Bachelor of Science in Biology (STEM)

at State University of New York College at Brockport USA

The Department of Women and Gender Studies works to make the diversity of women’s and gendered perspectives visible and to promote student success within an academic, professional, and personal context. The major curriculum seeks to provide students with the occasion to investigate the intersections of sex, gender, race, ethnicity, class, age, sexuality, and ability as dimensions of social identity, and as considered at local, national, and transnational levels.

This interdisciplinary major offers students a well-rounded undergraduate education leading to expertise in a wide variety of skills that prepare students for career and graduate school success. Students have an opportunity to understand themselves and their society within an inclusive view of the human experience.

Recent Women and Gender Studies graduates have gone on to highly competitive masters and doctorate programs in law, sociology, gender studies, history, social work, communications, public health, and English at nationally recognized research universities. Graduates stepping into the workforce have assumed careers as crisis counselors, government officials, librarians, human rights activists, and Peace Corps/AmeriCorps volunteers.

Student Learning Outcomes:

Upon completion of the program, students will be able to:

• Describe why centering anti-racist and decolonizing work is essential to effective social justice work and feminist thinking.
• Explain how patriarchy and other sex/gender systems of power intersect with other systems of power.
• Theorize ways in which bodies and social identities are culturally and historically constructed and shaped.
• Identify and critically evaluate research and scholarly arguments within the field of Women and Gender Studies.
• Identify and analyze language, media representation, and dominant forms of communication to produce an original argument about how power and privilege operate in society.
• Apply collaborative strategies and knowledge of Women and Gender to imagine and create transformative feminist futures.

Our program will help you develop foreign language skills and cross-cultural competencies. You will also have opportunities to participate in an international exchange program and complete an internship to gain exposure on a global stage.  

The AACSB-accredited International Business Major provides an interdisciplinary education combining core courses in business and advanced courses in international business as well as courses in foreign language, culture, and opportunities for participation in study abroad and foreign internship. Graduates gain knowledge and skills for careers in business and other organizations with international operations. The program also prepares students for graduate study.

Students interested in business studies may also wish to consider the College's majors in accounting, business administration, finance and marketing.

What You’ll Learn

Our interdisciplinary degree in International Business equips you with in-depth knowledge and understanding of international business, marketing, finance, and economics. It will prepare you for a career in business anywhere in the world.

The study of philosophy is excellent preparation for a career in any field that requires clear, analytical thinking, writing, and speaking, including law, government, teaching and education, the ministry, business and management, publishing, and many other fields. Philosophy is traditionally considered the premier major for those planning to apply to law school. Philosophy majors score on average significantly higher on the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) than do the majors in any of the humanities or social sciences, including political science, history, and English; and philosophy majors on average are accepted to law school at higher rates than are students majoring in many other popular pre-law fields. Philosophy is also an excellent double major.

The Department of Philosophy sponsors the College's chapter of Phi Sigma Tau, the International Honors Philosophy Society, which recognizes student academic excellence. The Department also operates the Center for Philosophic Exchange, which sponsors free public guest lectures on campus by distinguished philosophers and publishes the on-line journal, Philosophic Exchange.

Student Learning Outcomes:

Upon completion of the program, students will be able to:

• Present a philosophical problem, by (1) concisely and precisely stating a philosophical problem to be resolved by an argument or essay, (2) explaining why the problem is significant, (3) explaining the scope of the problem, (4) defining any terms necessary for understanding the problem.
• Explicate the meaning of a philosophical theory by (1) correctly deducing the logical implications of that theory, (2) describing those implications in terms of specific examples, (3) recognizing when another statement or theory contradicts the relevant theory explicitly, (4) recognizing when another statement or theory contradicts the relevant theory implicitly.
• Demonstrate understanding of evidence by (1) correctly stating what counts as relevant evidence for a philosophical position, (2) correctly stating what counts as relevant evidence against the argument for a philosophical position and recognizing that evidence as such, (3) explaining why any cited evidence is relevant or irrelevant to a philosophical position, (4) distinguishing evidentiary claims about a philosophical position from rhetorically persuasive but specious claims about a philosophical position.
• Demonstrate knowledge of logic, by (1) recognizing arguments, (2) constructing good arguments, (3) evaluating arguments, (4) avoiding fallacies (e.g. begging the question).
• Demonstrate knowledge of dialectical method in philosophy, by (1) formulating possible objections to the thesis of an essay, (2) formulating possible objections to the argument for the essay's thesis, (3) responding to possible objections to the essay's thesis by showing that they are mistaken, (4) responding to possible objections to the argument for the essay's thesis by showing that they are mistaken.

