Students in lab

Biological Sciences

Zoology, Botany, Biomedical Sciences & Biology

The Biological Sciences curriculum provides the foundation for our majors: Biological Sciences, Bio-Medical Sciences and Natural History. We offer specialized and general courses for all students, and support courses for medical technology and health services; recreation and nature interpretation; environmental studies; marine diving technology; and sports medicine. Many courses of a more general nature allow students to fulfill General Education and graduation requirements in Natural Sciences, while developing a biological perspective.

Looking for a class?

Biological Sciences includes the subject areas of Botany, Biomedical Sciences, Zoology and Biology. In the schedule of classes, subject areas are listed alphabetically by abbreviation.  To see all the classes offered by the department search for BIOL (biology), BMS (bio-medical sciences), BOT (botany), and ZOOL (zoology).  Hint:  Don't forget Zoology!

Science is beautiful when it makes simple explanations of phenomena or connections between different observations. Examples include the double helix in biology and the fundamental equations of physics.
  Stephen Hawking

Degrees & Awards

The Department offers three two-year Associate degrees, and  three one-year Departmental awards.   Associate degrees are in Biology, Natural History, and a Liberal Arts AA with Bio-medical Sciences emphasis.  Completion of the Associate in Science in Biology for Transfer degree (AS-T in Biology) guarantees admission to a California State University (CSU) campus.  
Departmental Awards are available in Biomedical Sciences, Marine Science, and Natural History.

Very often ambition and entrepreneurial drive, in combination, beat brilliance.
Edward O. Wilson, Letters to a Young Scientist

The Department

Want to learn more about the department and what's available to you?

Biology is now bigger than physics, as measured by the size of budgets, by the size of the workforce, or by the output of major discoveries, and biology is likely to remain the biggest part of science through the twenty-first century.
Freeman Dyson