A degree in biology is not only for those who want to become biologists or who want to teach biology and a basic training in the principles of biology is essential for those who want to work in such lucrative areas as medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine. There are indeed online biology degree programs available and, although there are not that many of them right now, it is only a matter of time before more of the on-campus degree programs are streamlined so as to be presented online.

Online Associate Degrees in Biology

At present there are no associate level degrees in biology offered online and, should students want to achieve this qualification, they should look at on-campus options. A typical associate degree will take two years to complete and will only give a student a broad introduction to whatever field the degree is in.

Online Bachelor's Degrees in Biology

Only one university presently offers online bachelor's degrees in biology - Ashford University - and they offer quite a variety of degree programs. It would take an on-campus student four years to complete a typical undergraduate degree at the bachelor level but, as online students can study at their own pace, they should be able to complete the programs in less than four years.

Bachelor of Arts in Health Care Studies - Concentration in Biology: Ashford University

Degrees in health care studies usually equip a student to perform general health care services but this basic health care degree program has been enhanced by a course concentration in biology. Students will therefore be getting a thorough grounding in the basics of biology while they are learning not only how to operate within the US health care system but also how law and medical ethics relate to the health care field. Courses are divided between introductory courses, specialization courses and major course requirements, of which examples are the following:

1. Adult development and life assessment (introductory course);
   
2. Managing in health and human services: an interdisciplinary approach (major course requirement);
   
3. Health care ethics and medical law (major course requirement); and
   
4. The US health care system (major course requirement).

Students who are interested in obtaining more information about this degree program can contact Ashford University directly at 400 North Bluff Boulevard, Clinton, Iowa 52732 (tel: 1-866-711-1700 and website: http://www.ashford.edu/home/).

Bachelor of Arts in Social Science - Concentration in Biology: Ashford University

This specialized bachelor's degree also contains course concentrations that are relevant to the study of biology and, here, the degree aims to provide a student with an understanding of social issues and how they relate to real life. The degree uses a multidisciplinary approach to provide students with a grounding in several of the social sciences, including history, psychology and sociology, while at the same time providing a practical understanding of how living creatures grow and reproduce. Individual courses that form part of this degree program again comprise introductory courses, specialization courses and major course concentrations that include the following:

1. Personal dimensions of education (introductory course);
   
2. Statistics for the behavioral and social sciences (major course requirement);
   
3. Contemporary social problems and the workplace (major course requirement); and
   
4. Historical contexts in literature (major course requirement).

Again, students who would like to obtain further details regarding this degree should contact Ashford University directly (see above contact details).

Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Management - Concentration in Biology: Ashford University

This is the third of Ashford's bachelor degree programs that feature biology course concentrations and, here, the concepts that make up organizational management are given extra dimensions as they are also examined in light of human biological development. Students will graduate from this program with a firm grasp of human resource management, ethics, group dynamics, communication skills and decision making. As is usual for Ashford degrees, the program includes introductory courses, specialization courses and major course concentrations including the following:

1. Leadership priorities and practice (major course requirement);
   
2. Personal and organizational ethics (major course requirement);
   
3. Group behavior in organizations (major course requirement); and
   
4. Communication in organizations (major course requirement).

Ashford University will be able to provide further details regarding both this and their other online biology degrees (see above contact details).

Online Master's Degrees in Biology

At present, three universities offer distance learning in the field of biology on the master's level. A master's level degree is a graduate degree and usually takes a student about two years to complete, which includes the completion of a thesis, or capstone, project. Those who study online can reduce this time considerably.

