As a biology major, you will gain the knowledge, skills, and critical thinking needed for a successful career in modern biology and related fields.

At a Glance

  • Flexibility
    Part Time | Full Time
  • Delivery Options
    On Campus
  • 杏吧原创
    BS

Get Started

What courses will you take?

Research Opportunities: Start working in a biology research lab as early as your first year.

The B.S. in Biological Sciences offers several degree options, which lead to a wide range of career opportunities.

  • General Biology Option 鈥� Gain a broad foundation in the biological sciences, and customize your curriculum by selecting advanced course electives that match your interests and career goals. This option provides all the requirements for students pursuing health professions.听Courses for the General Biology Option
  • Bioinformatics听Option听鈥� Take basic biology and computer science courses, along with advanced courses in bioinformatics and biology electives. You will graduate prepared for professional or academic careers in bioinformatics, comparative genomics, proteomics, molecular modeling, and biological database analysis and management.听Learn more about the Bioinformatics Option and courses
  • Biotechnology听Option 鈥斕齌ake a set of advanced courses designed to provide the conceptual background and practical training needed for a career in biotechnology, genetic engineering, bioinformatics, industrial microbiology, cell culture technology, and the manufacture and purification of diagnostics and other biologically relevant materials.听Learn more about the Biotechnology听Option and courses
  • Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology听Option听鈥斕鼼ain a strong foundation in the basic sciences of biology, chemistry and physics, as well as advanced courses in ecology, evolutionary biology and environmental biology, functional comparative biology and biomechanics. You will be ready to launch a career or graduate study in such fields as ecology and evolution, environmental biotechnology, conservation biology, public health, toxicology, bioremediation and biological assessment of environmental quality.听Learn more about the Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology听Option and courses
  • Pre-Medical/Pre-Health Option听鈥� Take all the necessary prerequisite courses to apply to medical, dental, veterinary, optometry, pharmacy and podiatry schools, as well as physician assistant programs. The program offers a strong foundation, with basic courses in biology alongside a variety of health-related biology electives.听Learn more about the Pre-Medical/Pre-Health Option and courses

In the senior year, you can choose to conduct a research capstone project. Many research projects lead to student-authored publications in professional journals and presentations at scientific meetings.

Visit the Academic Catalog for a complete course listing and to learn about the Biology minor.

Visit the Academic Catalog for all degree pathways, including those from prior enrollment years.

Undergraduate Research Opportunities

Start working in a biology research lab as early as your first year.

A graduate in Biological Sciences will be able to:

  1. Apply knowledge of biological molecule chemistry to function at the molecular, cellular, tissue and organismal levels.
  2. Identify basic intracellular functions and predict intracellular responses to extracellular and environmental cues.
  3. Describe how regulation of genome expression dictates molecular and cellular structure and function.
  4. Apply knowledge of the nature of mutations and the laws governing their inheritance to explain how they affect phenotypes.
  5. Explain how mutations and environment interact in a population to affect the gene pool, and resultant effects on a population.
  6. Apply knowledge of metabolic pathway regulation and the energy requirements of a cell, to predict the activity and end product of metabolic pathways.
  7. Recognize the organismal diversity of life on Earth and explain the processes that have given rise to this diversity over time.
  8. Apply knowledge of ecological, environmental and evolutionary processes to understand conservation needs of species, communities and ecosystems.
  9. Understand how biological processes are inextricably intertwined with geophysical processes, and appreciate that human activities are both dominant drivers of global climate and environmental change and are impacted by that change.
  10. Design an experiment and analyze experimental data.

Why study biology at UMass Lowell?

Two students wearing lab coats and goggles work with lab equipment

Technical Training

Gain hands-on technical training with specialized techniques, including:听

  • Electron microscopy
  • Recombinant DNA technology
  • Cell culture
  • Computer applications
  • Tools widely used in biochemistry
Student in a canoe that is filled with plants in containers

Research Opportunities

Participate in our 蹿补肠耻濒迟测鈥檚 cutting-edge听research, including such areas as:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cancer biology
  • Environmental microbiology
  • Virology
  • Climate change biology
  • Biology education
Two male biology students in a UMass Lowell lab, experimenting on a red substance.

Pre-Med/Pre-Health Professional Training

Our programs satisfy entrance requirements for schools of medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, osteopathic medicine, optometry, podiatry, and chiropractic. Learn more about our Pre-Health Professionals Advising.

Biology student writes a formula on a whiteboard

Fun Outside the Classroom

Put your learning into practice. Check out some of the fun ways UML students come together.

What can you do with a degree in biology?

Graduates of UMass Lowell's Biology program are equipped to launch careers in biotechnology, medicine, ecology and other life science fields. Our students are also prepared for admission to professional schools such as medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, and pharmacy.

Biology research female putting liquid in test tube

Alumni of our program have worked at:

  • Pfizer
  • Millipore
  • Broad Institute
  • UMass Medical
  • Novartis
  • Mass Eye & Ear
  • MIT
  • Department of Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries

Meet Our Faculty & Students

Payal Patel sits in front of laptop
Payal Patel '21
Biology, UTeach

When Payal Patel started college as an engineering major, she missed tutoring and teaching 鈥� so she decided to make education her career.

At UMass Lowell, you have that flexibility to change your career path.
Read More 杏吧原创 Payal Patel 
Lilian Whitehead in the files storage area at the Center for Lowell History.
Lilian Whitehead '27
Biology (sociology minor)

A work-study job with the Center for Lowell History is preparing Lilian Whitehead for a future museum career.

It鈥檚 a great experience for the direction I want to go in for my career.
Read More 杏吧原创 Lilian Whitehead 
Brooke Sienkiewicz diving in Belize.
Brooke Sienkiewicz
Applied Biology Ph.D.

Brooke Sienkiewicz conducts fieldwork in the Caribbean as part of her Ph.D. program.

I鈥檓 so grateful that I get to do field research in the Caribbean.
Read More 杏吧原创 Brooke Sienkiewicz 
UMass Lowell Chemistry Assoc. Prof. Khalilah Reddie and biology student Sonma Agunda seated at a table
Ijebusonma Agundu '22
Biology

To pursue her dream of becoming a doctor, Sonma Agundu joined MAGIC, a program to help students from underrepresented groups succeed in health care careers.

The MAGIC program made me feel like I could dream big and achieve everything I wanted to.
Read More 杏吧原创 Ijebusonma Agundu 
UMass Lowell student Rameez Shaikh standing outdoors
Rameez Shaikh '21
Biology

Rameez Shaikh 鈥�21 has been accepted by more than six dental schools, thanks to mentoring by Chemistry Assoc. Teaching Prof. Khalilah Reddie.

Being able to see someone who looks like you and talks like you in a position of power 鈥� it鈥檚 huge.
Read More 杏吧原创 Rameez Shaikh 

Undergraduate Research Opportunities in Biology - Lee Lab

  • At UMass Lowell, you can start working in a real research lab as early as your first year.