Undergraduate Biology students may register for the following courses to earn academic credit for research:
BIOL 3970 Independent research (no prerequisites, pass/fail grading)
BIOL 4970 Advanced Independent Study (A/B/C/D/F letter grade, students must complete at least 6 hours of 3000+ level Biology course work prior to registering for BIOL 4970)
NOTE: B.S. Biology Majors may count up to 4 hours of research credit toward the 35 hours of upper division Biology classes needed to complete their degree. B.A. Biology Majors may count up to 3 hours of research credit. Research for credit does NOT count toward the 12 credit hours of upper division Biology classes needed to complete a Biology Minor.
Students may conduct research under the direction of a a faculty member from the Department of Biology. We also encourage students to pursue opportunities outside of the department with faculty at affiliated departments or institutions, including the Saint Louis University School of Medicine, SLU's Center for World Health and Medicine, the Saint Louis Zoo, and the Missouri Botanical Garden.
Registering for research hours:
1.Get permission from your faculty advisor. If working with faculty in the Biology Department, you will register for the appropriate course with their section number; they will do a registration override for you. If working with faculty outside the Biology Department, you will need to register with the research coordinator's section number. Please let the undergrad research coordinator (susan.spencer@slu.edu) know that you need approval for BIOL3970/4970 well before the end of the semester registration period.
2.All students participating in research for credit should fill out Form 36 so that research will be recorded properly on their transcript. Completed forms should be emailed to the Registrar's Office (registrar@slu.edu).
3.All students participating in research, whether for credit or not for credit, should register their experience with SLU through the Handshake app. Students initiate the Handshake process using the app in MySLU. Once completed, the experience will be forward to Career Services, and then the student's research supervisor and the Undergraduate Research Coordinator for approval. Please consult the following handouts for instructions:
Click on the links below to learn more about research opportunities at SLU and beyond:
Research Opportunities in the Biology Department
Please note that, while all SLU undergraduate students are encouraged to inquire about research positions in Biology and Neuroscience labs, some professors give priority to Biology and Neuroscience majors when filling open positions.
The Saint Louis University Institute for Drug and Biotherapeutic Innovation
SLU Med School Research Lab Links (Contains web addresses to research departments and individual laboratories at SLU Medical School)
Research Opportunities at the Saint Louis Zoo (including summer internships)
Research Opportunities at the Danforth Plant Science Center
Research Opportunities at Missouri Botanical Garden (including summer internships)
SLU Institute for Translational Neuroscience