Welcome to the Department of Biological Sciences

Engaging students in the study of life

The Department of Biological Sciences provides students with a wide choice of experiences and opportunities in the life sciences — from medicine, to the environment, to basic and applied research in botany, ecology and evolutionary biology, marine biology, microbiology, and molecular biology.

Biology, the study of life, is composed of many disciplines unified by the fact that all living things—plants, animals, and microorganisms—follow the same fundamental laws of heredity, reproduction, growth, development, self-maintenance, interaction, and response. A central focus of the Department of Biological Sciences is to engage students in the study of life through active learning in the classroom and through collaborative research in the laboratory and field. Perhaps the most necessary skills of a biologist are an inquisitive outlook and enthusiastic curiosity.