Introduction
Students can select
from a wide variety of disciplines within the Biology
major at UWSP. To ensure students will gain the highest
quality education possible within their area of
interest, all courses offered in Biology are taught by
full-time faculty members, all of whom have earned their
Ph.D.s. No graduate or teaching assistants are used.
Biology majors at UWSP experience individualized
instruction, excellent facilities, hands-on learning and
exceptional placement into careers or further schooling.
Why Study Biology at UW-Stevens Point
As
professional opportunities within the field of biology
continue to change and grow, so also should the areas of
study within it. In addition to experiencing one of the
most comprehensive offerings of biological sciences in
the Midwest, UWSP students benefit from the exceptional
diversity of faculty specialties within the UWSP Biology
Department. Our full-time faculty members are
continuously adding new, cutting-edge courses across the
entire biology curriculum and are teaching those courses
in person to UWSP students.
High School Preparation
Completion of four
years of English as well as upper-level mathematics
classes (calculus in particular), general or higher
biology classes, and at least one year of chemistry and
physics will help students prepare for their required
courses in biology here. High school physics is
especially recommended for students with aspirations of
attending any medical, dental, chiropractic, or
veterinary school in the future.
Department Features
Students can
gain valuable, hands-on experience through a wide
offering of on- and off-campus research and field
opportunities. There are outstanding collections of
fish, herptiles, fossils, mammals, birds, and plants.
On-campus facilities for students include scanning and
transmission electron microscopes, DNA sequencer,
aquaculture labs, aquaria, greenhouses, and the only
student-run vivarium in the state. There are dedicated
labs for Molecular Genetics, Cell Biology and Plant
Physiology, Human and Animal Physiology, Plant Taxonomy,
Human Anatomy, Higher Vertebrates, and Lower
Vertebrates.
Field courses (3) take students off-campus to: American
Deserts (Winterim, 22 days); Northern Rockies (summer,
16 days); and Fossil Collection in the Great Plains
(summer, 14 days). These intense camping, hiking and
learning experiences provide a hands-on, living lab to
apply and understand ecological principles. Other
off-campus facilities encompass 40,000 acres of private,
county and state land available for study within 20
miles of campus, providing a great diversity of habitats
for scientific investigation.
Employment Opportunity
The field of
biology offers many diverse and interesting careers.
About 50% of our majors work directly with their
bachelor's degree, about 15% go on to professional
schools, and about 25% continue their education in
pursuit of M.S. or Ph.D. degrees. UWSP was second in the
nation for 1998-2000 in its category of 579 schools, for
the number of graduates that went on to complete a Ph.D.
in life science (70 over that period). Other biology
majors will seek admission into professional study
elsewhere. Many of our graduates move on to work in
research, medicine, secondary and higher education,
conservation, animal training and keeping, bio-sales and
a host of other biology-related occupations.
Sample Program of Study for Biology Majors
