LBC Majors and Minors
Students in Lyman Briggs College can pursue nearly 40 majors in the biological, physical, environmental, and computational sciences and mathematics. For students interested in the connection between natural and social sciences, LBC offers a major and minor in Science and Society.
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Biological Sciences
Animal Science
What do animal science professionals do?
- Livestock production, marketing, public affairs, transportation, processing, research, management
- Advance agriculture using multidisciplinary approaches
- Generate, teach, disseminate and apply knowledge in animal biology and management
- Pharmaceutical organizations, food processing industry and breed associations, livestock commodity groups
- Research facilities in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), universities and private companies
- Education: teaching animal science at colleges and universities, vocational agriculture in high school and cooperative Extension Service
Biology
The Lyman Briggs College biology major is designed to provide students with a comprehensive overview of seminal and modern biology using a broad spectrum approach to studying biological sciences with course options from the three primary sectors: plant, animal, and microbial.
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
What do biochemists and molecular biologists do?- Develop and use techniques to learn about genes and proteins
- Increase understanding of human disease processes and aging
- Genetic engineering of plants and animals, or produce products such as drugs, foods, and fuels
- Environmental and pollution control companies and research
- County, state, or federal government agencies (USDA, EPA, NIH)
- Industry (research and development at vaccine, pharmaceutical, and other biotech companies)
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology/Biotechnology
What do biochemists and biotechnologists do?- Develop and use techniques to learn about genes and proteins
- Increase understanding of human disease processes and aging
- Genetic engineering of plants and animals, or produce products such as drugs, foods, and fuels
- Environmental and pollution control companies and research
- County, state, or federal government agencies (USDA, EPA, NIH)
- Industry (research and development at vaccine, pharmaceutical, and other biotech companies)
Biomedical Laboratory Science
What do clinical laboratory scientists do?- Clinical Laboratory Scientists/Medical Technologists (terms are synonymous) are scientists who apply their knowledge to perform diagnostic tests on blood and body fluids. The sub-disciplines include, but are not limited to, clinical chemistry, hematology, immunology, immunohematology and microbiology.
- Hospitals or private laboratories, medical sales or education
- Federal, state, and local health departments
- Commercial and academic biomedical research laboratories or forensic laboratories
Entomology
What do entomologists do?- Study and manage insects and their relatives’ effects on human activities
- Manage non-agricultural, long-term aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems
- Study interactions of insects and their relatives with economic plants and sustainable agriculture
- Nature organizations and educational institutions
- Forensic laboratories
- Agricultural organizations
Food Science
What do food science professionals do?- Combine the study of science and engineering to process, evaluate, package and distribute food
- Seek to improve food flavor, color, texture, nutritional values, safety and cost
- Product development and food processing or research
- Private industries
- Production and operative management, regulatory agencies
Genomics and Molecular Genetics
What do molecular geneticists do?- Molecular geneticist studies the genes of living organisms and infectious agents, many of which can only be seen with a microscope. They may focus on findings critical to health, agriculture, environmental sciences, or how living systems function at the molecular level.
- Environmental and pollution control companies
- County, state, or federal government agencies (NIH, USDA, EPA)
- Industry – research in labs, vaccine companies, pharmaceutical companies. Product safety
Human Biology
What do human biologists do?- Use broad background in biological sciences to understand the interrelationships among fields.
- Healthcare fields
- Health and wellness programs
Microbiology
What do microbiologists do?- A microbiologist is a scientist who studies living organisms and infectious agents, many of which can only be seen with a microscope. They may focus on findings critical to health, agriculture, environmental sciences, or how living systems function at the molecular level.
- Environmental and pollution control companies
- County, state, or federal government agencies (NIH, USDA, EPA)
- Industry – research and product safety in labs, vaccine companies, pharmaceutical companies
Neuroscience
What do neuroscientists do?
- Study function, development, and structure of the central nervous system, investigate thought, behavior, emotion, cognition
- Combine different disciplinary approaches from biology, chemistry, physics, computational science to find ways to prevent or cure neurological or psychiatric disorders
- Healthcare fields, pharmaceutical industry
- Laboratory technician/administrator
- Science Journalism, grants administration, consulting, law, public Policy
Nutritional Sciences
What do nutritional science professionals do?- Explore the science of nutrition and the relationships between nutrients and human health
- Food industry
- Health and wellness programs, Healthcare fields, Pharmaceutical industry
- Public Health, State departments and community health, U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Physiology
What do physiologists do?- Study life processes, both in the whole organism and at cellular and molecular levels
- Commercial and academic biomedical research laboratories
- Medical fields
Plant Biology
What do plant biologists do?- Study the form, function, diversity, reproduction, and uses of plants and their interactions within the biosphere. Ecologists, botanists, and taxonomists can be plant biologists, as well as plant pathologists. People working with algae and fungi are often trained as or called plant biologists (even though, technically, those groups arena’t plants).
