Biological Sciences

A scientific foundation for a world of opportunities.

Studying Biology prepares you to excel as a broadly trained scientist, with coursework in scientific foundations, literature, laboratory, and experimental design.

student wearing safety glasses looking at a computer

Use the tools of scientific investigation.

As a Butler Biology major, you will actively use the tools of scientific investigation in labs and fieldwork in courses examining biological organization at many levels—from molecular and cellular to organisms and populations, and through ecosystems. You’ll enjoy hands-on learning through the Fundamentals Courses, advanced electives, a senior capstone course, and on-campus partnerships.

We also encourage you to team with faculty mentors in challenging research, covering topics such as genetics, animal behavior, neurobiology, plant development, ecology, and biomechanics.

Biology FAQs

Graduating with a Biology degree opens up a gateway for an extensive list of health-related careers and post-graduate opportunities in masters and doctoral programs. Some examples include but are not limited to:

Biochemist
Biostatistician
Dentist
Environmental Scientist
Genetic Counselor
Hospital Laboratory Technician
Lawyer
Microbiologist
Nurse
Toxicologist

The national average for jobs earned with a Biology degree is $72,464 a year. Annual salaries range as high as $147,500 and as low as $21,000, depending on the location and job title.

Yes, Biology is a STEM major. While studying Biological Sciences at Butler, students participate in scientific research and inquiry. Developing and applying skilled and innovative scientific techniques in all areas of biology is crucial to understanding the fundamental truths of the science of the natural world.

Take advantage of your undergraduate research opportunities.

Check out our Faculty page to view a professor’s area of expertise. Visit and talk with them as early in your career as possible. Although most undergraduate research is done in the junior and senior years, some students begin as early as their first year.

Biology Faculty & Staff

Work Alongside Faculty

Butler Summer Institute

The Butler Summer Institute (BSI) is the University’s preeminent undergraduate research program that allows you to pursue a significant research question, contribute to a scholarly conversation, or produce creative work while being mentored by a faculty member and supported by a peer community comprised of equally enthusiastic student researchers and artists.

Student/Faculty Research Opportunities

Tropics Research

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

The STRI in Panama is dedicated to understanding tropical biodiversity. Through Butler-STRI partnership, students serve as paid interns on research projects conducted by STRI scientists. Butler Biology faculty teach an intensive field-based course in Panama involving new research initiatives.

Study Biodiversity in Panama

Real-World Experience

Internships

Many Indianapolis businesses and organizations seek out our students as interns in supervised work/research experiences. Butler Biology majors have interned with such groups as the Marion County Coroner’s Office, Central Indiana Land Trust, U.S. Department of Energy, and the Air Force Research Laboratory.

Apply What You’ve Learned in Class

Friesner Herbarium

With nearly 100,000 dried, pressed, and preserved plant specimens, the Friesner Herbarium is a reference library on historical distribution, habitats, and timing of flowering and fruit production.

Explore the Archives

Biology-Biomedical Engineering Dual Degree

Earn two degrees in one program—Biology from Butler and Biomedical Engineering from Indiana University Purdue University in Indianapolis. The rapidly expanding field of biomedical engineering combines expertise in biomaterials, biomechanics, instrumentation, and tissue engineering to dramatically improve life as we know it.

Dual-Degree Opportunities

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