Biological Sciences 

Trinity College of Arts & Sciences 

The Biology Major 

The biology major at Duke is an undergraduate program administered jointly by the departments of Botany and Zoology. The program offers the student training in biology at many levels, including the molecular biology of the cell, organismal biology, biodiversity, ecology, and evolution. The Biology program benefits from the diverse interests of the faculty in Botany and Zoology, as well as interdepartmental cooperation with other departments in Trinity College, the Nicholas School of the Environment (NSOE) , Organization for Tropical Studies, and the basic science departments of the Duke University Medical Center. 

Students who choose to major in biology pursue either the A.B. or B.S. degree. In addition, students with a particular interest may focus in an area of concentration such as Animal Behavior, Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology, Evolutionary Biology, Genetics, Marine Biology, Neurosciences, Pharmacology, or Plant Systematics. Alternatively, students may negotiate an individualized program combining biology with areas such as psychology, chemistry, physics, or mathematics. 

Special Programs  

In addition to a broad range of courses, there are several special programs made possible by grants from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Biological Initiative Program. These include: special seminars for first-year students; a summer Research Fellows Program for rising sophomores; and a Howard Hughes Forum which provides research funding for qualified upperclass students. Of special note are three state-of-the-art laboratory courses in cell and molecular biology, developmental biology, and microscopy. 

Independent Study  

Biology majors are encouraged to engage in independent research projects in areas of their interest. Independent study projects provide research experience and academic credit for laboratory, field work, or theoretical research. Independent study projects may be done with any faculty in the biological sciences. Eligible students may use their independent research as the basis for an honors thesis, leading to graduation with distinction. 

Duke Marine Lab 

Also available to students is the opportunity to study at the Duke Marine Laboratory. Located in Beaufort, N.C., the Marine Lab is a modern teaching and research facility in marine and estuarine biology which provides direct access to open ocean, estuaries, and coastal ecosystems. The campus includes modern laboratories, vessels for coastal studies, and the oceanographic vessels R/V Cape Hatteras and R/V Susan Hudson. The Marine Lab sponsors a variety of courses in the Summer, a full semester program in the Fall, and a Beaufort/Bermuda program during the Spring semester. 

Other Campus Resources for Biology Students 

• The Developmental, Cell and Molecular Biology (DCMB) Group, composed of faculty from Botany and Zoology, is located in the new Levine Science Research Center. DCMB includes eleven research laboratories with state-of-the-art instrumentation and support facilities. 
• The Biological and Environmental Sciences Library, located in the Biological Sciences Building, houses over 1600 serials and 180,000 books with computerized database searching;
• The Duke Forest, provides over 8,500 acres of evergreen and deciduous woodland for teaching and research in the Durham area; 
• The Botany Greenhouses, includes a tropical conservatory, desert room, economic collection, and rooms devoted to ferns, epiphytes, and aquatic plants; 
• The Phytotron, a National Science Foundation facility provides controlled environmental space for research in environmental biology and plant physiology; 
• The Flow Facility Laboratory features wind-tunnels and flow tanks for the study of fluid flow in biology.
• The Duke Herbarium, features over 700,000 specimens for research and training; 
• A vertebrate collection includes specimens of more than 20,000 birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles, and fish; 
• The Bio-Design Studio is a place where scientists and artists collaborate to build 3-D models of organisms; 
• The Duke Primate Center houses the world's largest living collection of endangered prosimian primates (lemurs, lorises, and tarsiers); 
• Shared microscopy facilities include transmission and scanning electron microscopes, ultramicrotomes, and a confocal microscope suite.
• Computer facilities include multiple UNIX work stations, file servers, a computational server, and numerous networked desktop computers. The campus-wide broadband fiber optic network, DukeNet, acts as our Internet gateway as well as an Enterprise level network. Faculty researchers also have access to the North Carolina Supercomputing Center's CRAY T90 and T3e supercomputers. 
  

Duke students who choose a bioscience major have career goals that include biological research, the health professions, business or education. Students who are interested in health professions have access to additional information and advice through the Trinity College Health Professions Advising Center (HPAC). Duke students applying to medical schools and programs in other health professions in recent years have enjoyed a very high rate of acceptance. Biology majors electing to continue study in graduate school have gone on to become highly successful biological researchers and educators at many universities throughout the world. 

For more information about the Undergraduate Program in Biology, contact the Director of Undergraduate Studies. 

The Undergraduate Program in Biology