About the Program

What majors and minors are offered?
Why should I major in biology?
Does your department have any partnerships with medical schools?
Why should I choose this biology program?
What type of graduate schools and programs are your graduates attending?
What are the admission requirements for the program?
As a high school student, how should I prepare for a biology degree?
What type of student succeeds in the field of biology?
What is the typical class size?
How do students work together with faculty?
What student organizations are available?
What type of awards have your faculty and students received?
What types of grants have your department received?
Does the department have any direct interaction with the community? 

What majors and minors are offered?
The Department of Biology offers a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology/Health Science for preparation for medical school, dental school, and veterinary school.

Does your department have any partnerships with medical schools?
The department has formed a partnership with a medical school in Kansas City to offer early admission to qualified Missouri Western Biology majors.

Students have the opportunity to be selected into the Partners Program between the University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic medicine and MWSU. The program is designed for outstanding students interested in osteopathic medicine to enter UHS following their junior year. Following successful completion of the first year of medical school at UHS, 30 credits will be transferred to Missouri Western and students will be awarded a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology/Health Science.

Students will be selected in their sophomore year based on the following criteria:

• ACT score – 26 minimum.
• Freshman year academic performance – 3.25 GPA/3.5 Science GPA
• Community Service
• Extracurricular activities
• Physician shadowing experience
• Knowledge of and dedication to the field of osteopathic medicine.

To be considered, students must make application to the committee no later than November 1 of the sophomore year. A maximum of two Missouri Western students will be selected each year.

Missouri Western also has a partnership with the Kirksville (Mo.) College of Osteopathic Medicine that allows two sophomores per year a guaranteed seat upon graduation from Missouri Western.

Why should I major in biology?
The department also provides an outstanding foundation for entry into graduate and advanced professional schools. Students are encouraged to critically evaluate information from a diversity of fields and in this way students become “critical thinkers,” capable of succeeding in a variety of jobs.

Expectations are high for new discoveries and new industries in the life science field.  Just as the 20th century was the “Century of Chemistry and Physics,” the 21st is predicted to be “The Century of Biology.” Creative people with a strong foundation in the life sciences will be needed in agriculture, pharmaceuticals, medicine, environmental science and conservation. The department has excellent programs for entry-level positions in all of these fields.

Why should I choose this biology program?

• The professors are dedicated to the students, and are outstanding teachers and researchers. They work very closely with students on research projects, and a high percentage of students present their findings at professional meetings.
• The department provides a variety of internships, service, research and travel abroad opportunities.
• Professors are dedicated to advising students through the formal advisement program and through informal meetings. Expectations regarding student performance are high.
• Grants to support student/faculty research are available within the department and from the university.
• Faculty members have professional ties with industry and agencies that provide numerous career opportunities for students.

What type of graduate schools and programs are your graduates attending?
A growing number of our graduates go on to graduate and advanced professional schools after earning their bachelor’s degree. Numerous Biology Department graduates are enrolled in, or have completed, master’s or doctorate programs and many others have completed or are working on medical-oriented professional degrees to become medical doctors, veterinarians or dentists. 

What are the admission requirements for the program?
The entrance requirements are the same as those required by the institution. 

As a high school student, how should I prepare for a biology degree?
High school students who have completed the college-preparatory curriculum including at least three years of high school science, and mathematics through advanced algebra, are best prepared for the field of biology.

What type of student succeeds in the field of biology?
Besides completing the college prep high school curriculum, students that are highly motivated in biology and have a problem-solving orientation are most likely to succeed. 

What is the typical class size?
Although first-semester freshman biology class lectures are large (60 to 100 students), lab sections typically have less than 24 students. Upper division classes often have 10 to 20 students. 

How do students work together with faculty?
Students and faculty work closely on a one-on-one basis during faculty-sponsored internships and student research projects. Faculty members also make every effort to meet with students as they work on projects, study for exams, and plan their schedules during advisement sessions.

What student organizations are available?

• Beta Beta Beta Biological Honor Society
• Wildlife Society
• Pre-Professional Club

What type of awards have your faculty and students received?

• Four biology students from Missouri Western won awards for their research presentations at the district meeting of the Beta Beta Beta National Biological Honor Society.
• One faculty member was awarded the Jesse Lee Meyers Excellence in Teaching Award for 2004.
• Our Student Chapter of the Wildlife Society won the Best Chapter Award in the central states for 2004.

What types of grants have your department received recently?

• Grants from the Missouri Department of Conservation totaling $7,500.
• Grants from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service totaling $10,000.
• Grants from the National Institutes of Health totaling $136,000.
• Grants from the National Science Foundation totaling $61,000.
• Grants from the Environmental Systems Research Institute totaling $160,000.
• One biology professor helped to write, and two biology faculty members were instructors, on an $117,000 Coordinating Board of Higher Education No Child Left Behind Grant involving area secondary science teachers.

Does the department have any direct interaction with the community?
The department’s student clubs are involved in numerous service projects such as street and trail clean-up, Girl Scout Merit Badge workshops, stream team work, deer check stations, and quail surveys and volunteer naturalists for the Missouri Department of Conservation.