Faculty in the Department of Natural Sciences will develop your appreciation for scientific thought, methods, and reasoning through classroom teaching, mentoring relationships, and investigatory research. By the means of faith and science, you will be challenged and supported to master the skills necessary for a variety of professions. Our programs will provide you a climate in which to excel and to prepare for acceptance into competitive graduate and professional programs, or for immediate entry into the workforce, as demonstrated by the high success rates of our graduates.

Whereas our preparation is exemplary for any of the pursuits mentioned above, a hallmark of our department is our tradition of excellent pre-professional training and a track record of extremely high acceptance rates into a broad range of professional schools. In these tracks, aligning your specific curriculum and other educational experiences with the entry requirements for the particular field or school is even more important than the name of the major. In other words, we have a few different degree programs that can serve as a stepping stone toward a professional career. But here are the pre-professional tracks listed by career focus:

Look Inside

Take a quick tour of the Science and Math Complex, home to the Department of Natural Sciences.
Natural Sciences

Annie Madison Farkas

Annie Madison Farkas is a biological science major with a pre-physician assistant emphasis. Annie comes to Lee from Cincinnati, Ohio, and is a member of Campus Choir, a worship leader in Cru (an outreach and worship ministry on campus), and an active participant in the Alpha Epsilon Delta Health Pre-Professional Society. Annie made the De an’s List in spring 2021 and received the Outstanding English Student Award. Annie chose Lee because it has “the exact pre-PA program I was searching for, and I know I will be thoroughly set up for success in grad school.” She also came to Lee looking to “form deep friendships,” and she found exactly that in her freshman Gateway class, where she met her best friends and learned about all the things Lee has to offer. Upon graduation, Annie plans to work in healthcare and eventually attend grad school to become a physician’s assistant.