Welcome from the Chair, Dr. Barrie Bode

Welcome to the Department of Biological Sciences at NIU, and thank you for visiting our site.

The Department of Biological Sciences is housed primarily in Montgomery Hall, a 112,000-square-foot facility adjacent to the campus' east lagoon. In addition to numerous teaching and research laboratories, the department maintains a variety of central facilities including live animal quarters, greenhouses, confocal and electron microscopy, flow cytometer, controlled environment, molecular core services (nucleic acid sequenceing and synthesis), X-ray and radioisotope laboratories, graphic design assistance, shop services, central stores, and information systems.

The department offers academic programs leading to a Bachelor of Science (B.S.), Master of Science (M.S.), and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree. Presently, the department has 24 tenure track faculty members and 18 members of the departmental instructional and research support staff. The student population includes approximately 700 undergraduate majors and 70 graduate students engaged in study in a variety of areas of the biological sciences. Teaching laboratories provide extensive student experience with living organisms and experimental equipment. Laboratory sections are kept small (around 20) to ensure student interaction with teaching staff. We have approximately 60 of our undergraduate students engaged in doing research in the labs, some of them funded by USOAR grants.

Click here to see some of the things you can do with a biology degree