Bachelor of Science in Biology/Bachelor of Science in Psychological Science

The B.S. in Biology/B.S. in Psychological Science at Illinois Institute of Technology is an integrated dual-degree program that combines hands-on biological laboratory training with applied psychological research. Biology students can conduct experiments in microbiology, biochemistry, and animal physiology laboratories, while the Psychological Science component develops practical skills in experimental, survey, and field-study methods, data analysis, and research reporting. Students can also participate in faculty research from early in the program and access Illinois Tech’s broader biomedical research environment.

Key practical and research opportunities include:

• Biology laboratory work: Students conduct experiments in microbiology laboratories, biochemistry laboratories, and animal physiology laboratories, including work involving enzyme activity and nerve action potentials using laboratory technology.
• Biology research projects: BIOL 491 Biology Research Project allows advanced undergraduates to participate in research and produce a written report covering their procedures, data, and conclusions.
• Psychological research methods: PSYC 204 Research Methods in Behavioral Science provides practical training in experimental, survey, and field-study methodology, including research design, data collection, data preparation, data analysis, and research-report writing.
• Undergraduate research seminars: PSYC 482 and PSYC 483 Undergraduate Research Seminar include an experiential component in which students actively participate in ongoing faculty research programs.
• Senior research/capstone: PSYC 485–486 Senior Capstone Project can involve an independent research project, literature review, data analysis, internship, or fellowship, with possible final deliverables including a thesis or poster.
• Behavioral technology projects: PSYC 462 Behavior Design & User Testing introduces students to consumer testing and behavioral-design methods, including testing technology solutions with users throughout the development process.
• Data-analysis skills: Students develop practical quantitative skills through PSYC 203 Undergraduate Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences, covering descriptive statistics, ANOVA, regression, correlation, and meta-analysis.
• Group-based learning: PSYC 481 Groups and Leadership at Work uses activities that help students develop awareness of their roles as team members and team leaders while studying group development, communication, and leadership.
• Internships and experiential learning: Illinois Tech's Experiential Learning opportunities include internships and research, and its Career Services specifically provides internship processes for students in the sciences and psychology.
• Biomedical research opportunities: The Pritzker Institute of Biomedical Science and Engineering offers undergraduate research opportunities through RES-MATCH, supporting one-semester biomedical science or biomedical engineering research projects with faculty laboratories.
• Advanced research facilities: Illinois Tech students are part of a research environment connected to BioCAT at Argonne National Laboratory’s Advanced Photon Source, which provides access to X-ray-based biological research, associated laboratory facilities, and computational facilities.
• Psychology research facilities: Illinois Tech's psychology research environment includes laboratories for human behavioral assessment, psychophysiological research, infant and maternal attachment research, testing and interviewing, as well as specialized computer and video equipment.
• Research institutes: Students can engage with the university's wider research ecosystem through the Pritzker Institute of Biomedical Science and Engineering and the Institute for Food Safety and Health, among other Illinois Tech institutes and research centers. 

The B.S. in Biology/B.S. in Psychological Science is designed particularly for students preparing for health professions or graduate study at the intersection of biology and psychology, including neuroscience, brain science, and cognitive science. The integrated curriculum combines biological sciences, psychological science, research methods, laboratory work, and an interdisciplinary capstone, creating pathways into research, healthcare-related fields, and further professional education.

Career roles: Research Assistant, Laboratory Researcher, Behavioral Science Researcher, Healthcare or Clinical Research Professional: these roles can draw on the program's combined preparation in biological science, human behavior, research methods, and data analysis.

• Career services: Illinois Tech provides students with access to career development and employer engagement resources, while the program's interdisciplinary structure can support preparation for professional and graduate pathways. The university also offers advising for accelerated graduate options and encourages students to work with academic advisers when planning these routes.
• Employment statistics and salary: Illinois Tech's official program information does not publish a specific employment rate or salary figure for graduates of the B.S. Biology/B.S. Psychological Science dual degree. Not stated: program-specific median salary or employment rate.
• University–industry connections: The program develops research and professional skills through Interprofessional Projects (IPRO), a required six-credit component, and the Psychology department emphasizes applied research, practical professional experience, faculty mentorship, and interdisciplinary work.
• Research preparation: Students complete Research Methods in Behavioral Science, statistical coursework, biological literature study, laboratory courses, and a Senior Capstone Project, which can incorporate research, literature review, data analysis, an internship, or fellowship experience.
• Professional accreditation value: The university's official program information does not state a separate professional accreditation specifically for the B.S. Biology/B.S. Psychological Science degree. Not stated: program-specific professional accreditation.
• Graduation outcomes: The degree requires 135–137 credit hours and culminates in advanced biology and psychological science coursework plus the senior capstone. Students can use the dual-degree preparation for medical/professional school or continue toward graduate study in areas such as neuroscience, brain science, and cognitive science.
• Accelerated progression: Illinois Tech offers advanced-standing and co-terminal routes into M.S. Industrial-Organizational Psychology, M.S. People Analytics, and M.S. Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling, allowing qualified students to reduce graduate study time through shared coursework.
• Professional-school pathway: Biology and Psychological Science students can also participate in Illinois Tech's Honors Law Program, which normally allows eligible students to complete the B.S. and J.D. in six years, while the university also offers dual-admission pathways toward medical and optometry education.

Further Academic Progression: After completing the dual bachelor's degree, students can continue into graduate study in psychology, industrial-organizational psychology, people analytics, rehabilitation and mental health counseling, neuroscience, brain science, cognitive science, or related biological sciences. Qualified psychology students can pursue the M.S. in Industrial-Organizational Psychology or M.S. in People Analytics through advanced standing or co-terminal options, potentially completing the bachelor's and master's degrees in as little as five years; the M.S. in Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling can be completed in one-and-a-half years through its advanced-standing pathway. Students targeting medicine or other health professions can also use the program's pre-health preparation as a foundation for professional-school applications.