The Department of Biology at San Francisco State University offers programs that cover the natural world to prepare you for professional careers in education, environmental consulting, governmental agencies, biotechnology, health professions, and more. These programs are designed to incorporate hands-on mentored research training with rigorous course-work to provide an effective springboard to further professional training (Ph.D., M.D., etc.).

Biology grad students conduct their own research in a productive environment using state-of-the-art facilities. Their research is often published in scientific journals. It is common for students to travel to scientific meetings and present the results of their research in talks or posters. There is a strong spirit of collaboration among biology grad students and faculty. While each student has a primary advisor, they have access to all faculty. Each thesis/project committee consists of three faculty members, and students can take advantage of the expertise of their committee.