Take these steps to become a UTB student

utb.edu/careercenter • The next in this series will appear on Feb 21.
DIVE INTO SCIENCE
Take these steps
to become a
UTB student
1. Complete an online admission form at
applytexas.org.
2. Take the TSI Assessment to determine
your college-readiness status. Contact the
Office of Testing at 956-882-8875 for test
dates and additional information.
3. Submit official ACT or SAT scores.
4. Entering freshmen or transfer students with
fewer than 30 credit hours must attend
orientation. Call the Office of the Dean of
Students at 956-882-5141.
5. Submit official high school transcript (sent
from high school) or GED certificate to the
Office of Admissions and Recruiting.
6. Submit two proofs of residency to the Office
of Admissions and Recruiting.
Catheline Froehlich, a second year graduate student in biology, researches the culvert reef densities on fish communities seven
miles off the coast of Port Mansfield.
UTB students monitor artificial reefs with scientific scuba diving
Catheline Froehlich said a visit to
the Great Barrier Reef during a study
abroad trip to Brisbane, Australia in
spring 2011 influenced her to pursue a
scientific career change. Froehlich, 23,
at the time was already studying for
a pre-veterinary science degree at the
University of Massachusetts Amherst.
“During my stay there (in Australia),
I snorkeled for the first time and fell
in love with the ocean,” said Newton,
Massachusets resident Froehlich,
now a second year graduate student
in biology at The University of Texas
at Brownsville. “From then on, I
looked at future opportunities in
marine biology.”
After graduating from UMass
Amherst in May 2012 she found
through an online job board a
master’s thesis position monitoring
artificial reefs.
Froehlich’s master’s thesis looks
at the culvert reef densities on fish
communities seven miles off the coast
of Port Mansfield.
“I do visual scuba surveys on a
monthly basis,” said Froehlich. “Since
the reef was deployed randomly, the
culverts landed in several patches with
different configurations and therefore
each patch has a different density of
culverts. I suspect that patches will
reach a plateau of fish biodiversity
after a certain density of culverts.”
Some marine science work involves
having proper diver certification. The
Professional Association of Diving
Instructors and National Association
of Underwater Instructors are two
organizations that people can earn
certification from.
“The more experience you get
before doing scientific scuba diving,
the more it will help you relax more,”
said Froehlich. “It helps you think
straight underwater.”
The Department of Biological
Sciences offers hands-on opportunities
off the coasts of South Padre Island
and Port Mansfield and at the Laguna
Madre and the Bahia Grande.
“Our marine environment is a huge
draw compared to other parts of the
state,” said Dr. David Hicks, Chair and
Associate Professor of the Department
of Biological Sciences.
Rachel Arney, 25, a second year
UTB graduate student in biology
from Phoenix, Ariz., did internships
at Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife
Refuge in Cameron County and Sea
Turtle Inc. on South Padre Island along
with working with sea turtles in Costa
Rica after graduating in 2010 from the
University of Arizona.
“Internships are almost a necessity
when you want to go for a job,”
said Arney.
Students in the biological sciences
department can also get experience
using remotely operated vehicles
and multi-beam and steel scan
sonars. The equipment is used to
access fish populations and mapping
offshore reefs.
“It’s a lot different than my
undergraduate work,” said Arney. “I’m
learning a lot of skills I never knew I
needed. I learned how to use a planer
saw and had to make my own schedule.”
Arney and Froehlich said high
school students interested in the marine
science should pay attention in their
English classes because writing skills
are critical for university and graduate
school admissions, grant applications
and research and thesis reports.
“Science is a given, but one of the
most important things as a scientist
is being well spoken and well read,”
said Arney.
The university offers bachelor’s and
master’s degree programs in biology
with classes and laboratories in marine
biology, marine botany, Texas coastal
ecology and marine zoology.
Hicks said the department is in
the planning stages to offer, with
final approval from the Texas Higher
Education Coordinating Board, a
bachelor’s degree in marine biology
starting in fall 2014.
For more information on a degree in
biology, visit utb.edu/biology.
AVERAGE SALARIES IN
MARINE SCIENCE CAREERS:
Aquarist: $41,000
Marine Technician: $43,300
Environmental Analyst: $54,000
Marine Habitat Policy Analyst: $61,000
Marine Educator: $65,000
Biological Scientist: $67,000
Oceanographer: $85,000
Marine Engineer: $88,000
7. All first-time freshmen returning and transfer
students must provide one of the following
to Student Health Services: A certification
from a health care practitioner evidencing
that the student has received a vaccination
or booster for bacterial meningitis no more
than five years and no fewer than 10 days
prior to the first day of class.
Financial aid
checklist
1. Complete the Free Application for Federal
Student Aid (FAFSA) online to apply for
federal and state grants, work-study and
loan programs (fasfa.ed.gov). Parents and
students should apply for a pin number at
pin.ed.gov.
2. Students will receive either a Student
Aid Report (SAR) or a Student Aid
Acknowledgement and must review the
information for accuracy.
3. A financial aid advisor will review the
FAFSA. Comply with all Office of Financial
Aid requests for verification of information
or to request additional documentation.
4. Once the file is completed and cleared, the
student will receive a letter stating his/her
eligibility status and/or award offer by email.
5. Register for classes before the designated
deadlines as indicated in the course
schedule; pay balance at the Office of
Accounting and Finance before payment
deadline. Email your financial aid questions
to [email protected].
PARTNERS IN
EDUCATION
Source: Indeed.com
LET NOTHING STOP YOU.
Apply for federal financial aid
or general scholarships
by the March 1 priority deadline.
utb.edu/financialaid
We’ll help you
apply to UTB
at utb.edu/ec.