Biology, the most intriguing and pervasive of sciences, is the study of life and living things. As a scientist, a biologist is continually searching. Perhaps the most necessary skills of a biologist are an inquisitive outlook and enthusiastic curiosity.

The multi-faceted biological sciences are 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.

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