- Environmental and pollution control companies
- County, state, or federal government agencies (USDA, NRCS, Forest Service) or Secondary school teaching
- Nature organizations, public botanical gardens, agricultural industries
Zoology
What do zoologists do?- Study life at the level of the cell, organism, population, community, and/or ecosystem. Ecologists, marine biologists, taxonomists, wildlife and fisheries biologists, and others are examples of zoologists.
- County, state, and federal agencies – in research or regulation and enforcement of environmental laws
- Industry – such as monitoring effluent production and land use around a factory and measuring environmental health
- Zoos – as animal caretakers or zookeepers
- Nature centers and museums as environmental educators
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Environmental Sciences
Environmental Biology/Microbiology
What do microbiologists do?
- A microbiologist is a scientist who studies living organisms and infectious agents, many of which can only be seen with a microscope. They may focus on findings critical to health, agriculture, environmental sciences, or how living systems function at the molecular level.
Where are they employed?
- Environmental and pollution control companies
- County, state, or federal government agencies (NIH, USDA, EPA)
- Industry – research in labs, vaccine companies, pharmaceutical companies. Product safety
Environmental Biology/Plant Biology
What do plant biologists do?
- Study the form, function, diversity, reproduction, and uses of plants and their interactions within the biosphere. Ecologists, botanists, and taxonomists can be plant biologists, as well as plant pathologists. People working with algae and fungi are often trained as or called plant biologists (even though, technically, those groups aren't’t plants).
Where are they employed?
- Environmental and pollution control companies
- County, state, or federal government agencies (USDA, NRCS, Forest Service) or Secondary school teaching
- Nature organizations and Public botanical gardens, Agricultural industries
Environmental Biology/Zoology
What do zoologists do?
- Study life at the level of the cell, organism, population, community, and/or ecosystem. Ecologists, marine biologists, taxonomists, wildlife and fisheries biologists, and others are examples of zoologists.
Where are they employed?
- County, state, and federal agencies – in research or regulation and enforcement of environmental laws
- Industry – such as monitoring effluent production and land use around a factory and measure environmental health
- Zoos – as animal caretakers or zookeepers
Environmental educators at nature centers or museums
Environmental Geoscience
What do geological scientists do?
- Use their knowledge to locate water, mineral, and energy resources
- Protect the environment, predict future geologic hazards, and offer advice on construction and land use projects
- Disciplines are geology, paleontology, geochemistry, mineralogy, hydrology, environmental science, and soil science
Where are they employed?
- Environmental and pollution control companies or government (NOAA, NRCS, USGS)
- Industry (oil, mineral, natural gas, and water exploration and mining)
- Secondary school teaching, museums or research
Environmental Sciences and Management
What do environmental scientists do?
- Improve the natural environment and address effects of human activity on the environment
- Address soil fertility, water purity, food supply quality and safety, natural resources, pollution, plants climate change
- Increase knowledge about the physical and biological environment and natural disasters
Where are they employed?
- Nature organizations, Environmental Impact Firms, pollution control companies
- County, state, or federal government agencies, museums or teaching
- Industry (oil, mineral, natural gas, and water exploration and mining)
Fisheries and Wildlife
What do fisheries and wildlife professionals do?
- Meet the global challenges that threaten the sustainability of our ecosystems
- Apply knowledge of socio-ecological systems to develop, implement, and evaluate natural resource management strategies
- Understand and apply natural resource management into a science-based approach
Where are they employed?
- Conservation officers
- Environmental consultants or administrators
- Federal, state and private agencies and organizations concerned with environmental management
Forestry
What do foresters do?
- Develop plans to balance forest conservation, recreation and products
- Promote a sustainable economy through renewable forest products
- Conserve biological diversity and habitats
- Mitigate climate change through reforestation and managing carbon offset projects
- Control the negative effects of invasive exotic plant and insect species
- Enhance biodiversity and alleviate rural poverty through international reforestation
- Create urban green space and infrastructure
Where do foresters work?
- State Departments of Natural Resources (MI and other states)
- U.S. Forest Service
- U.S. Bureau of Land Management
- Tree care companies
- Community non-profits
- City forestry organizations
- Conservation groups
- Peace Corps
- Real estate investment trusts
- Timber management companies
- Forestry consulting firms
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Mathematical and Computational Sciences
Actuarial Science
What do actuarial science professionals do?
- Apply mathematical and statistical methods to assess risk in the insurance and finance industries
- Provide data collection, measurement, estimating, forecasting, and evaluation tools to provide data
- Assess the overall risk from catastrophic events in relation to its underwriting capacity or surplus
Where are they employed?
- Insurance companies
- Banks and investment firms
- Governmental organizations and hospitals
Computer Science
What do computer scientists do?
- Analyze problems and select appropriate paradigms to solve them
- Design and implement software
- Manage system resources
Where are they employed?
- Companies in need of web design, computer networking, game design, cognitive science, telecommunications, etc.
- Research facilities focusing on software engineering, biometrics, image processing, robotics, etc.
- University, College, and Secondary school teaching, museums or research
Computational Mathematics
What do mathematicians do?
- Use modeling and computational methods to formulate and solve practical
Where are they employed?
