Biology

"The important thing in science is not so much to obtain new facts as to discover new ways of thinking about them"
— William Lawrence Bragg

Biology, the study of living organisms, is wonderfully dynamic and diverse. Students experience at first hand the excitement of working with faculty to test theory against experience in the classroom and laboratory. Students may come to our department because they envision lives as educators or health providers, or because they want to understand more fully our environment in this complex and mutable world.

The Department of Biology offers both Bachelor and Master of Science degrees. The undergraduate program is designed to prepare students for a career in the life sciences, including medicine, biotechnology, dentistry, pharmacy, optometry, public health, marine biology and ecology. Within the major, the curriculum satisfies course requirements for admission to health professional schools and graduate programs. The graduate program focuses on original research with students completing a thesis that will serve as a stepping stone to a Ph.D. program, medical degree or to working in a research-based profession.

The faculty takes pride in providing the most modern lecture and laboratory experience possible. In advanced courses, small classes assure students of close personal contact with faculty members. Students may participate in internships and/or original research projects at USF, at various Bay Area laboratories or in industry. Students have opportunities to present their work at scientific meetings and to publish with faculty in scientific journals. They also gain practical experience as teaching and research assistants - experience which, at other universities, is reserved for graduate students.

Click here to see the Biology Department Program Outcomes.