As the only life science department on the UC West Campus, the Department of Biological Sciences is dedicated to achieving excellence in both our undergraduate and graduate programs (MS and PhD). UC is designated by the Carnegie Foundation as a research intensive institution, and, accordingly, we offer the disciplinary breadth necessary for undergraduate education and the disciplinary specialization necessary for comprehensive graduate education and training. Our dpartment has a long and distinguished history that can be read by clicking here.
Our faculty and students conduct cutting-edge research to further our understanding of the natural world and seek applications in fields spanning all of biology, from molecular and cell to animal behavior and conservation. Our emerging research strengths are organized into three research foci: Sensory Biology and Behavior (SBB); Ecology, Evolution and Conservation (EEC); and Molecular Biology, Genetics and Physiology (MBGP).
Our undergraduate curriculum provides a rigorous introduction to biology for students from many programs, and our upper level curriculum offers advanced training and specialization through course work and formative research experiences. Undergraduates pursue BS and BA degrees, and we also offer a 4+1 program that enables students to earn a BS and a non-research MS degree in 5 years.
Mailing address:
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, PO Box 210006,
Cincinnati, OH 45221-0006
Departmental office:
614 Rieveschl Hall Phone: (513) 556-9700
March 12, 2026
Earth.com highlights a study co-authored by UC Professor Bruce Jayne, an expert in snake locomotion, about how snakes stand upright without arms or legs.
March 11, 2026
Atop a roof at the University of Cincinnati, six high-tech glass houses that grow plants for biology in the College of Arts and Sciences. Greenhouse Manager Audrey Trauth is here most days tending the plant collection, which is organized into biomes to accommodate the desert, temperate and tropical plants.
March 2, 2026
The German television show 'Unsolved Case' talks to a University of Cincinnati expert about ballcourts used by the ancient Maya for a program examining how people used spheres as both tools and toys.