Why Biology at SDSU?

The Department of Biology at San Diego State University has excellent degree programs with courses taught by exceptional research-active faculty members. The program offers coursework that covers a range of biological specialties, preparing students for diverse careers in the life sciences.

In addition to curricula tailored to their area of interest, students are heavily involved in research. With cutting-edge tools and facilities on campus, including the new Life Sciences Building currently under construction, students work with faculty to make real-world impacts and gain skills needed in the growing life science sector.

1,602
Enrollment: Fall 2025

1,428
Bachelor's

101
Master's

73
Doctoral

330
Degrees Awarded: 2024-2025

282
Bachelor's

32
Master's

16
Doctoral

Major Areas of Study

Bacteriophages under electron microscope

Cell & Molecular Biology

Investigate how cells and microorganisms interact.

Cactus flower blooming in desert

Ecology

Protect ecosystems and their inhabitants.

Students examine a collection of beetles at the Biodiversity Museum Open House

Evolutionary Biology

Identify when new species diverged from their relatives.

Bioinformatics

Analyze big data to pinpoint important genetic variation.

Scott snorkeling in Indonesia

Marine Biology

Explore aquatic environments and their role in climate change.

Night lizard head

Zoology

Observe animal behaviors and spatial distributions.

Thesis Defenses

Announcements

Doctoral Student, Tucker Heptinstall, Wins 2025 Best Student Paper Award 

Second-year Evolutionary Biology JDP student, Tucker Heptinstall, won the 2025 Best Student Paper Award in the journal Integrative and Organismal Biology for his M.S. thesis on Garter snake venom evolution! Tucker did this venom work in Chris Parkinson’s lab at Clemson and has several big papers in the pipeline for […]

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