Behavioral Biology Minor

Behavioral biology is the scientific discipline that aims to understand all aspects of the biological bases of animal behavior. These aspects include the causal mechanisms underlying behaviors (i.e., genetic, hormonal, neuronal, neuromodulatory, and sensory mechanisms), changes in behaviors over the animal's lifetime (i.e., during development or through learning), the adaptive value of behaviors (i.e., their contribution to survival and reproduction), and the evolutionary history of behaviors (i.e., how they change over evolutionary timescales). Consequently, the range of disciplines informing the study of behavioral biology is exceedingly broad and includes cell and developmental biology, endocrinology, ecology, economics, evolution, genetics, neuroscience, physiology, and psychology. Basic research in behavioral biology informs a diverse array of applied sciences, from conservation biology, to robotics, animal science, biomedical science, and veterinary medicine. Consistent with this breadth, the behavioral biology minor is an interdisciplinary curriculum through which students learn foundational concepts of behavioral biology, and gain perspectives about basic and applied issues involving the biology of animal behavior. Students will have the flexibility to tailor coursework to meet their own professional and career goals. Through a combination of courses, laboratories, and research opportunities, students who complete the minor will gain knowledge and skills that will enrich their lives and provide a base for subsequent work or study in the many fields touched by behavioral biology.