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
