Western靠近Salish Sea海岸，是学习海洋科学的大学生的理想之地。生物学“海洋重点课程”主要介绍生物学的基本领域和支持科学，同时允许海洋生物学专业化。学生探索海洋生物的结构和功能以及它们与环境的关系。在这种强调下，大多数学生的一个亮点是有机会参加位于华盛顿州阿纳科特斯（距离贝灵汉约一个小时）的Western’的Shannon Point海洋中心教授的课程。这些全日制课程为学生提供了深入研究海洋生态学和藻类多样性的机会，包括基于船的研究和前往附近岛屿的旅行。
Biology is the study of living organisms. As scientists, biologists have three goals: (1) understanding the structure and function of organisms, (2) generating and disseminating reliable data pertaining to biological systems, and (3) developing a deep understanding of the natural world that can inform solutions for the serious environmental, medical, and social concerns facing humanity.<br><br>Our goal as educators is to maintain intensive academic programs designed to stimulate curiosity, creativity and life-long critical thinking in students who pursue a liberal arts education in Biology. All of the B.S. programs in Biology are designed for students who plan to pursue post-graduate study or professional careers in biology or teaching. We have designed these programs to enable students to develop an integrated conceptual foundation in biology, as well as critical thinking skills, quantitative problem-solving abilities, leadership and team-building skills, and scientific research skills.