Our internationally recognized graduate program in biology is housed in the far-reaching Department of Integrative Biology, which emphasizes the intersections and integration of biological processes ranging from molecular to community levels. The program offers both Master's and Ph.D. degrees in biology and has 65 graduate students and 25 faculty.
Ranked among the top 20 research programs nationwide in the areas of ecology, evolution and behavior, integrative biology also enjoys the distinction of being the highest ranked scientific program in the state of Oregon. Integrative Biology at Oregon State is renowned for its research programs in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Physiology & Behavior and Development & Cell Biology. Faculty and graduate students often combine two or more of these areas in their research.
We currently have active research programs with graduate students exploring:
- comparative immunobiology and pathology
- cellular interactions and tissue differentiation
- neuronal development
- cytogenetics
- behavioral biology at the neurophysiological, endocrinological, and ecological levels environmental physiology
- vertebrate functional morphology
- reproductive biology
- natural products chemistry
- marine biology
- physiologic and biochemical adaptation
- genetics and evolution of populations
- experimental marine, terrestrial, and freshwater population and community ecology
- biodiversity and conservation biology.
Biology graduate students conduct research in laboratories on campus, at the Malheur Field Station in southeastern Oregon, the Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport, the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest, and in natural areas of the Cascade Mountains and Willamette Valley. Students also have joined cooperative research programs in other departments and facilities, including the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland and the Primate Research Center in Beaverton, Oregon.
The integrative biology graduate program has a very competitive acceptance rate and typically admits 10% of applicants. Doctoral students gain experience as teachers as part of their graduate training. The master’s program leads to a thesis or research report (non-thesis option) on a specific problem; the Ph.D. program emphasizes independent thesis research on a major topic at the forefront of the chosen field. The department is committed to supporting the education and training of students through graduate research and teaching assistantships. Several biology graduate students, in addition to the funding they receive from the department, have been supported by research fellowships from the University, the National Science Foundation, ARCS (Achievement Awards for College Scientists) Foundation Oregon and many other agencies.
