What to Expect

Students of physiology are learning how the body works. If you're looking for a science degree that can also help improve people's health, check out this field of study.

A course she took after her second year at the University of Arizona really sharpened Corina Brack's interest in physiology. "I took a course in human anatomy and physiology the summer after my sophomore year and thoroughly enjoyed it," she says.

It also appealed to her outside interests. "I have been heavily involved in sports throughout my life and I found it absolutely fascinating to see how the human body is put together and functions to allow me to play those sports."

It also took one year of university to help point Kevin Latchford towards a physiology degree. "I took my first physiology course in the second year of my undergraduate studies. I was hooked immediately!" he says.

"I've always been fascinated by the life sciences and appreciated the 'how-it-works' perspective of human physiology," says Latchford. "It really allowed me to see the big picture of how the human machine operates from a very defined systems perspective."

Brack notes that first-year students can expect to spend about 12 hours a week in the classroom, with an additional two to four hours of homework each night.

Latchford cautions prospective students to be prepared for a lot of assignments.

"First year was very assignment-heavy. Most of my first-year classes had weekly assignments and labs which were due the following week," he says.

"The assignments were typically much harder than the actual exams and quizzes we took, and I felt they were an excellent method of evaluating how well you understood the material."