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Career
Guidance
 The
Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Missouri
Southern provides a foundation for diverse career paths.
The course requirements for the biology major are designed
to provide a broad academic background that optimizes
career options. Our majors pursue careers in areas such
as biotechnology, biology education, applied and basic
research, environmental and wildlife biology, conservation
and resource management, naturalist, and fisheries biology.
Some students use the biology degree as preparation
for a health related professional career such as medicine,
dentistry, optometry, veterinary medicine, pharmacy,
and physical therapy.
Below you will find a description of the more common
career choices of our majors. Listed for each career
path are academic advisors that you can contact to answer
your questions or to provide more information.
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| Bioinformatics |
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| Biology
Education |
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| Ecology / Conservation |
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| Graduate School |
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| Pre-Dental |
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| Pre-Medicine |
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| Pre-Optometry |
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 The
American Optometric Association defines
a Doctor of Optometry as “an
independent primary care provider
who examines, diagnoses, treats and
manages diseases and disorders of
the visual system, the eye and associated
structures.”
Doctors of
Optometry must complete a four-year
degree program at one of approximately
16 accredited schools of optometry.
The Biology Department at Missouri
Southern offers a pre-optometry program
that allows students to meet the requirements
for admission to optometry school
while completing the Bachelor of Science
in Biology degree. The admission requirements
to the schools of optometry vary,
but students should expect to take
courses in anatomy, physiology, calculus,
organic chemistry, biochemistry, physics,
statistics, as well as courses in
the humanities. MORE
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| Pre-Pharmacy |
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| Pre-Physical
Therapy |
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 Physical
therapy is a health profession that
provides services that help restore
function, improve mobility, relieve
pain, and prevent or limit permanent
physical disabilities of patients
suffering from injuries or disease.
Physical therapists restore, maintain,
and promote overall fitness and health
to patients of all ages. They practice
in hospitals, private offices, outpatient
clinics, rehabilitation facilities,
schools, fitness centers and sports
training facilities.
MORE
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| Pre-Veterinary
Medicine |
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The
Bioinformatics major is the newest
degree option being offered by the
Biology Department at Missouri Southern.
This major is an interdisciplinary
degree combing the skill of the computer
specialist with the knowledge of the
biologist to mine the information
being generated from the Human Genome
Project. The Human Genome Project’s
primary goal was to sequence the 4
billion nucleotide bases that code
for your very own existence. Their
goal has been expanded to sequence
the genomes of other species from
bacteria to protozoa to plants to
animals. Because of the vast array
of data, computer skills are a necessity.
The
Missouri Southern Biology Department
has a long history of training area
high school biology teachers. Prospective
teachers complete the core curriculum
plus additional hours in education
and science. Prospective middle school
and junior high school teachers also
take biology coursework through the
department. A strong undergraduate
science background is a fundamental
component of preparing biology teachers.
Missouri
Southern offers a major in biology
that prepares students for careers
or further study in Ecology and Conservation
biology. Ecology is the study of how
animals, plants, and microbes interact
in and with the natural world. Ecology
may encompass several levels from
autoecology, which is single-species
ecology, to the study of complex interactions
between several species such as predation
or competition. Ecology also involves
the study of ecosystems and global
issues such as the effects of pollution
on the biosphere or the recent loss
of biodiversity. The field of Conservation
Biology is a more recent discipline
that has emerged from the fields of
ecology and field biology. Conservation
Biology has been defined as the science
of “scarcity and diversity,”
(Soule 1986) and is concerned with
global and regional patterns of both
species diversity and species loss.
The
Biology Degree from Missouri Southern
can be a stepping stone to further
study in a specialized area of biology.
In graduate school you can work toward
a Master’s degree or a Ph.D.
The masters programs usually take
two to three years while the Ph.D.
can take four to five years. 
Dentists
are responsible for the health and
maintenance of teeth and gums. Dentists
repair caries, provide cleanings,
add crowns, and replace teeth. Advanced
specialties of dentistry include orthodontics,
the straightening of teeth, and peridontics,
the repair of gum lines. There is
an ever increasing demand for dentists
as the population ages. 
Students
interested in a career as a physician
can accomplish their goal via two
routes: becoming an allopathic doctor
(M.D.) or becoming an osteopathic
doctor (D.O.). Both M.D.s and D.O.s
are licensed physicians, fully qualified
to practice medicine in all 50 states.
These programs require students to
successfully complete a four-year
degree program at an accredited medical
or osteopathic school.
Pharmacists
are key members of the patient’s
healthcare team. The professional
responsibilities of pharmacists include,
drug delivery and medication safety,
patient education and advocacy, monitoring
drug therapy, and research and clinical
studies. While the majority of pharmacists
work in community pharmacies, there
is an increasing demand for pharmacists
in a wide variety of occupational
settings. Pharmacists work in hospitals
and other institutional settings,
managed care facilities, the pharmaceutical
industry with careers in product development,
marketing, public relations and sales.
Doctors
of veterinary medicine are medical
professionals, whose primary goal
is to protect the health and welfare
of animals and people. The veterinarian’s
oath states the doctor will “use
his or her scientific knowledge and
skills for the benefit of society
through the protection of animal health,
the relief of animal suffering, the
conservation of animal resources,
the promotion of public health, and
the advancement of medical knowledge.”
Veterinarians may work in private
practice, teaching and research, governmental
agencies, and industry. 