- Industry – process design, traffic analysis, electric power routing, inflation statistics, computer software design
- Business – actuaries, financial analysts, insurance underwriters, budget analysts, market research
- Federal government – cryptology, data mining, and other advanced mathematics or Secondary school teaching
Computer Science Coordinate Major
What do computer scientists do?
- Analyze problems and select appropriate paradigms to solve them
- Design and implement software
- Manage system resources
Where are they employed?
- Companies in need of web design, computer networking, game design, cognitive science, telecommunications, etc.
- Research facilities focusing on software engineering, biometrics, image processing, robotics, etc.
- University, college, and secondary school teaching, museums or research
- Use analytical tools and methods to discern meaningful insights from data.
Where are they employed?
- In scientific research and development firms
- Technical consulting
- Companies and enterprises in many fields
- Insurance carriers
- Computer systems design companies
Mathematics
What do mathematicians do?
- Use modeling and computational methods to formulate and solve practical
Where are they employed?
- Industry – process design, traffic analysis, electric power routing, inflation statistics, computer software design
- Business – actuaries, financial analysts, insurance underwriters, budget analysts, market research
- Federal government – cryptology, data mining, and other advanced mathematics or Secondary school teaching
Mathematics, Advanced (Honors)
What do mathematicians do?
- Use modeling and computational methods to formulate and solve practical
Where are they employed?
- Industry – process design, traffic analysis, electric power routing, inflation statistics, computer software design
- Business – actuaries, financial analysts, insurance underwriters, budget analysts, market research
- Federal government – cryptology, data mining, and other advanced mathematics or Secondary school teaching
Statistics
What do statisticians do?
- Collect data and analyze it, looking for patterns that explain behavior or describe the world.
- Develop surveys and collect data
- Ensure the validity and usefulness of data
- Explain trends in data
- Public and private companies
- Healthcare industry
- Media
- Government
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Physical Sciences
Astrophysics
What do astrophysicists do?
- Research the principles of light, motion, and natural forces as they pertain to the universe at large
- Investigate the formation of stars, planets and galaxies using mathematics, computing and physics
- Engage in theoretical physics studies in an attempt to learn more about the underlying properties of the cosmos
Where are they employed?
- Research facilities in universities and private companies
- Teach in colleges and universities
- Observatories, government agencies or Institutes or corporations with special interests in space and technology
Chemical Physics
What do chemists do?
- Study the composition, structure, properties, and reactions of matter, especially of atomic and molecular systems
Where are they employed?
- Environmental and pollution control companies, forensic science, or teaching
- County, state, or federal government agencies
- Industry laboratory research, quality analysis, and testing (pharmaceutical and other biotech companies; food manufacturing, and materials science in paint and plastics companies)
Chemistry
What do chemists do?
- Study the composition, structure, properties, and reactions of matter, especially of atomic and molecular systems
Where are they employed?
- Environmental and pollution control companies, forensic science, or teaching
- County, state, or federal government agencies
- Industry laboratory research, quality analysis, and testing (pharmaceutical and other biotech companies; food manufacturing, and materials science in paint and plastics companies)
Geological Science
What do geological scientists do?
- Use their knowledge to locate water, mineral, and energy resources
- Protect the environment, predict future geologic hazards, and offer advice on construction and land use projects
- Disciplines are geology, paleontology, geochemistry, mineralogy, hydrology, environmental science, and soil science
Where are they employed?
- Environmental and pollution control companies or government (NOAA, NRCS, USGS)
- Industry (oil, mineral, natural gas, and water exploration and mining)
- Secondary school teaching, museums or research
Physical Science
The Lyman Briggs College physical science major is an approach to studying analytical sciences with foundations in physics, astrophysics, chemistry, biochemistry, and geological sciences.
Physics
What do physicists do?- Explore and identify basic principles governing the structure and behavior of matter and the interaction of matter and energy
- Research – government and private industries or teaching
- Radiation monitoring, electrical power plants
- Health - nuclear medicine, radiation therapy
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Social Sciences/Humanities
Science and Society
What do Science and Society scholars do?- Use knowledge to improve understanding of science, technology, the environment, and medicine
- Examine numerous empirical, conceptual, and theoretical issues related to these substantive areas
- Public policy agencies and law firms
- County, state, or federal government agencies
- Industry, education, museums and universities as research faculty
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Teaching
Integrated Science-Secondary Education
This major is designed primarily for persons who plan to teach science (life science, chemistry, earth and space science, or physics) in secondary schools. -
3+4 program with the MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine
Lyman Briggs College 3+4 Program in partnership with MSUCOM
LBC students who are accepted into the Osteopathic Medical Scholars Program and who major in Briggs Biology may take advantage of MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine's (MSUCOM) 3+4 program and enter medical school during what would be their fourth (senior) year of college, if they meet the College of Osteopathic Medicine's requirements. -
Briggs Minors
Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Science, Technology, Environment, and Public Policy
Briggs students may pursue a minor in any of MSU's undergraduate colleges. The above are simply the minors that are coordinated and offered by LBC.