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Marine Biology Option B.S
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Program:
Marine Biologists are scientists who study the biology, behavior,
natural history, and ecology of animals and plants
that live in or in close association with the oceans.
Marine biologists are
curious about how nature works, enjoy solving problems,
and are deeply committed to solving pressing
environmental problems and helping society. Marine
biologists study a wide variety of organisms, including
fishes, sharks, mammals, birds, invertebrates,
algae and other plants, and utilize an assortment of approaches
ranging from the tools of molecular biology to those
of ecology. Marine Biologists work in the public and
private sectors, for aquaria, commercial fisheries,
the pet industry, zoological gardens, state and federal
agencies, as ecological consultants, and as natural
resource managers.
Our curriculum in Marine Biology is designed to be rigorous
and challenging and to provide both depth of knowledge
in these specialized areas of biology and a solid,
broad background in the breadth of biology. Our philosophy
is that our students should first be biologists
and then specialists within biological science. Because
marine biology is a science that is built on our understanding
of the physical world as revealed by the physical
sciences, this program requires extensive coursework
in Chemistry, Physics, and Mathematics.
In their work, marine biologists often are faced with
ethical and societal issues as well as more purely
scientific considerations. Certainly environmental
problems associated with the oceans and marine life
abound. Thus, our program combines rigorous training
in science with a strong background and perspective
in the liberal arts. Our goal is to prepare our students
to meet the challenges of today’s world and
to be ready for the unknown challenges of the future.
We strongly believe that the best training for
the future is to become a lifelong learner. The Biology
faculty at Millersville is a group of such learners
who attempt to teach students how to be critical thinkers.
We help our students learn to write and speak well
and to become proficient in analyzing and solving
problems, as well as to become technical experts.
We strongly believe that scientific research is an extremely
valuable experience for students; therefore,
the members of the Biology Faculty maintain active
research programs specifically geared for the participation
and training of undergraduates. Not only do these
activities provide valuable training and
experience for our marine biology students, but it helps our
faculty stay abreast of and participating in the advancement of
biological knowledge.
The program of study in marine biology is a challenging
mix of field and lab-oriented courses in basic biology,
marine biology, and oceanography and includes a broad
array of course in chemistry, physics, and mathematics.
In addition, our marine biology students have the opportunity
to collaborate with scientists at the top research
institutions in marine biology, including the Marine
Biological Lab at Woods Hole and the Academy of Natural
Sciences Estuarine Research Center. Our membership
in the Marine Science Consortium allows our students
to interact with the faculty from a number of other
institutions.
Our marine biology students also benefit greatly from
a campus with rich resources and expertise in a wide
range of environmental subspecialities. Rigorous programs
and outstanding faculties in meteorology, geology,
chemistry, oceanography, environmental biology, and
geography enhance the strength of our program in marine
biology. The Millersville University Environmental
Institute (MUEI) serves as an organizational framework
for all these programs and involves faculty, students
and off-campus organizations in partnerships dedicated
to research and education on matters relating to the
understanding, management, and protection of the natural
resources of the lower Susquehanna region.
Cooperative education can be an extremely valuable part of an
undergraduate education. We strongly encourage students
in the marine biology option to take advantage of
this opportunity. Co-ops allow students to apply knowledge
gained from regular courses to “real life”
situations. Often, co-ops can be extremely useful
in making contacts and entry into the job market!
In recent years, MU marine biology majors have
completed a wide variety of placements, including
those at the Wetlands Institute, ZooAmerica, Lancaster
Labs, the National Aquarium at Baltimore, several
Pennsylvania government agencies, the Florida State
Parks, Sea World and others. The fact that these organizations
continue to actively request more of our majors testifies
to the quality of our students.
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