Top ranking: Historically, the Zoology program has ranked at or near the top for number of majors in the College of Arts and Science and in the University, and Miami’s Department of Zoology remains among the largest undergraduate programs in Zoology in the nation.
Strong faculty/student collaborations: Faculty concentrate on quality and effectiveness in teaching as well as research. Even introductory classes are taught by senior faculty. Students have many opportunities for internships through faculty connections with organizations such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Argonne National Laboratory. Undergraduates have the opportunity to do extensive research projects, to publish their work in scientific journals, and present their research at national and international conferences.
A broad range of courses: One of the program’s many strengths is its diversity in curriculum and research, with areas of study ranging from animal behavior to physiology to molecular biology to ecology. This breadth gives students hands-on experience in research, publication, and presentation. Miami emphasizes a full range of systematics courses in entomology (the study of insects), ichthyology (fishes), herpetology (reptiles and amphibians), ornithology (birds), and mammalogy (mammals). With the awareness of biodiversity and ecological concerns today, a sound knowledge of the taxonomy of different species is crucial to understanding these concerns. Many colleges and universities have reduced or eliminated these courses from their curriculums.
Excellent career and professional preparation: The department is extremely successful in placing its graduates in appropriate employment and in preparing them for career-long accomplishments. In addition to working on campus, many of our students participate in summer internships off-campus at places such as the Cincinnati Zoo, the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago, and the Argonne National Lab.
Work experience: The Department of Zoology employs numerous students during the academic year and the summer. Responsibilities range from performing routine office duties, conducting laboratory experiments, providing assistance in laboratory classes, caring for animals, and maintaining museum specimens. We encourage you to submit your application for employment in the spring for the upcoming academic year.
Outdoor wildlife reserve: Adjacent to campus, the reserve and its adjoining areas contain more than 1,000 acres of diverse habitats, including streams, flood plains, farm ponds, forests, a pine plantation, and grasslands
The Ecology Research Center: Located two miles from campus, this is a 178-acre area of diverse habitats, including a 1,000-square-foot building which contains a bioenergetics laboratory, a controlled environmental chamber, animal room facilities, and basic ecological equipment. There are also outdoor areas for research, several newly constructed experimental ponds, experimental vegetation plots, replicate aviaries, prairie research plots, and a modern precipitation chemistry and weather station.
Top-notch facilities: The Department of Zoology is located in Pearson Hall, a state-of-the-art biological sciences building boasting excellent research and animal care facilities and equipment. The electron microscope facility, one of the best in the nation, includes both transmission and scanning electron microscopes in two labs. Computers are used in all of the biological science first-year course labs, and many divisions of the department, such as neuroanatomy and endocrinology, have their own computer labs. In the genetics laboratory, computers are tied into national data bases enabling students to study the work of top researchers. The laboratories accommodate research in behavioral studies, aquatic and animal studies, biochemistry, and physiology.