Master of Science in Biology: University of Nebraska at Kearney

This is a non-thesis master's degree program - which also means that there is no residency requirement - and comprises a 36 credit hour program. Students would study online and also through the university's Video on Demand program and courses are divided between the 18 required courses and the 18 elective courses. This degree program has been designed especially for those in the teaching profession who would like to supplement their knowledge of biology and thus broaden their marketable skills base. A few of the courses that form part of this degree program are:

1. Introduction to graduate study in biology (required course);
   
2. Advances in biology: the biology of size (elective course);
   
3. Advances in cellular and molecular biotechnology (elective course); and
   
4. Measuring plant response to environment (elective course).

All students who need more information about this degree program should contact the University of Nebraska at Kearney directly at 905 West 25th Street, Kearney, NE 68849 (tel: 1-800-717-7881 and website: http://www.unk.edu/).

Master of Science in Biotechnology Studies - Bioinformatics: University of Maryland University College

Students who have graduated with this degree can find employment in positions such as computational biologist and biological database inspector. This degree focuses on the interaction between computational science and molecular biology and includes coverage of concepts like biostatics and gene expression analysis. Courses that are included in this degree are the core required courses and the specialization bioinformatics (BIFS) required courses and examples of these include:

1. Societal issues in biotechnology (core required course);
   
2. Statistical processes for biotechnology (BIFS required course);
   
3. Java for biotechnology applications (BIFS required course); and
   
4. Advanced bioinformatics (BIFS required course).

Students can contact UMUC directly should they require further information regarding this, and related, degree programs. The university administration office is to be found at 3501 University Boulevard, East Adelphi, MD 20783 (tel: 800-888-8682) and their web address is http://www.umuc.edu/index.shtml.

Master of Science in Molecular Biology: Lehigh University
This degree is not an online course but it can still be considered as distance learning as course information and lesson plans are broadcast to students via satellite. The overall scope of the course is to give students a grounding in theories that relate to the structure and function of biological organisms from the molecular level right up to the level of communities of organisms. The degree program consists of 30 credit hours of graduate work and these credit hours consist of required courses, elective courses and research courses (for the completion of the student's thesis). Examples of required and elective courses include:

1. Techniques in cell and molecular biology (required course);
   
2. Human genetics and reproduction (elective course);
   
3. Classical and molecular embryology (elective course); and
   
4. Molecular biology of eukaryotic organisms (elective course).

Further information regarding exactly how this unusual satellite degree program will work can be obtained directly from Lehigh University at 27 Memorial Drive West, Bethlehem, PA 18015 (tel: 610-758-3000 and website: http://www3.lehigh.edu/default.asp).

Online Doctoral Degrees in Biology

At present, there appear to be no online biology doctoral degrees available.

Career Opportunities and Salary Scales

Degrees in biology can prepare students for other fields of study include pre-medical, pre-pharmacy, pre-veterinary and pre-dental. In the world of biology itself, there are two career paths that a student can follow and these are health care related careers in molecular and cellular biology and field or 'organismal' biology careers. Health care related careers would include positions in fields like conservation and oceanography, industrial microbiology and biotechnology, as well as physiology, forensics and genetics. Careers in organismal biology occur in fields like ecology and environmental studies, herpetology, botany, ecology and animal behavior. Specific positions in, say, the health care related field of genetics would be the laboratory research assistant and the genetic counselor. On the other hand, specific positions in the field of herpetology (an organismal biology discipline) would include museum collection managers, zoo keepers and curators.

Studies have been undertaken to determine the average annual salaries of those working in both biology-based careers and careers that require only a grounding in biology and these have shown the following results:

1. doctors (general practitioners) with 5 years of experience: $90,000 per year;
   
2. pharmacist with 5 years of experience: $85,000 per year;
   
3. neurological veterinary surgeon with 5 years of experience: $55,000 per year;
   
4. general dentist with 5 years of experience: $90,000 per year;
   
5. genetic counselor with 5 years of experience: $54,000 per year; and
   
6. museum collection manager with 5 years of experience: $29,000 per year.

Conclusion

A degree in biology is a good thing to have if you plan on either working in one of the biology-based fields or qualifying in a related field like dentistry. Although it is not presently possible to earn either an associate degree or a doctorate in biology online, students should take advantage of the bachelor's and master's degrees online in biology as it is far more cost-effective to study online than it is to study on-campus.

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