Biology is the study of life. It is a truly integrative discipline that encompasses topics ranging from molecules and cells to organs, organisms and ecosystems. The Biological Sciences Department at Mount Holyoke College offers students courses spanning this entire range. Students can study molecular, cellular and developmental biology, immunology, microbiology, genetics, anatomy, neurobiology, physiology, biomechanics, animal behavior, evolution and ecology. In addition, students can also explore other biology-related interests through one of our affiliated programs such as Neuroscience and Behavior or Biochemistry.

The Biology department consists of 13 full-time faculty, 11 lab staff and 2 administrative assistants. Faculty research interests range from cytoskeletal dynamics during development and antiviral immune responses to AIDS, to bird behavioral ecology and plant genome evolution. We feel strongly that substantial hands-on laboratory experience is beneficial for our students. Thus, nearly every course in the biology curriculum has a laboratory component and many of our students engage in independent research with a faculty member prior to graduating. Biology at Mount Holyoke operates within an interconnecting science center consisting of Clapp Laboratory, the newly constructed Kendade Hall, and the newly renovated Carr Laboratory. Throughout this complex, biologists intermingle with biochemists, chemists, physicists, geologists and mathematicians. The science center is truly an interdisciplinary locus for the natural sciences on campus.

In short, students in biology at Mount Holyoke are exposed to the full gamut of the discipline as well as related fields. They gain ample research and laboratory experience and are provided with the foundations essential for success in careers ranging from medicine, teaching and research to environmental protection and public policy.