Bachelor of Science [B.S] [Microbiology] From University of Iowa

Microbiology and immunology are at the forefront of the modern biological revolution. Microbes are often the experimental subjects of choice for examining basic genetic and biological phenomena because of their small size, rapid growth rate, and relative simplicity. A significant portion of contemporary biochemical research employs microbiological and immunological methods.

Current research is making theoretical and practical advances concerning microbial species and viruses that infect animals, including man, plants, and other microbes; the use of comparative genomics, gene expression profiling, and recombinant DNA methods to analyze basic biological processes and generate valuable products; the nature and occurrence of microbial life in extreme or unusual environments; microbial synthesis and modification of antibiotics and other natural products; the role of microbes in stabilization of the biosphere by recycling and detoxifying waste products; the genetics and regulation of metabolic processes; and the genetics and regulation of the immune response, including characterization of mechanisms used by bacteria to signal one another and characterization of interactions between different types of immune cells and their targets.

The Department of Microbiology offers an undergraduate major, an undergraduate minor, and graduate degree programs and determines the curricula for those programs. Undergraduates majoring in microbiology receive their degrees (Bachelor of Science) from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and are governed by that college's undergraduate academic policies. Graduate degrees in microbiology are conferred by the Graduate College.