Jun 01, 2025  
2024-2025 Undergraduate Academic Catalog 
    
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2024-2025 Undergraduate Academic Catalog

Marine Biology, BS

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To declare a Marine Biology Major:

Major credit requirements:

  • At least 39 total credits in the major.
  • At least 20 collateral credits
  • At least 15 credits in residence of 300 level or above courses.
  • An approved field experience in marine biology is required and may be satisfied by one of the following: One semester in residence at a marine field station or internship.
  • Exit cumulative GPA of 2.50 in major.

Students will be encouraged to identify career paths and / or graduate programs as soon as possible. Given that certain careers or programs will require coursework or experience beyond the requirements of this major, additional advising will be provided that is tailored to each student’s individual needs.

A student majoring in Marine Biology may not also major or minor in Biology.

MBI Sample Plan  

A major in Marine Biology consists of a minimum of 39 credits and 20 credits of collaterals.

Core Courses:

One Cell/Genetics course from the following:

One Quantitative course from the following:

An approved field experience in marine biology is required and may be satisfied by one semester in residence at an approved marine field station or one approved internship.

Students may receive credit fo this experience, which they can apply to either their core, elective, or collateral requirements.

Currently approved field stations are the Discovery Bay, Jamaica; Motte Marine Laboratory, Florida, Orpheus Island Research Station, James Cook University, Australia and St. George’s University, Grenada. Internships that past students have used to satisfy this reqiurement include working with Discovery World (Milwaukee), helping to maintain their aqauria, or a three-week J-term internship working with the Lowry Park Zoo Manatee Rehabilitation Program (Tampa, FL). These options are listed as examples of what previous students have done and as examples of programs that fit this requirement.

Students are encouraged to seek an opportunity that best fits their interests and needs, and thus should not feel limited by these options.

At least 13 credits of electives not used above.

Collateral Requirements

Core collateral requirements:

At least 4 credits from the following elective collaterals not used above.:

General Education Core Curriculum

Liberal Arts Core

Lutheran Theology

Professional Development

Approaches to Individual and Social Questions

Intercultural Knowledge and Competence

BS/BSN Foreign Language

Degree Credit Requirements

  • At least 120 degree credits are required for a bachelor’s degree. There is no limit to the number of credits which may be earned in one department.
  • A minimum of 30 of the final 36 credits must be earned in residence to receive a bachelor’s degree from WLC.
  • Students must also earn at least 15 credits in residence in upper division courses (300 and 400 level) in the major to receive a bachelor’s degree from WLC.
  • If a major requires a capstone course, it is required to be taken at WLC.
  • At least 9 credits in the minor must be taken at WLC.
  • A minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0 must be achieved to satisfy the degree requirements. Individual programs may require grade point averages higher than a 2.0 for courses used to satisfy the major.

Suggested General Education Sequencing

  • Freshman : COL 101 (Fall), LAS 101  (Spring), Foreign Language/Foreign Language Diversity, Quantitative Reasoning, ENG 101, COM 101, THE 105/THE 110, ~9 cr. in the major

  • Sophomore: Biblical Theology, PED 100, 1-2 Approaches, declare major

  • Junior: Applied Theology, 1-2 Approaches

  • Senior: Systematic Theology,  1-2 Approaches, LAS 401/LAS 402 

 

(Full general education information may be found here.)

 

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