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Biology 

At UW-Eau Claire 

(Printable version)

Biology is the science of life. It includes an array of subdisciplines such as ecology, evolution, botany, zoology, genetics, microbiology and molecular biology. Biological expertise is a vital component of the solutions to many problems facing our civilization from human health and disease to loss of biodiversity and environmental quality.

Hands-on labs

One of the largest majors on campus, the biology department occupies the entire third floor of Phillips Science Hall. Departmental facilities include six general laboratories and 10 specialized laboratories, numerous research labs, three modern greenhouses, an animal care facility, the James Newman Clark Bird Museum and shared access to transmission and scanning electron microscopes and a Geographic Information System lab.

Field study — near and far

The local region is great for field studies due to its abundance of lakes, streams, forests and wildlife areas. Adjacent to the Chippewa River and campus is Putnam Park, a 200-acre scientific natural area. The department is also associated with; Beaver Creek Reserve in Eau Claire County; The Pigeon Lake Field Station; the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory (Ocean Springs, Mississippi); the Gerace Research Centre (Bahamas); and offers regular course-based trips to Costa Rica, the Galapagos, and the Boundary Water Canoe Area.

For students interested in the human health professions and medical research, the city is near major hospitals and local clinics and within driving distance of Mayo and Marshfield clinics.

Get published

The department also prides itself in its faculty-undergraduate student collaborative research program. Students engage in research with faculty in the lab and/or field.  Students work on projects across the state or country and internationally, conduct independent studies, co-author publications and present results at professional scientific meetings.

Well educated

UW-Eau Claire is a top-ranked nationally as a comprehensive university among comparable university undergraduate biology programs for producing future female Ph.D.s.

Going Pre-Professional

The standard biology major is an excellent foundation for students planning to attend medical, dental, veterinary, chiropractic, optometry, physical/occupational therapy and physician’s assistant school.

 

Biology student



Biology student

Majors

Biology - liberal arts
Biology - teaching

Comprehensive majors

(require no minor)
Ecology and Environmental Biology
Organismal Biology
Microbiology 

Minors

Biology


Multidisciplinary minors
– Environmental Science
– Marine Science

Suggested freshman curriculum

- Ecology and Evolution
- General Chemistry
- Cell Biology and
  Genetics
- Mathematics
- College Writing
- Chemical Principles or
  Quantitative Analysis
- General education
  electives
More advising information

note

Certification program

The teaching minor, when combined with a teaching major in chemistry, physics-mathematics, physical science or physics, leads to a 6-12 certification in middle/secondary education programs.

Our graduates

Biology graduates go on to become teachers, technicians, managers or planners for  governmental agencies or environmental organizations, or health care employees to name a few.
More career information

Places you’ll find recent graduates:

- Clinical Technician-
  Cytogenetics, Mayo Clinic in
  Rochester, MN
- Environmental Scientist,
  Cooper E. Engineering Co. in
  Rice Lake, WI
- Genotyping Technician,
  Marshfield Clinic in
  Marshfield, WI
- Wildlife Biologist,
  Department of Natural
  Resources in
  Balsam Lake, WI
- Medical Student,
  UW-Madison Medical
  School, Madison, WI

Department contact information

Wilson Taylor
taylorwa@uwec.edu
715-836-4166

Excellence. Our Measure. Our Motto. Our Goal.