A student wears blue latex gloves and safety goggles while pouring liquid into a test tube.

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Science

Explore. Discover. Succeed.

The Department of Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Science is the largest on campus, providing unmatched opportunities to explore life, health, and the environment. From molecules to ecosystems, from the laboratory bench to global fieldwork, you’ll find a path that excites you. With versatile majors, research opportunities from day one, and close mentorship from expert faculty, you’ll gain the skills and experiences to excel, whether your journey leads to graduate school, professional programs, or straight into the workforce.

Follow Your Interests. Shape Your Career.

You can pursue a wide range of specialties, from health, biomedical, and veterinary fields to marine, forensic, ecological, and chemical science. Many students choose to combine multiple areas or embark on interdisciplinary pathways in biochemistry, neuroscience, or integrative biology.

Graduate students continue their development with teaching and advanced research opportunities, but scholarly activity isn’t just for graduate students: every student can be part of it. From your first year, you can work side by side with faculty mentors gaining professional experience and confidence as a scientist.

Student looking through microscope

Research Opportunities That Matter

Students team directly with faculty on high-impact projects involving (but not limited to):

  • Endangered Species Conservation
  • Animal Evolution and Physiology
  • Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology
  • Neuroscience of Development, Addiction, and Disease
  • Aquatic and Terrestrial Ecology
  • Plant Genomics and Ecophysiology
  • Food Science
  • Environmental Chemistry and Microbiology
  • Genomics, Proteomics, and Cell Signaling
  • Nanomaterials and Drug Discovery
  • Organic Synthesis & Chemical Analysis

Discovery is at the heart of what we do.

 Two people, a woman and a man, squat outdoors examining a tray of small plant seedlings in a grassy area on a sunny day.

Innovative and Profession-driven Offerings

As a CNU student, you can engage directly with faculty in hands-on courses and opportunities that set you apart:

  • Cadaver Dissection and Examination
  • Career-specific Anatomy and Physiology (Medical, Dental, Veterinary, Physical/Occupational Therapist, and Nursing)
  • Neurobiology of Aging, Addiction, and Learning/Memory
  • Kinesiology and Biomechanics
  • Medical Biochemistry and Medicinal Chemistry (Medical and Pharmacy)
  • Immunology and Microbiology (Medical, Forensic Science, or Environmental Impact)
  • Geomapping and Vegetation Analysis
  • Genomics, Proteomics and Bioinformatics
  • Biostatistics and Data Analysis
  • Applied Coursework (Research, Fieldwork, Internships, Volunteering/Shadowing, etc.)

From Curiosity to Career: Explore, Discover, and Build Your Future.

Student and Professor Quinlan conducting an experiment in a lab

An American Chemical Society seal acknowledging an approved chemistry program.

Contact Us

Department of Molecular Biology and Chemistry

(757) 594-8255

Fax: (757) 594-7356

Forbes Hall 3022

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