BS in Biology

At Siena Heights, you are part of an extended family that meets regularly inside and outside of the classroom. In addition to hands-on collaborative learning, students also gather regularly for field trips, special lectures, community projects, or simply to study.

Working with faculty mentors, students conduct meaningful field and/or lab research with data analysis. Siena Heights University biology students have won numerous national research awards over the past few years.

SHU biology graduates have a 95 percent acceptance rate into medical, chiropractic, podiatric, veterinary, and graduate school.

The Biology department offers its students unique and distinguishing opportunities:

• As early as freshman year, Siena Heights University students can gain early acceptance into medical, dental, or pharmacy school at the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine.
• In partnership with the Adrian Dominican Sisters, biology students explore a 7-acre field site to learn permaculture (permanent-agriculture), an ethical design system for land use that emphasizes sustainability, integration, and cooperation with natural systems.
• First-year students can join faculty-led research teams, such as our Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System (STARS) group research project.

Where your educational journey leads you depends in part on where you start. In the Biology department, our approach to education, which combines a supportive community learning environment with a broad spectrum of challenging courses, in-depth lab, and field experiences, and intensive research projects, has successfully prepared our graduates for their future careers.

Fast Fact

Successful high school graduates entering SHU who satisfy Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine’s admission criteria will be offered a provisional acceptance to LECOM’s Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, School of Dental Medicine, or School of Pharmacy program. After graduation from SHU, the student will then matriculate to LECOM.

Program Distinctions

• The biology curriculum includes innovative and engaging coursework, including ecological kayaking trips on Cedar Lake and hikes through 400-year-old Gall Woods Old Growth Forest, and is led by outstanding professors such as three-time Rice Outstanding Teaching Award-winner Dr. Carl Kaster.
• The biology program offers its majors select opportunities through its affiliated partners, including early acceptance into Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine’s medical, dental, or pharmacy schools. Finally, majors can study sustainable agricultural practices at the Adrian Dominican Sisters’ permaculture site.
• Working with faculty mentors, students can conduct scientific research and data analysis. SHU biology students include 29 TriBeta regional award winners and two national research champions.

Siena Heights University is a Catholic university founded in 1919 and sponsored by the Adrian Dominican Sisters. Enrolling a diverse community of traditional-age and working adult students, Siena Heights is a coeducational institution accredited by the Higher Learning Commission that was founded in the liberal arts tradition, offering associate’s, bachelor’s, and master’s degrees. The University is headquartered in Adrian, Mich., with degree completion centers in Dearborn, Southfield, Benton Harbor, Monroe, Battle Creek, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Jackson, and Online.

Mission

The name Siena honors St. Catherine of Siena, a 14th-century Italian Dominican who dedicated her life to a quest for truth and social responsibility. Similarly, the mission of the institution – to help students become more competent, purposeful, and ethical – grows out of the philosophy of Siena.

Throughout its history, Siena Heights has built a proud tradition of innovative responses to challenging social needs. Originally a college for women who intended to become teachers, Siena broadened its offerings over the years and by the 1950s was recognized as one of the nation’s 10 best liberal arts colleges for women.

The mission of Siena Heights University, a Catholic University founded and sponsored by the Adrian Dominican Sisters, is to assist people to become more competent, purposeful, and ethical through a teaching and learning environment which respects the dignity of all.

Accreditation

Higher Learning Commission

In addition to the accreditation of Siena Heights University by the Higher Learning Commission, the following academic programs are accredited by their professional organizations:

• BFA and BA Programs in Art are accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD).
• BSW in Social Work is accredited by the Council for Social Work Education’s Commission on Accreditation (CSWE).
• The Division of Education at Siena Heights University is granted Accreditation at the initial-licensure level by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP).
• The baccalaureate degree programs in nursing at Siena Heights University are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), 655 K Street NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20001, 202-887-6791.
• The master’s degree program in nursing at Siena Heights University is pursuing initial accreditation by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), 655 K Street NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20001, 202-887-6791. Applying for accreditation does not guarantee that accreditation will be granted.

Siena Heights holds membership in the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities, the Michigan Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Michigan, the Michigan Colleges Foundation (MCF), the Council of Independent Colleges, the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, the Council for Opportunity in Education, the Association of Governing Boards, the National Association of College and University Business Officers, and several athletic conferences, including the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference.

The University is authorized to prepare students for teacher certification in Michigan and other states. Upon request, students may review University accreditation at the office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs, Sacred Heart Hall, Room 202, on the Adrian campus.