Special Opportunities and Servic

Special Opportunities and Services

Important learning and training experiences are available to qualified biology students. Many students participate in cooperative education and internship programs coordinated by Missouri State, and these positions frequently lead to career opportunities. Faculty research programs provide numerous opportunities for undergraduate participation.

The Biology Department offers several courses in field biology, and is developing facilities for field courses and research at the new Bull Shoals Field Station near Forsythe, Missouri. Springfield is situated in the Ozark uplifts, an interior highland with many unique biological and geological attributes. Large areas of national forest and minimally disturbed natural habitats are located nearby and are available for research and teaching. Extended field trips are used to familiarize students with the ecology of specific regions of North America. These regions have included the Florida Everglades, the Smoky Mountains, the Rocky Mountains, the U.S. desert Southwest, and tropical Mexico. Missouri State is also associated with the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory, located in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, which provides undergraduate courses in marine and coastal biology.

The Biology Department sponsors a chapter of Beta Beta Beta, a national honorary society for Biology majors. Several other student organizations serve Biology students, including the Missouri State Premedical Society, PreVet Society, Wildlife Club, Sierra Club, and Stream Team. The Biology Department offers approximately 9 academic scholarship awards annually, in addition to the scholarships offered by the University. Information on these awards is available from the Biology Department.

~ Dr. Alicia Mathis, Department Head