Department Overview

the Science and Engineering Complex, home to the biology department's main office
The Science and Engineering Complex, home to the Department of Biological Sciences

Welcome to the Department of Biological Sciences at The University of Alabama.

As you will note from the research interests of our faculty, many biological disciplines are represented in this department, including ecology, cellular and molecular biology, systematics, marine science, microbiology, and more.

However, most of us use diverse approaches to our research, and our individual expertise may span several areas of biology. For example, our plant or animal physiologists bring genomic and molecular biology methods to their research questions, and neurobiologists study environmental interactions with genes and animal behaviors to study stress responses. Most of us collaborate extensively on research with colleagues in the department and around the globe.

Currently, our faculty are located in six different buildings on campus and at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab on the coast. The University of Alabama Arboretum and the Tanglewood Biological Station, both under the departmental umbrella, also provide resources for both research and education. We have nearly 1,500 majors, and we are hiring several new faculty members each year. These are exciting times for biological sciences at UA!

Academics

The department has three undergraduate majors leading to the bachelor of science degree:

In addition, we offer an MA degree in biology, an MS degree in biology and marine science, and a PhD in biology degree. The undergraduate program and graduate program pages provide detailed information concerning these programs and the requirements for each degree. 

All graduate students and many undergraduates conduct research in our labs, publishing their results in highly regarded research journals. We also offer upper-division laboratory courses that provide students with marketable research skills and career development courses for our graduate students. It is our goal that every student who passes through our department will emerge with the knowledge and skills to achieve his or her career goals.

Community Engagement

Our students and faculty also are committed to scientific outreach, and donate our time and expertise to activities that communicate the importance of biology in the lives of people in our communities and how much fun it is to learn about biology.  From activities during homecoming Saturdays to working with middle school students in their classrooms, to enrichment in afterschool programs, we are engaged!

Alumni

For visitors who are alumni, please keep in touch! We are anxious to hear of your achievements since graduation. Your career paths might inspire our current students to new career goals. Let us know when you are in town. We would enjoy reestablishing connections. Also, check out the Bama Biology Newsletters, which we post on this site. If you would like physical copies, just send us an address.

More Information

We invite you to watch this video for more details about our department and its activities, programs, and research.