Undergraduate Degrees and Minors in Biological Sciences

Earn a bachelor’s degree in biology and put your passion for life sciences to work.

Are you drawn to the elements that make life happen? A bachelor’s degree in biology might be for you. 51�Թ�� offers a variety of programs in the biological sciences, including a BS and BA in biology that will provide you a solid foundation in the subject and the flexibility to add courses specific to careers in human health, biotechnology, environmental science or education.

Through BSU’s Department of Biological Sciences, you’ll study the diversity of living systems and basic biological principles while developing a foundation for a variety of careers in research, teaching, sales and more. The biology BA and BS, as well as the minor, pair well with undergraduate programs in chemistry, anthropology, psychology and sociology.

Biology Program Highlights

A biology student peering through a microscope at a sample

Learn in state-of-the-art facilities

The Dana Mohler-Faria Science and Mathematics Center offers 13 teaching labs, five prep labs, a student resource room and eight faculty-student research laboratories that include tissue culture, small mammal, aquatic and natural history facilities. Learn to use modern equipment like a real-time qPCR machine, flow cytometer, fluorescence microscopes, and instruments for biochemical analysis of DNA, RNA and proteins.

Claudio Eshun stands smiling with his safety glasses on in the office of Organogenesis, where he completed a summer internship.

Take advantage of our robust internship program

Through resources in the Dana Mohler-Faria Center for Science and Mathematics, students earning their bachelor’s degree in biology can translate their classroom and lab experiences into internships at biotech companies, health centers, schools and other organizations.

Four biology undergraduate research students standing in front of their presentation

Gain research experience as an undergraduate

BSU students pursuing a bachelor's degree in biology can participate in a true research experience. Each semester, faculty actively mentor students as they design experiments and collect, analyze and interpret data. Our undergraduate researchers have been published in peer-reviewed journals, presented their research in professional settings, and have been recognized by the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education.

Join the club

The Biology Club is a chance for BA in biology and biology BS students and faculty to share ideas, promote research and provide networking opportunities.

We’re close to Boston

Students earning their bachelor’s degree in biology at Bridgewater often intern or work summers in Boston companies such as Moderna, Boston Scientific, Thermo Fisher Scientific and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. We're also close to Cape Cod, where students can gain experience at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Mass.

Work with renowned faculty

51�Թ��’s biological sciences faculty have published over 100 articles in peer-reviewed journals, 28 of which included BSU undergraduate students as co-authors. Our faculty boast wide-ranging expertise — including microbiology, virology, neurobiology, ecology, evolution, conservation biology and human genetics — as well as recognition for academic excellence.

Pathway to teaching

In BSU’s BA in biology or biology BS degree program, you can also obtain a major in secondary education by completing Secondary Education Concentration coursework within the biology program and passing the Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure^® (MTEL) in biology.

Program of Study for Biological Sciences

Whether you’re earning a BA in biology or Bachelor of Science in biology, you’ll take courses rooted in the building blocks of life and have the flexibility to tailor your education based on your interests and career goals. Just a few of the courses most biology students will take are:

General Biology
Cell Biology
Human Anatomy & Physiology
Neurobiology
Conservation Biology
Marine Biology
Cancer Biology

Click any link below to reveal each program's course detail.

Program details from 2024-2025 Undergraduate/Graduate Catalog

How did BSU prepare me for a career as a scientist? One word, mentors. The biology faculty members care about the students. They push them when they need to be pushed and support them when they need support. Technical training aside, the biology department at BSU taught me how to think and learn like a scientist. Specifically, Dr. Kenneth Adams truly made me love molecular and cell biology. I spent just one year in Dr. Adam’s lab, and it forever changed my life.”

Rebecca Fleming, '15

Biological Sciences, BS

Careers in Biological Sciences

Whether you’re earning a Bachelor of Science in Biology or a BA in Biology, you can pursue a variety of professional opportunities post-graduation. Potential careers include:

Microbiologist
Clinical Research Coordinator
Science Writer
Biology Teacher
Environmental Scientist
Wildlife Biologist

Our bachelor’s degree in biology students have gone on to work with organizations like:

KMBO Diagnostics
Partner’s Health Care
Marine Biological Laboratory
Mass General Hospital
Boston University
National Institute of Health

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a

3-4%

employment growth for all biologists from 2019 to 2029

a male student wearing a light gray BSU hoodie smiling in biology lab

Continue your education beyond your bachelor’s degree in biology

BA in Biology or Biology BS graduates can continue their graduate studies at 51�Թ�� with our MS in Biology. The Master of Science in Biology program provides rigorous, research-driven training designed to develop skills and knowledge necessary for professional positions in industry, education, and outreach, or for advanced graduate study.

Begin taking graduate classes in your senior year!
BA in Biology and Biology BS students can apply for early admittance to the Biology, MS program. Upon acceptance, students may take up to two graduate-level courses during their final year of undergraduate study, and may apply these courses to both the undergraduate and graduate degrees.

Biology, MS »

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