Bachelor of Arts in Biology

As a Lewis & Clark biology major, you will do biology: you will generate hypotheses, design studies, collect data in the lab and the field, analyze and interpret them, and communicate your findings through talks, posters, and papers. We think this is the best possible training for a career in biology and the best way to become a scientifically literate citizen.

Our curriculum embraces all of biology, from molecules to ecosystems, and draws on other fields, like chemistry, mathematics, and psychology. Students and faculty work together, both inside and outside of class.

You will learn to write grants, read scientific literature critically, reason quantitatively, and work in teams. Diverse natural environments provide abundant opportunities for fieldwork. You will have access to cutting-edge tools in microscopy, physiology, computational biology, and molecular biology. Those interested in health careers benefit from our proximity to Oregon Health and Science University.

Lewis & Clark is a private institution with a public conscience, a residential campus with global reach. Students and faculty throughout all three of Lewis & Clark’s schools—the undergraduate College of Arts and Sciences, the Graduate School of Education and Counseling, and the School of Law—pursue new ways of knowing by combining classic liberal learning with pioneering collaboration.

Our students represent the next generation of global thinkers and leaders, unafraid to discard conventional thinking, civic complacency, and outmoded preconceptions. Yet they value what Lewis & Clark offers: an education built from the time-tested elements of careful study, original research, and spirited debate.

So what makes the experience of our students unique? How about the inspiring beauty of our natural setting, on 137 wooded acres in Portland’s southwest hills. Or our rich history and our diverse, multicultural present. Or our commitment to interdisciplinary academic learning, as well as community engagement here in Portland and around the world.