The department has 23 faculty who are available to provide individual assistance to students in and out of class. The training of the faculty covers practically every sub-discipline in the biological sciences including Botany, Zoology, Genetics, Physiology, Neurophysiology, Endocrinology, Ecology, Developmental Biology, Parasitology, Aquatic Sciences, Aquatic Toxicology, and Mycology. In addition, several scientists with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources serve as adjunct faculty to the department. A wide variety of careers is available for graduates with a biology major. For students with secondary teacher certification, positions are available in high schools.
Jobs are available in both basic and applied biology.
Scientists in basic biological sciences are concerned primarily with teaching and research in colleges and universities. An advanced degree is usually required to qualify for one of these positions. Applied biologists deal with the application of the fundamental concepts of biology and are employed largely by federal and state government agencies such as the Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Department of Natural Resources, Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife, and the Environmental Protection Agency. The health field constitutes another major area of opportunity in applied biology. The U.S. Public Health Service and state, county and municipal health services all require trained biologists.