or into the workforce in technical fields. With these outcomes in mind, our curriculum is structured to provide students with the general technical and communication skills required to succeed in a broad range of scientific settings. Upon graduation from our program we expect HMC students to:
- Understand fundamental principles of biology and how we know what we know.
- Appreciate the breadth of biology, its interfaces with other disciplines, and its impact on society.
- Be able to take intellectual and practical ownership of their work and demonstrate maturity and responsibility as scientists.
To achieve these broad goals effectively, we believe all biology majors should be able to:
- understand and effectively communicate the foundational scientific principles and findings in biology;
- read and critically interpret the primary scientific literature;
- formulate hypotheses and plan and execute experiments to test those hypotheses;
- understand the use of and be able to apply quantitative methods to interpret biological data;
- communicate results in writing using conventional scientific formats;
- communicate results orally through formal presentations and by leading and participating in discussions;
- synthesize ideas from multiple sources into a literature review or research proposal;
- demonstrate teamwork and leadership skills;
- demonstrate an understanding of how biology relates to current issues in the world.
The biology curriculum includes five primary components, each of which addresses a subset of these learning outcomes:
Core lecture courses. All biology majors take a required set of lecture courses designed to cover the fundamental principles of biology and to instill an appreciation for the breadth of biology. Each of these core courses also begins to introduce students to primary literature in the field (learning outcomes 1, 2, 9).
Laboratory courses. All biology majors take a required Introductory Laboratory course and at least two upper level laboratories. Laboratory courses are designed to serve learning outcomes 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8.
Seminar courses. All biology majors are required to complete at least one seminar-style course, defined as a course in which material is covered primarily by discussion of readings from the primary literature and students give substantial oral presentations and write a significant synthetic paper. Seminar courses address learning outcomes 2, 6, 7 and (often) 9.
Colloquium. Weekly research presentations by invited speakers from other institutions increase the breadth of biological topics to which students are exposed, encourage critical thinking, and model professional communication skills, serving learning outcomes 1, 2, 6 and 9.
Senior thesis. As seniors, all biology majors put learning outcomes 1-9 into practice by completing a year-long independent research project or team clinic project.
Major Requirements
A biology major must successfully complete the following courses:
Biology Core
- BIOL054 HM – Experimental Biology Laboratory
- BIOL154 HM – Biostatistics
- BIOL101 HM – Comparative Physiology
- BIOL108 HM – Ecology and Environmental Biology
- BIOL109 HM – Evolutionary Biology
- BIOL113 HM – Molecular Genetics
- CHEM056 HM – Organic Chemistry I
- CHEM058 HM – Organic Chemistry I Laboratory
- CHEM105 HM – Organic Chemistry II
Biology Electives
Eleven credits of advanced biology, selected by the student and advisor. Electives must include:
At least two Harvey Mudd laboratory courses, selected from:
- BIOL103 HM – Comparative Physiology Laboratory
- BIOL110 HM – Experimental Ecology Laboratory
- BIOL111 HM – Molecular and Cellular Biology Laboratory
- BIOL184 HM – Biochemistry Laboratory
and
One Harvey Mudd seminar-style course (requiring student presentations and reading from the primary literature), some examples include:
- BIOL121 HM – Marine Ecology
- BIOL129 HM – Topics in Human Evolution
- BIOL183 HM – Topics in Physiology
- BIOL185 HM – Special Topics in Biology (most offerings)
- BIOL189 HM – Topics in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (most offerings)
Related non-biology technical courses may be substituted for advanced biology courses with permission of the department. With prior departmental permission, up to two credits of Biology 197 may count as Biology Electives.
- BIOL197 HM – Directed Reading in Biology
Colloquium
Four semesters of Biology Colloquium:
- BIOL191 HM – Biology Colloquium
The colloquium requirement is waived for any semester during which a student is away on a study abroad program.
Harvey Mudd Engineering Ranking
Harvey Mudd College’s undergraduate engineering program is ranked No. 1 in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges 2019, tied with Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. Harvey Mudd’s ranking is among colleges that offer a bachelor’s or master’s as the top degree in engineering. The College has tied for first place four out of the past five years.
Harvey Mudd’s engineering department was also recognized in the “Best in the Specialties” section, coming in at No. 4 for electrical/electronic/communications engineering, No. 5 for civil engineering and No. 5 for computer engineering. Harvey Mudd offers a broad yet deep general engineering degree that emphasizes experiential, hands-on learning and team-based projects with real-world applications.
In the overall ranking for national liberal arts colleges, Harvey Mudd shares the No. 18 spot with Colby, U.S. Military Academy (Westpoint) and Wesleyan.
Harvey Mudd is No. 4 on the High School Counselors’ Top College Picks, sharing the slot with Amherst, Bowdoin, Swarthmore and Williams.
Harvey Mudd ranked No. 18 on the Best Undergraduate Teaching list, tied with Middlebury and Smith.
On this year’s list of Most Innovative Schools, a ranking that highlights colleges making the most innovative improvements in terms of curriculum, faculty, students, campus life, technology or facilities, Harvey Mudd shares the No. 8 spot with Amherst, Carleton and Vassar.
In the category of Campus Ethnic Diversity, an unranked list, Harvey Mudd came in near the top with a score of 0.72. Increasing diversity has been a strategic priority for Harvey Mudd; the 2015–2016 entering class was the most ethnically diverse in the College’s history, and each incoming class since has contributed to building a more diverse community. Harvey Mudd was also on the unranked list of top colleges for economic diversity, with 13 percent of students receiving Pell grants, and on the unranked list of colleges with the largest percentage of international students with 10 percent of the student body coming from other countries.
U.S. News & World Report’s 2019 rankings were based on a selection of indicators of quality, including: outcomes, which includes a new factor, social mobility, along with graduation and retention rates (35 percent, up from 30 percent in 2018); faculty resources (20 percent); expert opinion, an assessment of excellence by peers and counselors (20 percent, down from 22.5 percent in 2018); financial resources (10 percent); student excellence (10 percent, down from 12.5 percent in 2018); and alumni giving (5 percent).
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