Welcome to Biological Sciences
Students in our department explore life across all levels of biological organization, from cells and molecules to organisms and ecosystems. Our faculty are internationally recognized researchers and award-winning instructors whose work focuses on stress biology, including cancer, aging, environmental conditions and hormonal responses.
A biology degree prepares students for careers and graduate study in healthcare, research, environmental science, conservation and education.
Actively Engage
Our students engage in their learning through: active learning techniques, collaboration, and inquiry.
Our student-centered classrooms are focused on obtaining complex levels of scientific understanding, and on developing critical thinking skills. With nearly 500 undergraduate majors, our department is fortunate to have many Undergraduate Learning Assistants and Graduate Teaching Assistants to assist students and instructors in obtaining these goals.
Programs & Majors
Our students choose among several degree emphases, including: Biomedical Sciences, Ecology and Conservation Science, Environmental Science
World-Class Research
Our department offers many opportunities for undergraduate students to participate in world-class research. Faculty in our department study a wide range of topics from metabolism at the level of cells, to genetic differences in populations of animals and plants to behavior and physiology of animals. Undergraduate researchers can work for course credit or hourly pay.
NDSU has been designated as an R1 research institution by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. Carnegie’s R1 distinction, titled “Doctoral University: Very High Research Activity,” is its highest classification and is presented to only the top research institutions in the country. The Department of Biological Sciences is proud and energized to be a part of this achievement.
Our Faculty
The Department of Biological Sciences at NDSU is home to 22 faculty members and more than 40 graduate students who are involved in scientific research that crosses all levels of biological organization. Top scientists from around the world have joined our team and competitively obtain funding to find answers to biological questions in molecular and cellular biology, evolution, population biology, and ecology.
Our department is also home to STEM education researchers. Studying how students learn science, these faculty have driven research-based change in teaching methods that have resulted in increased student success in our department and across campus.
