BS in Biology

The BS in Biology at the University of Kentucky combines laboratory-based coursework with opportunities to participate in faculty-led research, giving students practical experience in biological investigation, experimental design, and scientific analysis. The program’s updated curriculum includes training in bioinformatics, evolutionary biology, and systems approaches, while advanced students can pursue research in areas ranging from cellular biology to ecology. Students also have access to the department’s Ecological Research and Education Center and state-of-the-art Imaging Center, where some classes provide training with advanced biological imaging technologies.

These program-specific opportunities give students several ways to build practical research and laboratory skills:

• Laboratory coursework: The BS includes BIO 155 Biological Research Skills Lab I or BIO 198 Scholars Biology Research, alongside chemistry laboratory courses. The major also progresses into upper-level biology coursework that develops laboratory and research skills.
• Independent research: Through BIO 395 Research in Biology, students can conduct an independent research project with a faculty mentor. Students develop a research question or hypothesis, plan experiments, perform research, and consider how their results contribute to biological knowledge.
• Research and writing: BIO 398 Research and Writing in Biology allows students to undertake faculty-mentored research while developing skills in experimental planning, interpretation of results, and scientific communication.
• Summer research: The Biology Summer Research Experience for Undergraduates provides selected students with a 10-week, 30-hour-per-week full-time research experience under a Biology faculty mentor, with opportunities to present their research at the end of the program.
• Ecological field research: The Ecological Research and Education Center (EREC) is a unique urban field station where students can participate in experimental studies involving bird mating systems, bird song, circadian clocks, predator-prey relationships, dispersal ecology, and plant ecology. The Funkhouser Summer Internship also requires at least 30% of the research project to be conducted at EREC.
• Imaging technology: The Biology Department’s Imaging Center supports cellular biology research and provides students with opportunities to learn and use advanced imaging technology; some biology classes are held in the center specifically to train students in these technologies.
• Bioinformatics and digital tools: The updated undergraduate curriculum places an emphasis on bioinformatics, giving students exposure to computational approaches alongside traditional biological study. The department also uses a Biology Majors Canvas page and listserv to provide students with information about courses, research opportunities, scholarships, and events.
• Research opportunities across campus: Students looking for research mentors can use ForagerOne to identify faculty working in biological research, including faculty outside the Department of Biology.
• Research presentation: Biology summer research participants are expected to present their research at a forum with other undergraduate researchers, giving them direct experience communicating scientific findings. 

 The University of Kentucky’s Bachelor of Science in Biology gives students a broad scientific foundation with opportunities to focus on areas such as Cellular and Molecular Biology, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Genetics, Genomics and Bioinformatics, Physiology and Behavior, Plant Biology, or Pre-Professional School Training. Graduates can apply their problem-solving, research, and analytical skills to careers such as biological researcher, genetic counselor, wildlife biologist, or conservation biologist, while the degree also provides a strong foundation for graduate and professional study.

Career and Employment Opportunities:

• Career services: The University of Kentucky’s Stuckert Career Center provides access to Handshake for jobs, internships, career events, and employer connections, along with resume and cover-letter assistance, interview preparation, networking support, career fairs, and employer information sessions. Students can also use Big Interview for major-specific mock interviews and Focus 2 Career for exploring career pathways.
• Internships and professional experience: Biology students can pursue internships and research experiences through UK resources. The Stuckert Career Center supports academic and non-credit internships, co-ops, externships, volunteer and service-learning experiences, while the Biology Department specifically highlights undergraduate research as a way to develop skills valuable for future job placement.
• Employment stats and salary figures: The University of Kentucky provides a First Destination Dashboard showing the initial career destinations of recent UK bachelor’s graduates, but a biology-specific employment rate or salary figure is not stated on the official Biology program page.
• University–industry connections: UK connects students with employers through career fairs, employer presentations, on-campus interviews, internships and micro-internships. Through its partnership with Parker Dewey, students can apply for paid, short-term professional projects with companies ranging from Fortune 100 organizations to emerging startups.
• Research and professional networks: Biology students can gain research experience in areas spanning developmental, regeneration and stem-cell biology, physiology, genomics, evolutionary genetics, ecology, mathematical biology, neuroscience, behavior and circadian rhythms. The department notes that undergraduate research can help students develop the skills needed for future employment and graduate study.
• Long-term accreditation value: The University of Kentucky is institutionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award baccalaureate, master’s and doctoral degrees. UK states that its institutional accreditation supports access to federal financial aid and demonstrates ongoing academic quality and continuous improvement; the university’s most recent reaffirmation was in 2023, with the next scheduled for 2033.
• Graduation outcomes: Biology graduates can enter employment across research, healthcare, environmental and conservation-related fields, or continue into advanced education. UK’s Biology Department specifically identifies pathways involving industry, government and additional schooling, while the undergraduate program highlights healthcare professionals, genetic counselors, biomedical researchers, wildlife biologists and conservation biologists among potential career directions.

Further Academic Progression: After completing the BS in Biology, students can continue into the University of Kentucky’s M.S. in Biology, available through thesis and non-thesis options, or progress to the Ph.D. in Biology for advanced research and academic preparation. Students interested in biomedical careers can also explore UK graduate pathways such as Integrated Biomedical Sciences, while the Biology BS’s pre-professional preparation can support progression toward professional schools depending on the student’s chosen field and prerequisite coursework.