Many scientists have long come to the conclusion that the Earth is a single organism in which all living beings are interconnected, and the violation of these connections leads to disastrous consequences for all mankind.
Oddly enough, but our planet has not yet been fully studied, as it is in constant development. Some species of living beings disappear, others appear. Therefore, today you will not surprise anyone with speci alties that would have been a curiosity even 100 years ago. This is a bioecologist, biochemist, microbiologist, geneticist, biotechnician and others.
You can get such an education only at the Faculty of Biology. Minsk State University provides such an opportunity to everyone who is interested in wildlife and all the changes that take place in it.
Opening faculty
Since biology is a science that comprehensively studies all living beings on the planet and their interaction with each other and the environment, the need for specialists in this field became a priority in the USSR already in the late 20s of the last century. In Belarus, it was decided to open a department of natural sciences atpedagogical department back in 1922, and already the first enrollment was more than 150 people. Since biology as a science developed, new speci alties appeared, and the number of people wishing to study increased every year, it was decided to create a separate training course, which subsequently separated into a new department.
The Department of Biology at Minsk State University was opened in 1931 and since that time has been in constant development, as well as the science that is studied there. If in the 40s and 60s the faculty consisted of only 5 departments, then today there are 9 of them, among which 4 are completely new directions in biology.
Every year, more than 450 applicants enter various speci alties of the Biology Faculty of Minsk State University, and in general, almost 2,000 people study at the faculty every year.
The popularity of the department is caused not only by the demand for specialists in this field, but also by the well-equipped training base, which includes:
- Zoological Museum.
- Botanical Garden.
- Research laboratory.
- Computer Lab.
- Vivarium and herbarium.
Location of the Faculty of Biology in Minsk
The Department of Biology had to go through a lot together with BSU during the Soviet period. So, during the war years, she was evacuated in full force to the Skhodnya station, where teachers and students harvested timber and helped repair railway tracks, and continued their classes during short periods of rest.
After the end of the war, they already had to participate in the restoration of the capital afterbombings and erect a new building for the biofaculty of BSU. Minsk at that time needed new specialists, therefore, as soon as it became possible, the students again filled the classrooms, but for a long time they had to “huddle” in an old two-story building that did not at all correspond to the scientific needs of the department.
Today the address of the Biology Faculty of Minsk State University is 10 Kurchatova Street, where the Department of Biology moved in 1973. The need for a new building has been brewing for a long time, as not only the number of new disciplines has grown, but also the number of students. Currently, its building houses not only classrooms, but also the Zoological Museum and the Botanical Garden, which invite young people to work for them. You can write about the desire for cooperation to the address: Biological Faculty, Belarusian State University, Minsk, Independence Ave., 4.
How to apply and what speci alties
Today, the Belarusian State University at the Faculty of Biology can enroll in the following departments:
- Speci alty: "Biology", direction - "research and production" and "scientific and pedagogical activity", specialization - zoology, botany, genetics, human, animal and plant physiology, molecular biology.
- Speci alty: "Biochemistry" with a specialization in the biochemistry of drugs and analytical biochemistry.
- Speci alty: "Microbiology", specialization - "applied" and "molecular biology".
- Speci alty: "bioecology", specialization - "general ecology".
To becomestudent and study one of the listed speci alties at the Faculty of Biology of Minsk State University (reviews of applicants confirm this), you should have extensive knowledge in biology and chemistry, as well as an average score on the results of the Unified State Examination:
- For admission to the budget department - 284 points.
- On a paid basis, 212 passing points are sufficient.
Training lasts 5 years, the deadline for submitting documents to budget departments is from 12 to 17. 07, for part-time students - from 12.07 to 04.08. At the Faculty of Biology, Minsk State University, there is no correspondence department only for the speci alty "Biology" in the direction of "Biotechnology". All other departments provide both full-time and distance learning. As the “lucky ones” who entered the university note in their reviews, the additional points that are awarded for participation and victory in biological olympiads and other educational competitions help to get ahead of competitors and provide a place in the budget department. You can find out if the surname of the applicant is included in the lists of enrolled (biological faculty, Belarusian State University Minsk) students by driving to the head building of the university or by calling the hotline.
General ecology and teaching
This department trains not only teachers of biology and chemistry in schools, but also such narrowly focused specialists as a "biologist-ecologist". The opening of the Department of "General Ecology and Methods of Teaching Biology" took place in 1974 after the Biological Faculty of Minsk State University moved to a new building.
Today, 10 teachers work at the department, of which three are doctors and four are candidates of biological sciences. Scientific disciplines,which are studied at this department are:
- general ecology;
- biometrics;
- hydroecology;
- agricultural ecology;
- geography;
- nature management;
- methods of teaching biology and educational work.
The Department of General Ecology and Teaching Biology provides applicants with the opportunity to study full-time and part-time. Over the years of her work, more than 1,000 certified highly qualified environmental biologists have graduated. Students who graduate from this department speak fondly of its teachers.
