Building on recent advances in the molecular, cellular, and ecological disciplines, this modern biology degree offers a rich framework that can launch your career or propel you to graduate, medical, veterinary, or pharmacy school.
Program skills
Students will start with foundation courses in biology, math, chemistry, and liberal arts and then they are immersed in the biological sciences, studying animals, micro-organisms, and plants at the level of molecules, cells, tissues, organisms, populations, and the environment. Students acquire a comprehensive set of practical skills, from the proper way to prepare cultures in the lab to the proper way to gather and analyze ecological data in the field.
Program facilities equipment
9 teaching laboratories
- 13 student/faculty research laboratories
- NYS-DOH certified animal facility
- Greenhouse and plant tissue culture facility
- Confocal Microscopy Laboratory Core Facility
- Next-Generation Sequencing platform
Program job titles reported
Research Laboratory Technician; Veterinary Assistant; Lab Technician; Microbiology Laboratory Technician II; Doctor's Assistant; Quality Control Lab Technician; Medical Scribe; Clinical Research Scientist
Select program hiring partners
AmeriCorps NCCC, Clerio Vision Inc, ICON, Rochester Institute of Technology - Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Regional Health, Unither Pharmaceuticals, University of Rochester Medical Center, Wegmans Food Markets
80%
Outcome Rates*
62.50%
Knowledge Rate
| Outcome | % of Students |
|---|---|
| Employed | 80.00% |
| Full-time Graduate Study | 0% |
| Alternative Plans | 0% |
Experiential Learning
Cooperative Education
What’s different about an RIT education? It’s the career experience you gain by completing cooperative education and internships with top companies in every single industry. You’ll earn more than a degree. You’ll gain real-world career experience that sets you apart. It’s exposure–early and often–to a variety of professional work environments, career paths, and industries.
Co-ops and internships take your knowledge and turn it into know-how. Science co-ops include a range of hands-on experiences, from co-ops and internships and work in labs to undergraduate research and clinical experience in health care settings. These opportunities provide the hands-on experience that enables you to apply your scientific, math, and health care knowledge in professional settings while you make valuable connections between classwork and real-world applications.
As a biology major, you have the option to pursue co-op and internship opportunities in research, lab support, or data analysis in private businesses, government agencies, and non-profit organizations. Biology students have worked for hospitals, wildlife centers, veterinary clinics, food companies, and pharmaceutical firms.
National Labs Career Fair
Hosted by RIT’s Office of Career Services and Cooperative Education, the National Labs Career Fair is an annual event that brings representatives to campus from the United States’ federally funded research and development labs. These national labs focus on scientific discovery, clean energy development, national security, technology advancements, and more. Students are invited to attend the career fair to network with lab professionals, learn about opportunities, and interview for co-ops, internships, research positions, and full-time employment.