Overview of the Department

The Biology department at San Diego State University has excellent degree programs with courses taught by over 40 full time, research active faculty members. We serve and mentor approximately 1300 undergraduate majors in Biology and Microbiology, 80 minors, 200+ graduate students, and thousands of students from other departments. SDSU offers a rich variety of coursework in cellular and molecular biology, ecology, evolution, and related fields. In a typical semester, undergraduates have access to over 50 courses. Nearly all of these have class sizes less than 30, or have associated laboratory sections with less than 25 students. We have a large number of laboratory and field-based courses compared with Biology departments at other institutions. The lower division laboratories are taught by graduate students (rather than undergraduates), and many of the upper division laboratories are taught by the professors themselves.

There are significant opportunities for our undergraduates to conduct research with an internationally recognized faculty. For four straight years, Academic Analytics has ranked SDSU #1 out of 92 small research universities in the United States. Further, SDSU faculty research productivity is currently ranked #15 out of all 155 public research universities, and #35 out of all 222 American research universities. Within SDSU, the department of Biology has one of the strongest research programs, with undergraduate, Master's and PhD programs in the areas of Cell and Molecular Biology, Ecology, and Evolutionary Biology.

The SDSU student body is tremendously diverse. See a summary of student diversity and graduation rates on our Frequently Asked Questions page, FAQ #19.

Because of our emphasis on laboratory courses, hands-on activities and research opportunities, our graduates are uniquely prepared for a career in biology or the health professions, or postgraduate education.

Explore SDSU Open House - Saturday, March 23, 2013

San Diego State University hosts an annual open house event for prospective students, alumni, and the community. We (the Bioadvising staff) will be there to meet with prospective and admitted freshmen, transfer students, parents, and interested community members. In addition to answering questions at one of the informational tables in the Sciences Village on Campanile Walkway (west of the Love Library), Dr. Andrew Bohonak will be giving a presentation about the Biology and Microbiology majors in GMCS-333 from 9:00-9:45AM. We hope to see you all there!

Information about this event can be found at http://www.sdsu.edu/exploresdsu, click on Admitted and Prospective - Events

Freshman and new transfer students:

It is very important that you attend one of the Academic Orientation Days over summer, before classes begin (see this web site for registration information). At this one-day event, we will answer your questions and help you choose courses for the fall. Most importantly, you will be able to register early: at the end of that day!

If you cannot attend orientation, make sure to examine these Biology Department Advising web pages, especially the checklists at the top of the Degree Information page, and also the university's MyMap. Come visit us in the Biology undergraduate advising office on campus before you register, if at all possible. If you can't, then visit us as soon as you get to campus.

Important note: registration block on Biology 450 and above!

Until you complete certain GWAR requirements, your registration for Biology 450 and above will be blocked! See the details on our Frequently Asked Questions, #8.

Are you graduating in the 2013-2014 academic year?

In April 2010, we held an advising session specifically targeted towards students that were planning to graduate during the 2010-2011 academic year. The advice still holds true for 2011-2012, so please click here to watch the event and get advice for the coming year!

This is an approximately 30 minute MPEG (mp4) movie. The file is large (131 MB), but will probably start playing inside your web browser partway through the download.

Dr. Andrew J. Bohonak, Professor and Vice Chair of Biology
     and Director of Undergraduate Advising and Curriculum

Mr. Eddie Lopez, M.S., Associate Director of Advising
Ms. Arlene Castillo, M.S., Administrative Coordinator

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Biology Undergraduate Advising Office, LS-135   See a map
San Diego State University
5500 Campanile Dr.
San Diego, CA 92182-4614
(619) 594-6442
bioundergrad@sunstroke.sdsu.edu
http://www.sci.sdsu.edu/bioadvise/index.html

The office is open 8:00-noon and 1:00-4:00, Monday to Friday.

* Please print a current copy of your Degree Audit Report (DAR) from WebPortal, and bring it to your advising appointment. *

Important links

Office of Advising and Evaluations
Office of the Registrar
Graduate Writing Assessment Requirement
Pre-Professional Health Advising Office
Office of Admissions

Highlights from the Academic Calendar