Biology and Microbiology

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Welcome to the Department of Biology and Microbiology homepage!  We are a versitile department with faculty expertise in most areas of biology from ichthyology to immunology, from parasitology to proteomics, from mycology to medical bacteriology.  Visit our faculty research page to appreciate the diversity.

We offer two undergraduate majors, Biology and Microbiology and seven emphases within the Biology major.  The emphases allow students to specialize in cell biology, health-related biology, ecology, organismal biology or biology secondary education.  Visit Programs of Study.

We offer a Master's degree in Biology with emphases on either biology or microbiology.  In addition to course work, students complete a research-driven thesis that often results in a publication.

Our faculty are highly productive and were awarded $1.5 million of grant money last year.  This means that we were able to continue our acquisition of state-of-the-art equipment and pay some students to work in our laboratories.  Though all faculty have active research projects, we are committed to teaching undergraduate and Master's degree students.  Our devotion to this was highlighted by UW System in 2005 when our department won the UW System Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Excellence in teaching refers not just to classroom teaching but to incorporating students in research projects, as well.  Many of our undergraduate students and all of our Master's students have presented their work at professional meetings.  Last year, multiple publications had student co-authors.  Visit Student Research and Internships.

We have many support programs associated with the department, including faculty advisers for all of our majors (after the freshman year) and student-based organizations.