BS Biology

The B.S. in Biology at Lehigh University gives students substantial hands-on experience through laboratory-based courses, advanced laboratory projects, independent study, and faculty-led research. Students can progress from introductory research-oriented laboratory activities to sophisticated techniques and independent research in faculty laboratories, working alongside graduate students and other undergraduates. The program also develops the ability to work independently and as part of a team, while Lehigh’s research facilities provide access to specialized biological instrumentation and interdisciplinary research environments.

Practical opportunities and resources include:

• Research projects: Undergraduate students can join faculty research laboratories and contribute to ongoing research; students pursuing departmental honors can develop an independent research hypothesis, submit a proposal, present a poster, and write a thesis.
• Laboratory courses: The B.S. includes Introduction to Cellular and Molecular Biology Laboratory, Introduction to Integrative and Comparative Biology Laboratory, and Genetics Laboratory, with options such as Phage Hunting Laboratory and Phage Genetics Laboratory.
• Independent research: BIOS 361 Undergraduate Research provides laboratory research under the guidance of a faculty member, while BIOS 262 Research Proposal requires students to develop a detailed proposal for research to be conducted in the senior year.
• Research instrumentation: Biological Sciences research facilities include equipment for DNA synthesis, confocal microscopy, digital imaging, chromatography, cell culture, centrifugation, controlled environments, gamma and scintillation counting, flow cytometry, and rodent surgery.
• Iacocca Hall: Biological Sciences faculty research laboratories, offices, and upper-level teaching laboratories occupy three wings and three floors of Iacocca Hall, which also provides a setting for university–private industry interaction.
• STEPS building: The STEPS building provides an interdisciplinary research environment with 50 research and state-of-the-art teaching laboratories, computer labs, classrooms, and seminar spaces. Biological Sciences uses its fourth floor for introductory core teaching labs, Neurophysiology Lab, Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy, and Herpetology.
• Team-based learning: Through laboratory work and research, students learn to address scientific problems independently and as part of a team, with an integrated, multidisciplinary approach to life and health sciences.
• Work-study research experience: Department opportunities can place students in active laboratories such as the Babcock, Haas, Lang, Layden, Lowe-Krentz, Ware, and Zappulla labs, where students may gain experience with experimental work, laboratory equipment, animal cultures, fruit-fly genetics, molecular biology techniques, and biomedical investigation.
• Scientific research areas: Students can connect their learning with faculty research in biochemistry, cell and molecular biology, evolution and behavior, and neuroscience, including areas such as molecular genetics, developmental biology, microbial evolution, evolutionary genomics, and animal behavior.

The B.S. in Biology provides broad scientific preparation across molecular, cellular, organismal, and ecological biology, giving graduates a foundation for life-science careers and advanced study. Lehigh specifically reports biology alumni working in environmental and forensic sciences, science writing, teaching, and graduate education.

Career opportunities include: biological technician, laboratory or research assistant, environmental science professional, forensic science professional.

• Career support: Lehigh’s Center for Career & Professional Development provides career-pathway coaching, internship and research-placement support, employer and alumni networking, skill-translation workshops, and access to internship and full-time job platforms. International students can also use Interstride for job listings, hiring trends, employer information, and career guidance.
• Employment outcomes: For the Lehigh Class of 2025 across the university, 92% were employed, continuing education, or engaged in other pursuits within six months; the average starting salary was $77,000, based on outcomes data covering 90% of bachelor’s degree recipients. These figures are university-wide and are not published specifically for B.S. Biology.
• Industry connections: Lehigh’s Biological Sciences department reports that graduates move into research positions at universities and companies in pharmaceuticals and biotechnology. The university also provides employer and alumni networking through its Career Center.
• Research and professional preparation: Biology students can undertake faculty-supervised laboratory research, independent study, and honors research, including developing a hypothesis, completing an independent project, presenting a poster, and writing a thesis.
• Accreditation value: Lehigh’s institutional accreditation provides an established framework for academic quality and recognition. The university does not state that the B.S. in Biology itself holds a specialized professional accreditation, so no biology-specific accreditation should be assumed.
• Graduation outcomes: The program is designed to provide broad preparation for advanced work in the life sciences, while Lehigh reports biology alumni progressing into environmental and forensic sciences, science writing, teaching, and graduate education.

Further Academic Progression: After completing the B.S. in Biology, students can pursue graduate study in biology and related life-science disciplines. Lehigh’s Biological Sciences department offers graduate study leading to a Ph.D. with concentrations in biochemistry, evolution and behavior, and neuroscience and cell and molecular biology; the undergraduate program also has affiliations with premedical, predental, and bioengineering pathways.