Skip to main content

Biology Major (BS), Minor

Banner image
Image
Calvin biology students at work in the laboratory
Friendly title
Biology
Undergraduate
Degree Options
Delivery Mode
Catalog code / API
BIOL.BS.MAJ
BIOL.MIN
Area of study
Faculty
Identifier
b4de6145-d39e-4c28-99b0-a9e55e9a6b10
Distinctives
  • Serious about faith: Christianity doesn't limit our view of the natural world, it enhances it. Our program integrates rigorous academics with a Christian purpose. We see biology as a way to improve lives and serve your community.
  • Personal support: Our professors know their fields, and they work to get to know you. They’ll partner with you in research, share a meal, introduce you to opportunities, and help you apply to graduate school.
  • A large medical community: Grand Rapids’ Medical Mile offers extensive internship opportunities and clinical experiences. Calvin’s reputation and your professor’s connections will open the door for you.
Introduction

Let’s say you want to be a doctor—or maybe a scientific researcher. What kinds of experiences do you want to have as an undergrad? How do you imagine those important four years unfolding?

Here’s what your bachelor of science degree will look like at Calvin: standing at a lab table beside experienced PhDs, researching topics like HIV, multiple sclerosis, and rare diseases. Asking those PhDs—your Christian professors and mentors—for guidance on your career path and help navigating the scientific community as a believer.

And that’s just the beginning. Calvin’s connections with the local and global scientific community will open plenty of opportunities for you. Our reputable pre-med program and student supports will help you determine—and then achieve—your career goals. Our grads excel as graduate students, physicians, and epidemiologists, and so will you.

Biology Major (BS)—Neuroscience Concentration

Banner image
Image
Students studying a model brain
Friendly title
Neuroscience (Biology)
Undergraduate
Degree Options
Delivery Mode
Catalog code / API
BIOL.NEURO.MAJ
Area of study
Faculty
Identifier
62103ab2-2480-4c97-9a7e-4085d67dccf5
Distinctives
  • An interdisciplinary program: Neuroscience at Calvin is intentionally interdisciplinary. Focus on biology, but also increase your expertise—and marketability—in other areas.
  • Personal support: Our professors know their fields and get to know you personally. They’ll partner with you in research, talk shop over a meal, point you to career-building opportunities, and help you apply to graduate school.
  • A perfectly-sized program: We’re small enough to be a tight-knit community and big enough to receive funding for advanced, specialized equipment. That means you’ll do your research with tools and technology that are usually only available at the graduate level.
Introduction

Stumble into the Calvin Science Building, and you’ll discover two kinds of brains—those actively at work and those under a microscope.

At Calvin, we’re hands-on. Examine the brain inside and out to understand the human experience. Join research projects that explore emotion, humor, neurotransmitters, and much more. Pursue your career options by interning on Grand Rapids’ Medical Mile.

Calvin's neuroscience program is about investigating the brain from all angles. You’ll focus on the biological mechanics of the human mind. But you can also take courses in psychology, philosophy, chemistry, physics, mathematics, and computer science to expand your expertise. You’ll pursue the answer to the question, How does our understanding of the physical brain give us insight into God’s creativity and purpose for us?

Human Resource Management Major (BA)

Banner image
Image
Calvin's human resources concentration
Friendly title
Human Resource Management
Undergraduate
Degree Options
Delivery Mode
Catalog code / API
HRM.MAJ
Area of study
Identifier
fb85ee50-c2e8-431f-8543-fae739dde968
Distinctives
  • Dynamic field: Human resource management isn’t the same as it was ten years ago—and our program has more than kept pace. Get the latest skills you’ll need to become an HR professional in today’s market.
  • Practical experience: Internships and consulting experience are built into the human resource management program. Before you graduate, you’ll start building your résumé with real, career-relevant work at one of Grand Rapids’ many businesses.
  • Study abroad: As a human resource management major, you can study abroad and still graduate in four years. Calvin business students can spend an interim or full semester studying business in places like Hungary, India, China, and Germany.
  • Stretch yourself: In student organizations like HR Club, you can network with fellow students and business professionals while you put what you’re learning into practice in real-world situations.
  • Connected faculty: Calvin’s business faculty bring a wealth of business experience to their teaching. You’ll form personal relationships with professors who know the field well and who want you to succeed in it.
Introduction

It’s no secret: we are passionate about business and people. As Christians, we’re dedicated to excellence in human resource management—and to the biblical concepts of truth and grace.

We’re also passionate about your future. That means we give you hands-on projects with real-world clients. And we can set you up with internships and jobs using our vast network of connections.

When you graduate from Calvin University, you’ll be confident in your purpose and your skills.

