Biology & Society (BA, BS)

4 Years On Campus Bachelors Program

Cornell University

Program Overview

Biology & Society at Cornell University combines biological science with social-science and humanities perspectives, helping students examine the social, political, ethical, and cultural dimensions of modern biology. The program suits students interested in areas such as healthcare, genetic engineering, environmental issues, public policy, medicine, law, and the relationship between biological knowledge and society.

Curriculum Structure

First Year: Students establish their scientific foundation through introductory biology, choosing courses such as BIOMG 1350 – Introductory Biology: Cell and Developmental Biology, BIOG 1440 – Introductory Biology: Comparative Physiology, or BIOEE 1610 – Introductory Biology: Ecology and the Environment. Students can also begin STS 2011 – What is Science?, introductory chemistry, calculus, statistics, and college requirements while developing an understanding of how scientific knowledge connects with society.

Second Year: Students build breadth and depth across biological sciences and the humanities/social sciences, studying areas such as anatomy and physiology, animal behavior, biochemistry, molecular and cell biology, genetics, and development. Core study can include BSOC 2071 – Introduction to the History of Medicine, BSOC 2468 – Medicine, Culture, and Society, or BSOC 3011 – Life Sciences and Society, alongside calculus and statistics.

Third Year: Students explore the ethical and societal implications of biology through BSOC 2051 – Ethical Issues in Health and Medicine or BSOC 2061 – Ethics and the Environment, while beginning their chosen interdisciplinary theme. Theme options allow students to connect natural-science courses with social-science or humanities subjects around interests such as environmental justice, global health inequalities, life sciences and law, or healthcare policy.

Fourth Year: Students complete their selected theme through advanced natural-science and social-science/humanities courses and undertake a senior seminar focused on an aspect of life sciences, medicine, environment, healthcare, or the body. Options can include courses such as BSOC 4101 – The Entangled Lives of Humans and Animals, BSOC 4131 – Comparative Environmental History, or BSOC 4412 – Conceptions of the Body in Medicine and Healing, with honors students also able to pursue original research and an undergraduate thesis.

Focus Areas: Biology and society, health and medicine, environmental justice, global health inequalities, genetic engineering, life sciences and law, healthcare policy, food and population, environmental issues, science and technology studies.

Learning Outcomes: Students develop breadth and depth in biological sciences, evaluate social and ethical issues surrounding biological research and applications, analyze how biological knowledge is produced and used through perspectives including history, sociology, economics, political science and law, apply basic statistical methods, and design an academic pathway around their interests.

Professional Alignment (Accreditation): Cornell University is institutionally accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) and was most recently reaffirmed in 2021; Cornell does not identify a separate specialized professional accreditation specifically for the Biology & Society BA/BS.

Reputation (Employability Rankings): Cornell's official Biology & Society sources highlight graduates progressing into law, medicine, public health, public policy, business, research, and academia, but the official program pages do not publish a specific QS, Guardian, or other employability ranking for the Biology & Society program.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

Cornell’s Biology & Society major gives students practical experience by combining biological science with social-science and humanities approaches to real-world issues such as healthcare, genetic engineering, public policy, environment, and food and population. Students can develop research skills through independent study and, for eligible students, complete an original honors research project under Cornell faculty supervision; research may take place in a laboratory using biological-science methods or use social-science and humanities approaches.

Research & Independent Study: Students can enroll in BSOC 3751 Independent Study for 1–4 credits and undertake a faculty-supervised project connected to their Biology & Society theme. Cornell specifically encourages independent projects under Biology & Society faculty, giving students experience in developing and investigating their own academic questions.
Honors Research & Thesis: Qualified students can enter the Biology & Society Honors Program, formulate a research topic, work with a Cornell project supervisor and faculty advisor, and complete an undergraduate research project and thesis. Laboratory-based honors projects may be conducted under science or engineering faculty and can involve methods commonly used in biological sciences while examining the broader social implications of the research.
Laboratory Experience: Students can choose introductory biology courses with laboratory components; Cornell specifically notes BIOG 1500 as an optional course that may be useful for gaining laboratory experience before entering the major.
Interdisciplinary Projects: The major's theme structure allows students to connect biological science with social, ethical and policy questions, with possible themes including genetic engineering, health and society, biology and public policy, food and population, and environment and society.
Research Courses & Digital Tools: Cornell offers credit-bearing undergraduate research opportunities such as BIOG 2990 Introduction to Research Methods in Biology, BIOG 3995 Course Based Undergraduate Research in Biology, and BIOG 4990 Independent Undergraduate Research in Biology; Cornell also lists BIOEE 3780 Digital Morphology through CT as a research-oriented course, although these are broader Cornell biological-science opportunities rather than required components of the Biology & Society major.
Field & Experiential Opportunities: Cornell's broader life-sciences curriculum includes field-based opportunities such as BIOEE 3611 Field Ecology, while the university's undergraduate research catalogue includes project-based and independent research experiences. These opportunities can complement the Biology & Society student's interdisciplinary study, subject to course and program requirements.
Faculty & Research Environment: The major draws faculty from throughout Cornell University and is coordinated through the Biology & Society Office, allowing students to work across disciplines rather than being limited to a single department.
Facilities & Academic Resources: The Biology & Society program is housed within Cornell's Department of Science & Technology Studies and provides access to faculty research, scholarly activities and undergraduate opportunities through the Biology & Society Office in 303 Morrill Hall.
Internships: Cornell's broader biological-sciences curriculum provides internship and practical-training opportunities, including BIOG 4997 Biological Sciences Practical Training, which allows students to reflect academically on a recent internship or training experience; this is a broader biological-sciences opportunity rather than a required Biology & Society internship.