Department of Botany
This department was opened when there was no biological faculty at the Belarusian State University of Minsk. In 1924, on the basis of the Faculty of Education, a department of natural science was opened, which included 3 biological departments: botany, zoology and animal physiology.
Already at that time, the education of students was not exclusively theoretical, as they were connected to research work carried out by teachers of the department. Naturally, the lack of a practical base affected the scale of the educational process, but it was at that time that the idea of creating the Zoological Museum and the Botanical Garden was born and gradually materialized.
Today the main direction of the work of the Department of Botany is the training of specialists who are engaged in the study and assessment of the state of plants growing in Belarus in various biomes and zones.
Basic learningdisciplines of the department:
- plant morphology;
- systematization of higher plants;
- plant growing;
- geobotany;
- pharmacognosy and others.
Not so long ago, a branch of the Department of Botany was opened at the Institute of Experimental Botany. VF Kuprevich, which allowed students to study in modern scientific laboratories equipped with the latest equipment. In their feedback, students note that this opportunity helped them to study their future speci alty in depth.
Cell biology and bioengineering
This department was opened at the Minsk State University in 1928, when there was a shortage of workers qualified in the field of plant physiology and biochemistry. Almost 1,700 specialists have graduated from this department since its inception, which indicates the demand for specialists involved in the development of increasing crop yields, predicting environmental threats and ways to prevent them.
Among disciplines studied:
- plant physiology;
- labor safety;
- xenobiology;
- introduction to systems biology and others.
The department conducts training and training of specialists in the following speci alties:
- Biology (scientific activity).
- Biology (pedagogical activity).
- Bioecology.
- Biochemistry.
- Microbiology.
- Plant physiology.
Graduates of the department are engaged in teaching activities and conduct scientific research in the reserves and reserves of the country. The reviews and memories of most of them about the years of study at their favorite faculty are the most pleasant.
Department of Genetics
Genetics is a relatively “young” science, but it is developing so rapidly that a scientific department that conducts training and scientific activities in this direction was opened at the Belarusian State University already in 1947.
Initially, the department conducted developments in the direction of studying the genetic characteristics of the alkaloid content of lupine, then, already in the 60s and 70s, it began to train geneticists and cytologists. Along with academic education, the department carries out scientific developments in the field of molecular genetics of bacteria.
For the entire time of the department's work, 10 people among its graduates became doctors of science, and more than 70 became candidates. Currently, students receive full-time and part-time education at this department, as well as master's and postgraduate studies.
To enter the Department of Genetics, you should apply to the admissions office, located in the central building of the university, and not to the Faculty of Biology of Minsk State University. How to get to Independence Avenue, 4? From the bus station, a fixed-route taxi No. 1 goes to it. From the central building directly to the building of the biological faculty at Kurchatov Street, 10, bus No. 47 goes (it also goes from the railway station).
Department of Biochemistry
Biochemists are engaged in the study of chemical processes occurring in the cells of plants and living organisms. This science considers not only relationships and elements,included in their composition, but also observes the mechanism of occurrence of certain diseases in order to eliminate them.
To become a biochemist, you should enter the biological department of the Belarusian State University in Minsk. Alumni's feedback suggests that, despite the difficulty in studying such disciplines as biochemistry, biophysics, bioengineering and others, the very process of obtaining theoretical and practical knowledge is very exciting.
The Department of Biochemistry was opened in 1965 and today it has two new directions in specializations: “biochemistry of drugs” and “analytical biochemistry”. The training lasts five years, and the passing score for admission to the budget department is 316.
Here they train specialists in such fields as nanobiotechnology, medical biochemistry, pharmacology and others.
Science at Biology Faculty
Annually, scientific papers and books are published based on the results of practical experiments conducted jointly by teachers and students. It is not at all difficult to get into the literature lists of the Biology Faculty of Minsk State University and pass for a person with a scientific mindset, if you are serious about writing a term paper or a thesis.
Working at SNIL (student research laboratory), future specialists in molecular biologyare trained on:
- culturing microorganisms and bacteria,
- molecular cloning,
- DNA sequencing,
- designing transgenic organisms.
and much more, which subsequently helps them find work in the best laboratories in the country or participate in international biological projects.
Student life
But students of the Biology Faculty of Minsk State University are busy not only with education and science. Talented young people are happy to participate in the performances of the Biotheatre, which has been successfully operating since 1976. Not only student skits and KVNs are held here, but performances are also staged according to scripts written by students and teachers.
There are also scientific circles at the faculty, where students share their work and discuss the work of their scientific colleagues.
Sports life at the university is no less active. Faculty of Biology students participate in competitions in volleyball, table tennis, chess and other sports.
In closing
The Faculty of Biology of Belarusian State University in Minsk is a living organism, a huge world, which hundreds of young people dream of entering every year. This is due to the fact that graduates of the Faculty of Biology are successful specialists in their chosen field, which is possible only if there is an excellent material base and high-quality teaching methods.