Kinesiology Major—Exercise Science Emphasis

Banner image
Image
Woman lifting weights
Friendly title
Exercise Science
Undergraduate
Degree Options
Delivery Mode
Catalog code / API
KIN.EXSC.MAJ.BS
Identifier
4ba5e3dd-a4b7-4829-8574-04ef00adde08
Distinctives
  • Prepare for success: Your exercise science experience is tailored to your career goals. Many Calvin grads thrive in graduate or medical school, and many others find jobs in their field right after graduation.
  • Practical experience: Almost every exercise science major graduates with internship experience. You'll get real-world experience and connections that prepare you well for your career.
  • Incredible spaces: You’ll have regular access to fantastic facilities and spaces that you’d normally only find at a much bigger school. You’ll also make use of cutting-edge technology like the “bod pod” body composition analyzer.
  • Endless opportunities: Take part in a wide range of athletics, recreational activities, and student clubs. From rock climbing to an NCAA Division III athletics program, you’ll stretch yourself in many different contexts.
Introduction

When Calvin exercise science majors talk about their classes, here’s what they say: It’s all about practical experience.

Here, your learning is active. You’ll prescribe exercise and fitness regimens for clients as well as integrate healthy routines into your own daily life. You’ll train in top-notch facilities and work with cutting-edge technology like the “bod pod.” After you’ve studied, trained, and sweat, you’ll graduate with a deep understanding of human health and motion.

By promoting physical activity—one of the most fundamental medicines there is—you’ll restore people to more balanced, healthy lives.

Health Communication Major

Banner image
Image
A woman flipping through paperwork
Friendly title
Health Communication
Undergraduate
Degree Options
Delivery Mode
Catalog code / API
HCOMM.MAJ
Identifier
1398095b-74f1-42f4-a45b-4a7af88f7644
Distinctives
  • Gain experience An internship in communication is required for this major. And Calvin, situated in a thriving medical community, is a mere 15 minutes away from Grand Rapids' Medical Mile. You could intern in a hospital public relations department.

  • Look deeper At Calvin, health communication majors learn data analytics in addition to standard medical skills. Gain a deeper, unique perspective on the field you love.

  • Diverse classes Learn how the human body works, images create meaning, and human psychology changes over a lifetime.

  • Faith-informed approach Join a community that puts truthful communication at the heart of every class, every research project, and every interaction.

Introduction

People today are overloaded with messages. It’s harder than ever to navigate the complex world of hospitals and healthcare. Gifted communicators can help people make wise, informed decisions about their health.

That’s where you come in.

At Calvin, you will be equipped and empowered to lead in this growing field. Calvin is known for its interdisciplinary approach to learning—and you'll take full advantage of that. You’ll study everything from human anatomy to biostatistics to communication theory. You’ll master interpreting medical charts and developing social media plans. You’ll get hands-on experience with interesting projects, labs, and internships.

When you graduate, you’ll be ready to translate the collective insight of the medical community into practical guidance for people.

Film & Media Major, Minor

Banner image
Image
Two students at a film camera
Friendly title
Film & Media
Undergraduate
Degree Options
Delivery Mode
Catalog code / API
CASMF.PROD.MAJ
CASMF.STUDIES.MAJ
CASFM.MIN
Identifier
9641f237-1884-454d-8377-e69b1109e98c
Distinctives
  • Learn from the pros: You'll learn from professors who understand how to bring stories alive on the screen. From Hollywood screenwriting to documentary filmmaking, our professors have real and relevant experience.
  • Follow your passion: Do you plan to create great films or to study and analyze them? Choose the production or studies concentration, and learn how to apply your experience and insight into different careers.
  • Find your community: Use your skills to inspire the Calvin community outside the classroom. Join Student Video Productions or the Visual Arts Guild, or even enter your work in the 60-Second Film Festival.
  • Work with your hands: You'll learn and create using cutting-edge production facilities that rival local television and radio stations. Here, you can take advantage of spacious TV control rooms, video and audio editing suites, and film production studies.
Introduction

The end. As the credits roll, you blink back into reality and stretch out of your seat. For two hours, you’ve walked in someone else’s shoes.

To create that immersive experience requires visionaries whose technical skill matches their storytelling drive. It requires you.

At Calvin, you’ll have the opportunity to do real filmmaking, gaining practical experience in directing, acting, editing, and more. In media production classes, you'll learn how to guide an idea to its full expression. You'll learn what separates a merely good screenplay from a world-changing one and how to manage cameras and audio tools to best tell a story. When you graduate, you’ll have all the skills and experience you need to make your mark.

