Covenant College prepares students who are informed, prepared for the world at large, and taught to meet the challenging demands of their particular area of study. Our programs provide rigorous academic experiences, and the biology department is no different. This major offers hands-on experiences including crucial field activities and research, but in all this, the integration of Christ’s preeminence into scientific studies is emphasized. 

The combination of our liberal arts core curriculum with expert faculty equips students with a strong skill set. Dr. Tim Morris, dean of sciences and biology professor, speaks to the values he sees in Covenant’s biology program.

"This sort of education certainly brings a broader perspective and experience to the student and not just a narrow kind of medical concentration. At the end of the day, knowing people and how they work is as important as knowing what needs to be done medically."

- Dr. Tim Morris, Dean of Sciences and Biology Professor

The biology major has different advising tracks including pre-nursing studies, pre-medical studies, and pre-physical therapy studies. Additionally, students who are planning on taking the MCAT can take specific classes to prepare for the test. While these areas require future study, graduates from these advising tracks within the biology department have gone on to competitive nursing school and medical school programs.

Pre-Nursing Studies

Recent graduates Emily Brauer ’21, Michaela Price ’23, Claire Schofield ’22, and Anna Rose Epting ’23 have each gone on to pursue a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) or second-degree accelerated BSN. They have been accepted into programs at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and North Florida University. 

Pre-Medical Studies

Pre-Med students Liana Wilson ’21 and Anna Fikkert ’22 have continued their studies at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine. Biology grads Thomas Drake ’23, Mack Erickson ’22, Margaret Henry ’22, James Stephenson ’23, and Will Kenas ’23 have been accepted into programs at the Medical College of Georgia, Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine, Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine, and the University of Kansas Medical School.   

While all of these students continued on to nursing or med school after Covenant, Henry Hooks ’22 and Samuel Caine ’22 went on to study dentistry at the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center College of Dentistry with their biology degrees.

Covenant biology graduates have also gone on to start non-profits, complete residencies, study veterinary medicine, and research dolphin conservation! Read more about our alumni Chris Soussou ’11, Jake Groenendyk ’14, Lilly Smith ’19, and Jonathan Crossman ’18 on the biology department page. 

I will always appreciate all of my Covenant professors, but several courses, like Dr. Morris’ Intro to Biology, Philosophy of Science, and Microbiology, I remember well to this day. He had such enthusiasm in teaching us how cellular processes are a reflection of God’s delight in beauty. Both the scientific or process-based side and the human side of medicine are important. Attending Covenant prepared me to think humanistically and interact with people in the world.

Jake Groenendyk ’14

Cardiology Fellow, Weill Cornell Medicine

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