Biology - Microbiology Emphasis
Uncover groundbreaking ways to improve our health and the environment.
Dive Into Life's Smallest Building Blocks
Through the study of bacteria, viruses, parasites, yeasts, and molds, you'll discover the many microbes that make life on earth possible — and those that cause disease and death. In-depth exposure to topics like virology, immunology, and bacteriology will further show you the beneficial and detrimental functions microorganisms have on plants, animals, humans, and the planet.
An excellent path for those who wish to enter the medical, pharmaceutical, dental, agriculture, food, veterinary, or health care field, the microbiology program will help you find your niche and be successful in your chosen career.
Through projects and collaborative research, you'll develop and enhance your accuracy, precision and observation skills. Unique internship opportunities will also provide you with practical experience and help you feel prepared and empowered to take on anything in the microbiology field.
No matter your path, UW-Eau Claire's microbiology program will give you the guidance, tools and experiences needed so you can push boundaries and make a positive impact wherever you go.
Program Details
At UW-Eau Claire, you will have many opportunities to learn and explore outside of the classroom. Our proximity to lakes, rivers, streams, forests and wildlife areas — including a 230-acre scientific natural area — offers the perfect environment for microbiology majors. Our biology department is also associated with Beaver Creek Reserve in Eau Claire County; the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory in Ocean Springs, Mississippi; and the Gerace Research Centre in the Bahamas.
UW-Eau Claire has strong ties to major clinics and hospitals, including Mayo Clinic Health System and Marshfield Clinic, as well as smaller health care facilities like the Chippewa Valley Free Clinic. Many of our microbiology students receive internship and research opportunities with these hospital systems.
Explore hundreds of thousands of specimens right on campus. UW-Eau Claire is home to extensive collections of amphibians, reptiles, fish, insects, invertebrates, mammals, and birds as well as saltwater aquaria and a herbarium.
Broaden your perspective and step outside your comfort zone on course-based trips to places like Costa Rica, the Charles Darwin Research Station in the Galapagos, rural Ecuador, Utah, Nebraska, and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area.
Blugold Stories
UW-Eau Claire's research agreement with Mayo Clinic Health System was one of the main reasons I applied to the university. Mayo Clinic is one of the best hospitals in the world, so knowing that it is heavily involved in our undergraduate research is exciting.
You work really closely with the professors here. At a large research institution, you wouldn't have that opportunity — you'd be working with a post-doc or graduate student. Working alongside the professors, you get firsthand knowledge of how to think, run the experiments, and work the equipment.
Kevin Mayer’s research is leading to new ideas and ways of thinking. By studying red light signaling, Kevin found that corn stalks have the potential to be altered — yielding smaller plants with bigger cobs of corn. But meaningful data isn’t Kevin’s only takeaway. He’s also working alongside expert faculty, exploring career paths and enhancing his critical thinking skills.
Your education will come to life through research opportunities offered in all areas of study. No matter your interests, the opportunity to explore and discover is available to you.
Justthe
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Where can the microbiology program lead me after graduation?
Earning a microbiology degree from UW-Eau Claire empowers you to take on many different career paths and opportunities.
Example Careers
- Agricultural scientist
- Food scientist
- Biochemist
- Biological technicians
- Conservation scientists
- Forester
- Environmental scientists
- Geoscientist
Recent Graduates
Analytical Specialist
MillerCoors
Wisconsin
Genotyping Technician
Marshfield Clinic
Wisconsin
Clinical Technician, Cytogenetics
Mayo Clinic-Rochester
Minnesota
Quality Assurance Technician
ReGen Theranostics
Minnesota
At UW-Eau Claire, you will obtain a well-rounded, diverse education. You'll have the opportunity to dive into liberal arts courses as well as those focused specifically on microbiology.
Here are a few courses in Biology - Microbiology Emphasis at UW-Eau Claire.
BIOL 221
Foundations of Biology I
Introduction to cell biology, genetics, evolution, and microbiology.
BIOL 305
Molecular and Cell Biology
Current concepts in molecular/cell biology including structure/function of cells and cell organelles, gene function/regulation, and cell signaling.
BIOL 402
Current Topics in Virology and Immunology
Lectures and readings in immunology and virology. Emphasis on the mode of thinking and reasoning that led to earlier solutions. Discussions of current advances in the fields.
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