Undergraduate Programs
Biology is an exciting field with many opportunities awaiting our students. With six concentrations within the degree, the Biology major offers a solid intellectual and practical foundation for many different career paths.
All of our concentrations include opportunities to gain class credit for participating in research under the mentorship of a faculty member, and we offer many small, upper-division classes where students can hone their practical skills, or dive deeply into a specialized topic. Our focus on experiential learning makes our graduates workforce-ready, or ready to take on their next educational step to a fulfilling career.
Majors
Bachelor of Arts in General Biology
The curriculum in General Biology provides breadth of exposure to fundamental areas of biology. Since basic principles of physical science are central to many biological concepts, course work in physics and chemistry is included in the lower division requirements
Bachelor of Science in Biology: Concentration in Cell and Molecular Biology
As a Cell and Molecular Biology (CMB) major, you will learn about the fascinating ways that genes and biomolecules drive the behavior and health of eukaryotic cells, tissues and organisms.
Bachelor of Science in Biology: Concentration in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology
This program offers a flexible but rigorous plan of study in the organismal life sciences for students interested in ecology, evolution, natural history, and conservation biology.
Bachelor of Science in Biology: Concentration in Marine Science
This program offers students an opportunity to immerse themselves in the study of marine environments and the organisms that reside there.
Bachelor of Science in Biology: Concentration in Microbiology
The Bachelor of Science in Biology: Concentration in Microbiology offers training in the study of bacteria, algae, protozoa, fungi and viruses in terms of their ecology, biochemistry, physiology, genetics and role in disease processes.
Bachelor of Science Biology: Concentration in Physiology
The rapid growth of knowledge about the nature and function of biological mechanisms has made physiology a corner-stone of the biological and medical sciences. This program offers training in the study of physiological systems in animals (including humans) and plants.
Certificates and Minors
In addition to our majors, the department also offers opportunities for students to specialize and focus by adding a Certificate or a Minor to their degree. Certificates generally comprise coursework across multiple departments, while minors are a focused set of classes within one department.
Minor in Biology
The Minor in General Biology helps you dive into core biological ideas and systems. You’ll study genetics, evolution, chemistry, and how life works at different scales. You'll practice the scientific process, weigh technology’s impact on society, and learn how genes pass information. The minor builds strong lab and analytical skills. It’s a great fit if you're headed toward health careers, want to deepen science knowledge, or plan to complement your major with biology understanding.
Climate Change Certificate
The Certificate in Climate Change Causes, Impacts, and Solutions gives students a foundational understanding of climate change’s causes, effects, and solutions so they can take action in their communities.
The program is open to students of all majors, and non-matriculated students as well. While some of the courses that count toward the certificate are in the sciences, the program is not exclusively for science majors. In fact, the program was designed so that students from any major can take any course — there are few to no prerequisites.
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PINC - Promoting Inclusivity in Computing
The PINC program started in 2017, and at the time was designed to achieve one initiative, to provide a pathway for students majoring in the Life Sciences to learn to code and earn a minor in Computing Applications. Since then, PINC has grown to include student certificate, scholarship, summer coding, mentor, and professional certificate programs.
GOLD - Graduate Opportunities to Learn Data Science
Graduate Opportunities to Learn Data science (GOLD) is a new program for SFSU Biology and Chemistry masters students to be able to earn a graduate certificate in Data Science for Biology and Chemistry.
GOLD courses strive to build on students diverse lived experiences and interests in and outside of science to create an engaging, just, and fun learning environment.