This major allows a typical student to obtain a Bachelor of Science in Medical Technology from SUNY Brockport upon the satisfactory completion of all program requirements. A typical student fulfills the General Education and major requirements during the first three years. The fourth year, Clinical Year, is completed at an approved clinical site (Hospital/Medical Lab) and includes both theoretical study and practical work. The BS in Medical Technology is awarded upon the satisfactory completion of these program requirements. Completing the Clinical Year (sometime referred to as internship) makes the student eligible to take the National Registry Examination, which the student must pass to be certified as a Registered Medical Technologist.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the program, students will be able to:

• Define and accurately use biological terminology and nomenclature.
• Evaluate and analyze biological problems using knowledge of cell structure and function.
• Integrate interdisciplinary concepts to assess tissues, organs and systems.
• Evaluate and analyze biological problems using knowledge of genetics and evolution.
• Compare and contrast origins and diversity of life to explain life processes.
• Competently employ common laboratory equipment.
• Analyze and interpret scientific data, using relevant computer skills.
• Use quantitative reasoning to analyze complex biological problems.
• Apply biological knowledge to societal issues.
• Apply clinical knowledge of Medical Technology as demonstrated by satisfactory score on the New York State Licensure Examination.

Anthropologists study human behavior and thought in both the past and the present with the goal of improving our world. We holistically draw on sociocultural, archaeological, and biological approaches to engage with humanity’s current challenges: the outcomes of the humanity-environment relationship; human rights abuses and the need for social justice; and the complexities of human heritage and identities. Whether through ethnographic fieldwork, archaeological excavation, biological lab work, or visual and material cultural analysis, our students and faculty collaborate closely to learn and improve our knowledge of human variation. This is an invaluable resource for our students as they prepare for a more complex future.

The Anthropology Major consists of 24 required course credits plus 12 elective credits that allow students to augment their education with a dual major or minor in another field applicable to their goals and needs.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the program, students will be able to:

• Knowledge base. Students gain an understanding of the broad knowledge base of human biocultural diversity through time and across cultures, as provided through archaeology, biological and cultural anthropology.
• Methods. Students gain knowledge and skills in the different anthropological research methods used in the sub-fields of archaeology, biological or cultural anthropology.
• Theory. Students learn to define and describe anthropological theory as used in current and past practice by anthropologists, in archaeology, biological and/or cultural anthropology.
• Critical Thinking. Students develop the ability to question, reflect and critique the data and arguments upon which evaluations of human diversity, behavior and change are made.
• Analysis. Students learn to apply theories and methods to explain or interpret anthropological problems, including cross-cultural patterns of social behavior, human evolution, and social change over time and space.
• Ethics. Students learn the appropriate procedures and protocols for obtaining informed consent or access permissions, in order to avoid harm or wrong to one’s human or non-human subjects and descendants.

Neuroscience is a growing interdisciplinary field that draws upon the knowledge-base from biology, chemistry, and psychology. You will learn how to effectively communicate and work with experts across all three fields as well as how to apply their varied approaches to problem-solving. Select from many upper-division courses to deepen your knowledge in what interests you the most about neuroscience.

SUNY Brockport is one of the first SUNY institutions to offer an undergraduate degree in neuroscience.

You will have the opportunity for hands-on instruction through lab and field courses as well as high-impact experiences through undergraduate research and internships.

What You’ll Learn

You will receive a solid foundation in biology, chemistry, and psychology in order to communicate and work with experts to uncover the how our brain and nervous system work.

Our biochemistry degree opens doors to cutting edge knowledge — molecular biology, chemical biology, neuroscience, pharmaceuticals, and more. Our electives build on these foundations so you can tailor your education to your goals.

The English major is designed for students who wish to pursue a passion for reading and writing, and for those who seek a versatile education as they prepare for careers in education, law, business administration, public relations, advertising, government, or any field where analytical excellence and effective use of the English language are essential. English majors choose between a literature or creative writing concentration (outlined below), where their course work is designed to develop analytical, research, and creative skills.

Preparing for Business, Law and Public Service: Literature courses which emphasize psychological, social and verbal analysis provide a solid basis for the type of critical thinking needed in professional positions, while courses in writing, business communication, journalism/ publication, etc. provide a solid basis in communication skills central to these areas.

Student Life: The Writers Forum connects students with significant contemporary writers and critics. The English Club offers a variety of activities, including the publication of a student-run literary journal. Sigma Tau Delta, an international honor society, recognizes significant academic accomplishment. Awards are available for student scholarship and outstanding literary-critical, fiction, poetry and non-fiction writing.

