The department emphasizes research as a basic component of graduate study. A variety of research specialties are available within the department, including aquatic and riparian ecology, fisheries biology, embryology, physiology, exercise physiology, wildlife biology, mycology, plant ecology, microbiology, and immunology. Faculty Research Interests? and Biology Faculty home pages provide more information on faculty research interests.

Graduates of the biology program either continue in PhD programs, or are employed in various biological fields with federal, state, tribal, and local agencies, environmental consulting firms, private conservation organizations, public and private schools or private industry.