Minor in Biology
Enhance your academic study through an exploration of the living world.
A minor in biology at UMass Amherst will give you a broader understanding of the living world to add context to your academic major. Many students choose the biology minor to enhance their study in a related field, such as chemistry, psychology, environmental science, and animal sciences, among others.
The biology minor is flexible. You’ll take courses in the biological sciences, choosing to focus on areas such as genetics and molecular biology, cellular biology and development, physiology, evolution and biodiversity, or ecology and behavior. Many of our courses include a lab or field component, giving you the opportunity for hands-on learning with your faculty and peers.
A minor in biology will not only deepen your knowledge of the world around you, but also build the research, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills that many employers and graduate programs require.
In the spotlight
For his honors thesis, Aaronson is investigating the genetic basis of bone plasticity. Working with cichlids, a type of fish, Aaronson studies how the environment affects bone plasticity over time. “It’s not just what’s going on inside the body, there is some chemical interplay between the environment and the DNA,” he says.
Biology
Through rigorous courses and hands-on research and fieldwork, learn how to study and understand more about the diversity of living things.