Students help a professor with research in the College greenhouse.
Our biology department fosters a strong sense of community: biology majors work side by side with professors who know them by name. You'll learn from full-time faculty who are committed to teaching students at all levels, in the laboratory, in the field, and in the lecture hall. Each professor has a personal laboratory where you'll use state-of-the-art equipment: you'll be the one operating the fluorescent microscope or the ultracentrifuge or using the controlled-condition plant growth facility to conduct sophisticated, original research.
Beyond the lab you'll be conducting research in the field and attending national conferences to present your results. Our biology majors often receive competitive grant awards and national recognition for their work. For example, one student was recently named a Goldwater scholar and another received a Pfizer undergraduate research fellowship.
You may also consider our teacher education option, which prepares you for initial New York State certification as a middle or high school biology teacher. An emphasis on research and effective teaching methods prepares students well for life in the laboratory as well as the classroom. You'll learn to run labs in secondary school classrooms and teach in both rural and urban settings.
Upon graduation, many of our biology majors enter professional schools to study medicine, dentistry, or other health fields. Others are accepted at top graduate programs such as UC Berkeley, Yale, Harvard, and UCLA. Other options include conducting research for the government or in the pharmaceutical industry. Teaching or working in the field of business gives graduates even more options.