Each track in the Biology department emphasizes hands-on experience in the laboratory and in off-campus field settings beginning in your freshman year. LHU’s new East Campus Science Center has expanded opportunities to conduct independent research projects with faculty members dedicated to your success.

What You'll Study

Marine Biology focuses on the health of marine ecosystems. In this track you’ll experience an emphasis on field-oriented studies in marine environments and will have the opportunity to work closely with faculty to develop and conduct research on marine systems. Topics covered include:

Zoology
Aquatic Biology
Marine Biology

Field course work in marine biology typically takes place during the summer at the Chincoteague Bay Field Station. Upon graduation you will be qualified for employment in marine laboratory or fieldwork positions. Employers include:

State and Federal government offices and laboratories
Educational Institutions
Conservation Organizations
Legal Firms
Environmental Societies

Program Highlights

Research Opportunities: You will have opportunities to conduct research with biology faculty members on a variety of topics in the laboratory and field. Students often engage in Independent Study research projects with faculty with a variety of expertise. Examples of student research experiences include:
- Effects of human impacts and contaminants on the environment
- Behavioral ecology of vertebrates
- Species diversity in a variety of habitats
- Developmental biology
- Cancer biology
- Environmental microbiology
- Effects and remediation/treatment of diseases caused by bacteria and fungi
- Applying GIS (Geographic Information Systems) to environmental questions
- Genomics and Bioinformatics.

Facilities: The department is housed in the new, state-of-the-art East Campus Science Center. The Center offers extensive equipment for teaching and research in both field and laboratory settings, giving you the chance for hands-on learning at every stage of your education. You can learn more about our lab facilities here. Resources in the facility include:
- Extensive fish collections
- Field sampling equipment for botany and aquatics
- A newly renovated greenhouse
- Advanced microscopy with digital cameras
- Advanced physiology equipment
- Tissue culture facilities
- Modern molecular biology equipment for analyses of protein, DNA, and RNA

Chincoteague Bay Field Station: LHU is a member of the Chincoteague Bay Field Station, located on the Delmarva Peninsula between the Atlantic Ocean and Chesapeake Bay, adjacent to the NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, in Wallops Island, Virginia. You will have the opportunity to enroll in summer courses offered through the field station where you’ll have access to seagoing vessels, land laboratories, and modern oceanographic equipment. The field station provides ready access to wetlands and barrier islands as well as inshore and offshore ocean habitats in the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge and the Assateague National Seashore.

Careers: The five options in LHU’s Biology program provide access to and training for nearly all careers in biology and serve as excellent preparation for graduate and medical school. Recent graduates have begun careers or advanced training in biology and related fields, including the following:
- Biotechnology
- Pharmaceuticals
- Medical School
- Dental School
- Environmental Consulting
- Agriculture
- Federal Regulatory Agencies
- Aquarium Industries
- Forensic Science
- Conservation
- Wildlife and Fisheries