Biology Department
The Biology Department at WSU has 2 main goals, including:
- Providing a high-quality undergraduate education used as a solid foundation for further growth.
- Promoting student-driven research and scholarship exposing students to the possibilities of a fully realized educational experience.
These goals ensure that our graduates remain competitive in an ever expanding and evolving biology-centered job market as well as play influential and positive roles in our communities.
Why Biology
The field of biology offers many thriving career options. Our degrees lay the foundation for a bright future in whatever area you choose.
Many growing professions require a background in biology. The need for physician assistants, surgeons, and environmental scientists are just a few in-demand positions our program can prepare you for.
WSU’s pre-professional training of doctors, nurses, veterinarians, and clinical lab scientists (CLS) will develop fundamental knowledge, as well as provide hands-on practical skills using the latest equipment required to be successful.
Program Features
- Opportunity to study in the Driftless Zone, an area bypassed by continental glaciers resulting in untouched topography
- State-of-the-art laboratory and research facilities are equipped with instruments that are available for hands-on use by students both as part of the laboratory section of their biology courses and in their individual research projects
- Large River Studies Center provides students the opportunity to conduct research on the large river ecosystems and associated bodies of water
- Large greenhouse located on campus
- Highly engaged faculty from around the globe with international affiliations
- An opportunity for students to perform the latest hands-on clinical research in collaboration with Winona Health Hospital
- Human Cadaver Dissection Lab
Students taking anatomy and physiology courses have the unique opportunity to supplement their study of human anatomy using male and female cadavers. This allows undergraduate students in biology, nursing, athletic training, and exercise science to appreciate the complexity and 3D spatial relationships of structures more fully in the human body.
High achieving Biology students may also get the chance to perform regional dissections under the supervision of one of WSU’s anatomy professors. This opportunity helps prepare students for future graduate study in the health professions and sets them apart from their peers when applying to medical, dental, optometry, and physician assistant programs.
Employers
Our Professional Science Master’s program works closely with community partners to give our students real-world experience. Not only does this benefit our students, but also the employers involved.
Employers can offer internships, extend research opportunities, and find potential employees by supporting our program. Learn more about how employers can get involved.