Current Students

Advising

All undergraduate students majoring within the Department of Biology are advised by faculty within the department. 

Career Paths and Skills

Biology is the study of life! What could be more fascinating? How is it that molecules assemble to become cells and cells become organisms? True understanding in biology requires knowledge of chemistry, mathematics and physics.

With this strong academic background, graduates with degrees in biology are well prepared to enter a broad spectrum of disciplines. Intellectual rigor and the ability to analyze and communicate complex issues allow the biology major to consider careers or advanced study in business, law, science, government, or medicine.

Summer Research Opportunities

Those students who are interested in biology often utilize the summer months to gain significant experience in research. Summer research opportunities can be found all across the nation, and they range in length of time and the level of commitment required. This list, complied with resources from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the NIH, gives a small sampling of research programs in the summer months – most of which are full time commitments and include living arrangements.

Teaching Opportunities

Teaching opportunities give biology students and recent graduates an opportunity to have a direct impact on students’ understanding of science, from those in kindergarten all the way to undergraduates. Teaching fellowships, some of which are listed, provide a stipend to students who are thinking of careers in education. There are also options like Teach for America or SPIRE for those students who might have other longer-term career goals, but who are interested in teaching for a smaller amount of time.

Scholarships, Grants, and Fellowships

For biology students, both at the undergraduate and graduate level, there are numerous scholarships, grants and fellowships available to help fund education and research. Scholarships are given to the student to help financially support their secondary education. They can be for general academic merit – or target to specific groups, like prospective teachers or science majors. Grants are awards given to students to be used for a specific research project. Grants can range from $100 to upwards of $100,000. And lastly, fellowships are financial awards given to promising graduate students that cover full or partial tuition and living expenses.