English: Literature Concentration

Banner image
Image
Girl in the library stacks
Friendly title
Literature
Undergraduate
Degree Options
Delivery Mode
Catalog code / API
LIT.MAJ
LIT.MIN
Identifier
c3e7ffa8-6fd7-490f-985a-1b0fead8ceb6
Distinctives
  • Career-making experience: Almost every English major graduates with an internship under their belt. Grand Rapids—home to publishing houses like Zondervan, Eerdmans, Baker, and more—is the perfect place to get practical experience.
  • Be equipped with the tools of the trade: Analyze, research, critique, and appreciate the written word with others. Delve into almost any period of British, American, or world literature. And discuss both classic and contemporary works through lenses of feminism, postcolonialism, and other literary theories.
  • Enhances other majors: A literature degree fits well with almost any major and is a great way to bring your love of reading into another field.
  • Curiousity on the road: Off-campus programs will connect your love of reading and writing to real people, places, and ideas. Explore places like Britain, New England, and Ghana.
  • Invested professors: Our faculty work hard to connect literature majors to opportunities in their individual areas of interest, whether that’s graphic novels, newspaper journalism, genre writing, or anything else.
Introduction

Studying literature at Calvin University will be the foundation to a job you’ll love. Our graduates go on to fulfilling careers in publishing, library science, freelance writing, law, journalism, and more. That’s because our literature program pairs transformative classes with outstanding experiences.

In class, you’ll learn from faculty who are published authors and gifted teachers. You’ll read books that capture your imagination, force you to laugh, make you think, and sober your heart. You'll listen to diverse voices from the past and present and consider the ways that words can shape a better future. You'll think deeply about big ideas, like faith and justice.

Outside the classroom, you’ll have connections to intriguing possibilities. You’ll be mentored by Christian faculty who will chart your academic experience. We're neighbors with major publishing companies where you can land a career-shaping internship. And at our renowned Festival of Faith & Writing, you'll make connections with people whose words are changing the world.

English: Linguistics Concentration

Banner image
Image
linguistics_banner
Friendly title
Linguistics
Undergraduate
Degree Options
Delivery Mode
Catalog code / API
LING.MAJ
LING.MIN
Identifier
57421d1b-5c09-4c23-8bcc-26d843b18ee6
Distinctives
  • Learn from the best: Gain a deeper perspective on the beauty and nuance of language. Calvin faculty members are experts who actively practice their craft and publish in a variety of genres.
  • Skills that translate: At Calvin, you can connect your linguistics major to many other fields and interests. Our linguistics majors go on to graduate school and careers in disciplines ranging from medicine to library science to computer science.
  • Practical experience: Calvin’s linguistics program is centered around practical, career-building experiences. Through internships and a wide range of student organizations, you’ll build an impressive résumé well before you graduate.
  • Stretch your faith: Exploring the depths of human language will give you great insights into human behavior. But it will also give you a deeper appreciation for the Creator of language.
Introduction

You can learn the basic mechanics of language anywhere. Here at Calvin, you’ll explore every nook and cranny of human communication. In classes that are intentional about faith and learning, you will discover how language defines us, inspires us, and restores us. These insights can lead to careers in everything from politics to international business to speech pathology.

As a linguistics major, you’ll learn from internationally recognized scholars. Together, you can identify your career goals and discover classes, internships, and opportunities that will prepare you. You might edit Calvin’s student-led creative journal, study abroad in Britain or Ghana, or engage with leading thinkers at our renowned Festival of Faith & Writing.

English: Writing Concentration

Banner image
Image
A laptop and student newspaper
Friendly title
Writing
Undergraduate
Degree Options
Delivery Mode
Catalog code / API
WRTNG.MAJ
WRTNG.MIN
Identifier
c4c2e7f8-1d54-4ee3-87bf-7bd22a66164a
Distinctives
  • Brilliant faculty: Our faculty are respected writers who are active in their fields. They know how to publish and work in today’s market because they do it. You’ll learn from faculty who write popular young adult series, award-winning poetry, and more.
  • Be relevant: You’ll graduate with real-world experience that will make your résumé sing. Every writing major completes an internship. Get plugged in to one of Grand Rapids’ many publishing houses, local businesses, libraries, publications, or nonprofits.
  • Meet your favorite authors: Every other year Calvin gathers a global reading and writing community on campus for the Festival of Faith & Writing. Calvin students get a front row seat to conversations with authors like Fleming Rutledge, Jemar Tisby, Jen Hatmaker, Kwame Alexander, Jonathan Merritt, and more.
Introduction

Let’s be clear: you can study writing and get a job when you graduate. Calvin grads do it all the time. How will Calvin help you do it, too? By assessing your passions, giving you the best possible training, and lining you up with an internship that will give you a solid foothold in the field.

At Calvin, you can construct a writing major around your goals and get connected to career-building experiences. You can pursue any kind of writing you’re passionate about, from science fiction to international journalism. Our faculty have the experience, drive, and reputation to get you connected to where you need to go. And working in fields from political speech writing to graphic novels, Calvin grads are living proof of the success of this program.