Science Programs

Hands-on science

Labs that go far beyond campus: You work in Science Hall, at the 1,189-acre Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center and even at the J.N. Roth Marine Biology Station in the Florida Keys, learning science in the places where it actually happens.
Research programs that put you to work: Hands-on opportunities like Maple Scholars summer research let you take on a real project alongside faculty, the kind of experience that sets you up for graduate school and competitive careers.
Where our graduates go: Goshen science alumni move into medicine, conservation, biotechnology and research, and the college ranks among the top schools in Indiana for the share of graduates who go on to earn doctorates.

1,189
acres of living lab to explore at Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center
86%
of molecular biology and biochemistry applicants to medical school were accepted over a recent five-year period
12
week residential Marine Biology Semester in the Florida Keys, running each fall since 2019

Biology
Turn your curiosity about the living world into hands-on research and discovery.
Chemistry
Master the elements to develop life-saving medicine and sustainable solutions.
Molecular Biology / Biochemistry
Decode life at the molecular level to drive medical and scientific breakthroughs.
Environmental & Marine Science
Protect our ecosystems and oceans through immersive fieldwork from wetlands to coral reefs.

“Completing the marine and environmental science degree opened up a great abundance of opportunities including getting dive certified, building connections with non-profit organizations, and learning about a variety of different ecosystems. I was able to gain hands on experience and conduct a senior thesis project right off the dock about the most amazing marine organism (sea turtles, of course). Overall, I was able to grow as a student and find what I am truly passionate about which is conserving our marine ecosystems.”

Laci Munger '26
ENVIRONMENTAL AND MARINE SCIENCE Major

Real research and fieldwork are built into every program, in some of the most distinctive spaces available to undergraduates:

Schrock Science Labs: Genetic, cellular, molecular and marine research labs, feeding a junior-year thesis project.
J.N. Roth Marine Biology Station: Goshen-owned, Layton, Florida: the C.F. Bishop laboratory, a 58-foot dock onto Florida Bay, reefs and mangroves minutes out.
Stay a full semester: 12 weeks on-site, two courses, a marine internship, your own research project.

A 1,189-acre nature preserve, 30 miles from campus, open to you as a place to learn.
Study ecology, water, soil, and climate outdoors in the real world.
Do impactful research on the land as an undergraduate, instead of waiting until graduate school.
Live on-site for a full term through the Sustainability Semester, with the whole preserve as your classroom.
Take on the kind of fieldwork most students never get the chance to do.

One application opens the door to every science program at Goshen.

Jonathon Schramm
Professor of Sustainability and Environmental Education
Department Chair
Dan Smith
Professor of Chemistry
Department Chair
Phil Allman
Professor of Marine Biology
Andy Ammons
Professor of Biology
Raquel Montanez Gonzalez
Associate Professor of Biology