Progression & Future Opportunities

The Biology & Society BA/BS combines biological science with social-science and humanities perspectives, preparing graduates for careers spanning healthcare, research, public policy, business, law, and education. Cornell reports that graduates have progressed into medical and clinical research, public health, healthcare analysis, consulting, and professional schools, giving students flexibility to shape their pathway around their interests.

Typical Job Roles: Clinical Research Coordinator, Research Data Specialist, Healthcare Analyst, Policy Analyst.

Career Support & Employment Opportunities:

Cornell Career Network: Provides career exploration, advising, resume support, graduate and professional school advising, internship and full-time job searches, fellowships, and access to Handshake for jobs and internships.
Employer Relations: Cornell's Employer Relations team works directly with organizations on campus recruiting and hiring strategies and organizes career fairs and networking opportunities.
Biology & Society Career Outcomes: Cornell's 2022 major-level data shows graduates working at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Massachusetts General Hospital, Mount Sinai Health System, Tufts Medical Center, Harvard Eye Associates, and SQZ Biotechnologies.
Career Pathways: Cornell identifies medical school, master's study in public health/health administration, medical or clinical research, healthcare analysis/consulting, dental school, and law school among common pathways for Biology & Society graduates.

Employment Statistics & Salary:

Biology & Society Employment: 70% of Biology & Society graduates in Cornell's 2022 first-destination data secured employment; the largest reported employment sectors were human healthcare services (30%), education (18%), and consulting/professional practice (18%).
Recent Employers: Mount Sinai Health System and Weill Cornell Medicine were the top reported employers in the 2022 Biology & Society outcomes.
Cornell Undergraduate Outcomes: Across Cornell undergraduate programs, 92% of the Class of 2025 were employed or in graduate school within six months of graduation, with a mean starting salary of $89,061 among full-time U.S.-employed graduates.
A&S Class of 2025: 66.6% of Arts & Sciences graduates were employed and 28.8% were attending graduate school; the median reported salary was $85,500.
Major-Specific Salary: Cornell's current official Biology & Society pages provide employment outcomes but do not publish a current salary figure specifically for this major, so no unsupported major-specific salary is stated.

University–Industry Connections: Biology & Society graduates have entered organizations including Mount Sinai Health System, Weill Cornell Medicine, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Massachusetts General Hospital, Tufts Medical Center, Harvard Eye Associates, and SQZ Biotechnologies. Cornell also maintains a university-wide Employer Relations team that works with employers on campus recruiting, hiring strategies, career fairs, and networking.

Long-Term Accreditation Value: Cornell University has been accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education since 1921 and was most recently reaffirmed in 2021. This institutional accreditation provides an established external quality-review framework for the university and supports the long-term recognition of Cornell degrees; Cornell's official sources do not identify a separate professional accreditation specifically for the Biology & Society BA/BS.

Graduation Outcomes: Biology & Society graduates have progressed into healthcare, law, public health, policy, business, research, and academia. Cornell's major-level outcomes also show graduates continuing into advanced study in areas including public health, law, medicine, and nursing, with reported destinations including Georgetown University, Vanderbilt University, MIT, Harvard University, and Caltech.

Further Academic Progression: After the BA/BS, students can pursue medical school, law school, master's and doctoral programs, or specialized graduate study in public health, health administration, genetic counseling, nutrition, clinical psychology, environmental studies, anthropology, sociology, and related fields. Cornell specifically identifies medical school, MPH/health administration, dental and law school, and graduate study as established pathways for Biology & Society graduates, while the program's interdisciplinary foundation allows students to build toward professional or research-focused postgraduate education.