— Rachel Araiza '22
Learn about life processes by making original observations, asking biological questions and testing hypotheses through experimentation.
Our students learn to become biologists by working side-by-side with faculty doing biology. Pacific's biology curriculum gives students relevant, authentic experiences that encourage their development as scientists, from introductory biology through the senior capstone project.
Internships and outside research programs such as with local and national organizations such as the Oregon Zoo, Oregon Health Science University, state and federal wildlife agencies, and healthcare clinics, give students the opportunity to broaden their experiences and explore different fields in biology.
“There’s a lot of opportunities for research, even if you’re just starting out. I like trying to figure out what’s going on and being the first to figure it out."
What Can You Do with a Biology Degree?
Pacific’s biology graduates are prepared to do anything or go anywhere. Our biology graduates work as lab technicians, environmental consultants, teachers, lawyers, microbiologists, geneticists, ecologists, veterinarians, zoologists and, of course, in a wide range of health and medical professions.
Our students are recruited by the top graduate programs, medical schools and professional schools in the country. Many recent graduates work in the high-tech industry because of their strong backgrounds in biology, chemistry, math, computer science and physics.
"Because it’s such a small campus, you’re able to form meaningful relationships with your professors. The research that I’ve been doing right here has been an amazing experience that I probably wouldn’t have gotten at a larger university.”
— Rylee Trendell '19
Pacific University is the No. 1 private research university in the Pacific Northwest — and No. 8 in the Far West, among peers like Stanford and USC. What does that mean for you, as an undergraduate student? At Pacific, undergraduate students conduct independent and guided research alongside their professors. You have the opportunity to publish and to attend national conferences. Learn more about the Pacific Undergraduate Research Program.
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Please join the Reproductive Justice Action Team for a discussion on how overturning of Roe v. Wade has impacted OB-GYN and reproductive healthcare education and training at medical schools.
Jordan “Bruno” Gegenhuber '16 had first-author research, "Gene regulation by gonadal hormone receptors underlies brain sex differences," published in nature magazine on May 4, 2022.
“I was able to leave Pacific being able to write very prolifically and be a good scientific writer,” said Parks, now a PhD student in plant science. “And besides the research, Pacific really prepared for my graduate-level classes. Honestly, my graduate-level classes, I thought they were so easy. Pacific does a very good job of making sure the courses are rigorous.”