Bachelor of Arts (A.B.) Integrative Biology

Students in Harvard’s A.B. Integrative Biology program gain practical experience by studying biological systems from the molecular level through organisms and ecosystems, with an emphasis on evolution, genetics, ecology, morphology, development, and computational biology. Harvard specifically highlights research and field experiences as part of the concentration, with opportunities to conduct original research in laboratories and in the field, including courses that take students to tropical locations.

• Research Projects: Students can undertake supervised research with Harvard faculty, including laboratory or field-based projects. The program also supports independent research and senior thesis work.
• Museum of Comparative Zoology: The MCZ provides research collections, laboratories, and other facilities for undergraduate projects. Its collections include recent and fossil vertebrates and invertebrates, making it particularly relevant to evolutionary and organismal biology research.
• MCZ Research Grants: The Museum of Comparative Zoology provides $500–$2,500 grants for faculty-supervised undergraduate research, with priority potentially given to projects using MCZ collections, laboratories, facilities, or related fieldwork.
• Field Research: Integrative Biology offers opportunities for original field research, and Harvard notes that courses regularly take students to tropical locations for fieldwork.
• Tropical Biology: Courses such as OEB 11: Introduction to Tropical Biology provide direct exposure to tropical biological environments; Harvard identifies Australia as one location associated with this course.
• Computational Biology: The concentration is inherently interdisciplinary and includes mathematical and computational biology, allowing students to approach biological questions using quantitative and computational methods.
• Specialized Research Facilities: Harvard’s biology research environment includes DNA sequencing facilities, imaging centers, computer clusters, greenhouses, and animal facilities supporting organismal and evolutionary research.
• Harvard University Herbaria: Students can access the Harvard University Herbaria, including the Farlow Herbarium, Gray Herbarium, and Orchid Herbarium of Oakes Ames, providing extensive plant-science research resources.
• Arnold Arboretum: The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University provides a living research collection and opportunities for undergraduate research, including dedicated undergraduate fellowships and awards.
• Harvard Forest: Harvard Forest in Petersham, Massachusetts is another Harvard research facility available within the university’s broader organismal and ecological research network.
• Concord Field Station: The Concord Field Station in Bedford provides an additional research environment for organismal biology and field-based study.
• Undergraduate Research Funding: Harvard’s undergraduate research opportunities include grants from the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University Herbaria, and Arnold Arboretum, as well as broader Harvard research programs.
• Honors Thesis: An Integrative Biology thesis is not mandatory, but students pursuing the highest honors can complete thesis research under faculty supervision.
• Research Collections: Students can work with extensive biological collections through the MCZ and Harvard Herbaria, supporting research in systematics, evolution, biodiversity, morphology, and related areas.
• Museum-Based Learning: The Harvard Museum of Natural History and other Harvard Museums of Science & Culture provide access to collections and scientific resources relevant to natural-history and biological study.
• Faculty Research: Integrative Biology faculty research spans human health and disease, evolutionary theory, genomics, organismal biology, and ecology, giving students opportunities to connect coursework with active research areas.
• Regeneration Research: Current Harvard research within Integrative Biology includes experimental work on regeneration, stem cells, gene function, and genome-editing tools using the three-banded panther worm Hofstenia miamia as a model organism.
• Academic Advising: Dedicated Integrative Biology advising is available through Harvard’s Undergraduate Science Education, including concentration advising and support for research, honors, and study-abroad planning. 

The Harvard University A.B. in Integrative Biology gives students a flexible foundation across biology, with opportunities to specialize in areas such as plant sciences, marine biology, vertebrate anatomy and physiology, and mathematical/computational biology. The program can lead toward life-science careers while also providing preparation for professional and graduate education; Harvard specifically highlights research and field experiences as part of the undergraduate experience.

Typical career roles: Biological Research Assistant, Laboratory Research Technician, Conservation Scientist, Environmental Research Associate

: Harvard provides several resources and pathways that can help Integrative Biology students turn their academic and research experience into professional opportunities:

• Career Services: The Mignone Center for Career Success (MCS) provides career advising, employer events, career fairs, workshops, networking support, and access to jobs and internships through Crimson Careers.
• Crimson Careers: Students can search Harvard-exclusive jobs, internships, and short-term opportunities and filter listings by industry, location, position type, class level, remote work options, and visa requirements.
• Life Sciences Employers: Harvard's life-sciences career resources identify employers including Johnson & Johnson, Eli Lilly, AbbVie, Merck, Pfizer, Moderna, Biogen, Amgen, Novo Nordisk, Abbott, Boston Scientific, Thermo Fisher Scientific, and Medtronic.
• Industry Networking: Harvard's Biotech, Pharma & Healthcare Expo connects Harvard students and alumni with employers in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, medical devices, and related sectors; the event is hosted by MCS in partnership with Harvard Medical School and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
• Research Opportunities: Integrative Biology students can participate in research spanning organismal biology, evolution, ecology, development, genetics, conservation, and related fields. Harvard's OEB department specifically provides pathways in areas such as Plant Sciences, Marine Biology & Biological Oceanography, Vertebrate Anatomy & Physiology, and Mathematical & Computational Biology.
• Field Experience: Harvard's Organismic and Evolutionary Biology department specifically highlights the field trips associated with Integrative Biology courses, giving students opportunities to study organisms and ecosystems beyond the classroom.
• Undergraduate Research: Current Harvard Integrative Biology students conduct research in areas including molecular evolution, comparative genomics, conservation genetics, plant development, genetics, ecology, and biodiversity.
• Research Thesis: Students can progress into senior thesis research, with Harvard's OEB laboratories documenting Integrative Biology undergraduates undertaking independent research projects in areas such as conservation and evolutionary biology.
• Employment Statistics: Harvard reports that 96% of Harvard graduates secured their post-graduation plans within six months of graduation in its 2025 Life After Harvard materials. This is a Harvard-wide figure and is not specific to Integrative Biology graduates.
• Salary Figures: Harvard's official Integrative Biology and career-services sources reviewed do not publish a current Integrative Biology-specific graduate median salary or salary range, so no program-specific salary figure is stated.
• Industry Preparation: Harvard's life-sciences career guidance identifies entry-level opportunities such as research assistant/associate positions in biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, academic or research-hospital roles, and life-sciences consulting.
• Graduation Outcomes: Harvard describes Integrative Biology as preparation for careers in the life sciences and related fields and professions. Individual graduate pathways can include research, healthcare, environmental science, conservation, biotechnology, and further academic study.
• Accreditation Value: Harvard's official Integrative Biology materials do not identify a separate professional accreditation for the A.B. concentration. The degree's academic value is supported by Harvard College's curriculum, research opportunities, field experiences, and preparation for life-science and postgraduate pathways.

Further Academic Progression: After completing the A.B. in Integrative Biology, students can continue into graduate programs in biology, ecology, evolution, conservation, genetics, organismal biology, environmental science, or related life-science disciplines. The degree can also support progression into professional pathways such as medicine and other health professions, depending on the student's additional prerequisites and preparation; Harvard documents Integrative Biology alumni continuing into medical school.