Study Abroad: A variety of study abroad programs are available and encouraged. Our students have spent semesters abroad everywhere from England and Australia to France and Spain. Contact the Center for Global Education and Engagement to explore these opportunities.

Student Learning Outcomes:

Upon completion of the program,

Creative Writing Track students will be able to:

• Analyze the relationship between literary form and meaning, taking into consideration literary techniques and devices.
• Construct arguments about literary works using historical contexts.
• Apply basic elements of creative writing craft, including such elements as control of form and figurative language.
• Identify reputable and relevant sources, and incorporate the words and ideas of others without misrepresentation and with appropriate documentation practices.
• Write in conformity with standard usage and grammar.

Literature Track students will be able to:

• Analyze the relationship between literary form and meaning, taking into consideration literary techniques and devices.
• Construct arguments about literary works using historical contexts.
• Argue with a command of the rhetorical strategies, terms, and major interpretive methods characteristic of academic writing in the Humanities.
• Identify reputable and relevant sources, and incorporate the words and ideas of others without misrepresentation and with appropriate documentation practices.
• Write in conformity with standard usage and grammar.

The English Major Adolescent Education Inclusive Generalist Track will allow students to prepare for CSTs in English and SWD-Generalist certification. Students will complete a program of study to teach English in grades 5-12 and Students with Disabilities as a Generalist 7-12. The program allows every student who so chooses the option of preparing for a career as an English teacher and as a Generalist special education teacher. Students in this track may pursue either the Literature or Creative Writing concentrations.

The English major is designed for students who wish to pursue a passion for reading and writing, and for those who seek a versatile education as they prepare for careers in education, law, business administration, public relations, advertising, government, or any field where analytical excellence and effective use of the English language are essential. English majors choose between a literature or creative writing concentration, where their course work is designed to develop analytical, research, and creative skills.

The Major in English Adolescence Inclusive Education Generalist Track (EAIEG) is a 126-credit program. It includes 46 credits of EDI/PRO courses and 36 credits to complete the English Major Content Core. As with all other undergraduate degrees, students in the program will have to complete 32 credits of General Education courses. Because some General Education courses also count as content core or pedagogy core, there will be room for electives. This curriculum meets the requirements for initial certification as outlined by the State Education Department for Adolescence Education (grades 5 through 12). Students will have an assigned advisor in the English department who will work closely with colleagues in the Department of Education.

Student Learning Outcomes:
Upon completion of the program,

Creative Writing Track students will be able to:

• Analyze the relationship between literary form and meaning, taking into consideration literary techniques and devices.
• Construct arguments about literary works using historical contexts.
• Apply basic elements of creative writing craft, including such elements as control of form and figurative language.
• Identify reputable and relevant sources, and incorporate the words and ideas of others without misrepresentation and with appropriate documentation practices.
• Write in conformity with standard usage and grammar.

Literature Track students will be able to:

• Analyze the relationship between literary form and meaning, taking into consideration literary techniques and devices.
• Construct arguments about literary works using historical contexts.
• Argue with a command of the rhetorical strategies, terms, and major interpretive methods characteristic of academic writing in the Humanities.
• Identify reputable and relevant sources, and incorporate the words and ideas of others without misrepresentation and with appropriate documentation practices.
• Write in conformity with standard usage and grammar.

The Master of Science in Biology provides students with a solid and comprehensive background in the field of biological sciences, including molecular biology, cell biology, physiology, genetics, microbiology, human biology and developmental biology. Upon completion of the program, students are prepared to enter a PhD program, medical or dental schools; work in academic, industrial or government research laboratories; or teach biologically related courses at the community college level or at the K-12 grade level (providing the student holds the appropriate New York state teaching certificate). Small class sizes and close working relationships with the advisor and advisory committee are ideal for students seeking a rigorous graduate education in a small-college atmosphere. A limited number of graduate teaching and research assistantships are available.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the program, students will be able to:

• Use appropriate biological terminology to clearly communicate scientific results in oral presentations and written reports targeting for a variety of audiences.
• Develop a testable hypothesis and design appropriate experiments to solve biological problems.
• Critically evaluate and interpret experimental results.
• Solve quantitative problems that are routinely encountered in research laboratories using basic mathematical and statistical skills.
• Competently employ common laboratory equipment and develop an understanding of relevant theory, strengths and limitations for techniques.
• Integrate concepts in cellular and molecular biology to explain higher level biological systems.