Biology Samford University

Overview

The broad-based degree in Biology from Samford University also prepares you for a wide range of health-related professions and professional programs, including: medical school, dental school, optometry school, pharmacy school, veterinary school, physical therapy school, physician assistant school and others. 

The majority of students applying for medical school are trained within biology programs because the vast majority of the basic science coursework in medical schools is in biology. Upper division biology courses such as physiology, histology, genetics, and microbiology will prepare you for your first two years of medical school. 

Career Opportunities

Careers in Biology and Environmental Science include a wide variety of opportunities, some of which require only an undergraduate degree and some of which involve further study.

There are newly-emerging careers in the rapidly changing disciplines of Biology and Environmental Science. Many students find careers after graduation in research, consulting, business, biotechnology, and a wide variety of other fields. Faculty mentors at Samford work closely with students to focus career interests and prepare students for these careers.

Other students take advantage of graduate programs, which in the non-medical biological sciences are usually fully funded and provide a stipend for students. Students seeking graduate programs receive careful mentoring from faculty mentors. Graduate degrees in biology have the potential to lead to a variety of careers, including research, education, administration, biotechnology, business, non-profit management, and government.

In the medical fields, many of our students pursue applied careers as doctors, physician’s assistants, physical therapists, dentists, physical therapists, optometrists, or veterinarians. Students also may be more interested in research careers in these same disciplines, or in combinations of research and clinical practice. These programs require advanced degrees.

The biology department offers intensive mentoring to support students through preparations and applications to professional programs. There are also a wide variety of opportunities for students with an undergraduate degree in biology who do not want to pursue other advanced degrees to work in medical research laboratories or in field research, and a major in biology helps to build the skills that students need to seek out and acquire these kinds of positions upon graduation.

Internships

Internships are a critical part of the college experience. An internship provides a real-world context for academics, helps students discerning their future career path, builds connections to future careers, establishes relationships with diverse mentors, and identifies pathways to potential graduate and professional study. 

Samford’s major in Biological and Environmental Sciences has a highly customizable internship program that places students in internships that range from biotechnology startups, major research laboratories, and hospital to urban agriculture education programs and non-profits like the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. 

Biology faculty members mentor students in the internship process. We encourage all of our students to participate in at least one internship while at Samford. Faculty mentors help locate internship sites, design appropriate goals and activities, and asses the final outcome for the student and their internship host.