Welcome to Biology!
Biology offers broad, hands-on training for students pursuing careers in medicine, research, or industry. Students explore core areas and learn key skills across molecular/cellular/developmental biology, organismal physiology, and ecology/evolutionary biology. Students have the ability to personalize their degree and choose from a wide range of electives across several different departments.
Join our listserv or participate in a departmentally supported student group! For non-majors and majors!
Add or remove yourself to the Undergraduate Biology Program email listserv
(NOTE: You must use your UW email address, please try both uw.edu and u.washington.edu when requesting removal)
Biology Students for Equity club
Biology graduation will take place on Friday, June 12th. For more information, visit our graduation page
Coming soon in Fall 2026: a new path for Biology majors
WHY: Modern biology careers (pre-health, education, business and industry) require an integrated approach to Biology. We’ve redesigned our degree requirements around national standards for Biology education as outlined by the National Science Foundation so you are prepared for the world after UW.
Starting in Fall 2026, students applying to the Biology degree will choose a Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts in Biology. Every student will take 6 credits of upper-division courses in each of the three major subdisciplines of Biology: Molecular/Cellular/Developmental Biology, Organismal Physiology, and Ecology/Evolutionary Biology (18 credits total). The remaining upper-division credits can be tailored to focus on an area of Biology that aligns with students' individual interests.
The primary content of our major is not changing, students still have the option to specialize while having better flow through the major requirements. Having a broad and integrative foundation will give you the freedom to follow your curiosity across disciplines of life sciences.
Biology courses are staying the same! Students can still take the full range of courses that Biology has always offered, with world-renowned faculty and a strong commitment to excellence in teaching and research. Our goal is teach students to integrate concepts and skills across disciplines so they can apply what they learn to new problems and become changemakers in their communities.
Questions about the Major Update?
Add your questions to this Google Form!
We will use the questions asked here to create an FAQ page on our website about the major update.