A Biology degree is relevant to everyone. A solid foundation in biological principals is certainly of relevance to students interested in careers in some aspect of medicine, biologically relevant research, management of natural resources or teaching. But such a foundation empowers any citizen to confront issues of ever increasing complexity of medical care, environmental deterioration, bioethics, agricultural economics, public health or biotechnology. A major in Biological Sciences provides students with a broad education in the sciences and empowers students with knowledge critical to surviving life in the 21st century.

The Department of Biological Sciences offers a focused program of courses for students seeking a Major in Biological Sciences, as well as courses for students needing to satisfy specific for other Majors including Nursing, Pharmacy and Public Health, and courses with broad impact for students seeking to satisfy a science requirement for other programs. Courses are taught by a faculty of some 40 professors with exceptional academic backgrounds and expertise ranging from molecular and cell biology to organismal and environmental biology, from bacteria to plants and animals, from neuroscience and behavior to developmental biology and cancer. CLICK HERE to explore professors and their interests.

Courses are progressive in that introductory courses provide broad surveys of biological issues, and more advanced courses are increasingly focused and detailed. Although class sizes can be fairly large for introductory courses, they are often quite small for more advanced courses (8-20 students). Small class sizes, practical laboratory components of many courses, and undergraduate research offer many opportunities to students to develop close relationships with their professors.

A major advantage of education at a large university is the opportunity students have to participate in research projects of professors. Professors of Biological Sciences maintain dual lives as educators and researchers; many research labs include undergraduate researchers. Typically, students become familiar with professors through their classes and through the descriptions of professor research on the department web site. Students can join laboratories as early as their freshman year. Research efforts can receive course credit (6 credits towards graduating, with 3 credits satisfying the major requirement). In many cases students receive financial support for research, especially during the summer, from either research grants of professors or from several competitive fellowship programs offered by the Department and University.

The Department of Biological Sciences is committed to assessing and improving the value and quality of our program. In August 2004 the Department was awarded a National Science Foundation grant to investigate the impact of peer review on student scientific reasoning and the extent to which written lab reports can be used to assess students achievement of our curriculum goals. A description of that project can be viewed HERE.