Southeastern graduate biology program cited as third best in the nation by education group
Monday, July 18, 2016 
by: Rene Abadie
BIOLOGY PROGRAM RANKED – Kyle Piller, professor of biological sciences at Southeastern Louisiana University, and graduate student Kimberly Foster select specimens from the department’s Vertebrate Museum, a collection of more than 80,000 specimens. The Southeastern graduate program in biological sciences was ranked No. 3 in the nation by SR Education Group.
HAMMOND – The graduate program in biological sciences at Southeastern Louisiana University
was ranked third in the nation by SR Education Group, an education research publisher
based in Kirkland, Wash.
The 2016 Top Graduate Program rankings were selected from graduate schools and
programs across the nation and are based on student reviews. Southeastern was the
only Louisiana institution listed in the top 30 colleges and universities.
The full report is available at http://www.graduateprograms.com/school-rankings.
Southeastern’s program was ranked 4.36 on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the
highest by students who submitted responses to a survey. The university was ranked
high in campus safety, career advising, quality of instruction, student diversity,
financial services and degree satisfaction.
“We are pleased that our students appreciate the quality of our program,” said
Chris Beachy, head of the Department of Biological Sciences. “Our graduate faculty
are all accomplished researchers and active in their professional specialty organizations.
They are also excellent instructors with a dedication to providing our students with
numerous real-world educational opportunities.”
A sample of student comments from the Southeastern review included:
-- “Some pros of this program are how invested the majority of the faculty is
in the progress of the graduate students.”
-- “I took a lot of valuable lessons with me to my professional career; I feel
I am greatly prepared for my current job.”
-- “The faculty members are usually wonderful and willing to help.”
Last year, the biological sciences graduate program was ranked sixth in the nation
by a separate rating service, graduateprograms.com. The department offers students
specialization opportunities in the areas of ecology and environmental biology, evolutionary
biology, genetics, cellular and molecular biology, microbiology and anatomy and physiology.
