Biology
Lewis College of Science and Letters

Biology

Prepare for careers in biotechnology, biochemistry, law, research, and a variety of health professions with Illinois Tech biology programs, while working with faculty on cutting-edge research projects.

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The biology program at Illinois Tech thoroughly covers the fundamental areas of biology including genetics, microbiology, cell biology and biochemistry, and structural biophysics. Gain a firm foundation in biological theory and experimentation through rigorous and relevant classroom and lab support. The curriculum provides you the knowledge, skills, and experiences to pursue many career paths after leaving Illinois Tech.

Career Pathways

Learn more about how a biology degree from Illinois Tech can uniquely prepare you for a career.

Training in biology is vital to a career in medicine. Biologists have many roles to play in the global healthcare industry. Learn more about Illinois Tech’s pre-health and pre-med programs.

Illinois Tech’s biology degree programs offer opportunities for undergraduates to conduct research, giving them an upper hand in applying for graduate school or preparing for a research career. The College of Science offers Undergraduate Summer Research Stipends, and biology faculty open their labs to undergraduate researchers, either for credit or for pay

An undergraduate degree from a tech-focused university such as Illinois Tech can be advantageous for a future lawyer. Illinois Tech is one of only a few institutes of technology with a law school, and the only one to offer top high school students the opportunity to apply to an undergraduate program and law school at Chicago–Kent College of Law simultaneously through our Honors Law program.

Informing Agricultural Practices Through Computational Genomics

Biology Ph.D. Candidate Dakota Bunn investigates the habits of the western bean cutworm, a pest to corn and dry beans, using computational genomics.

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TomIrving@BioCAT

NIH Awards $6.3 Million to Illinois Tech’s BioCAT Facility

The National Institutes of Health has awarded $8.6 million to continue to operate Illinois Tech’s Biophysics Collaborative Access Team (BioCAT) facility for biomedical research at the Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory. Led by Thomas Irving, professor of biology and a biophysics researcher, BioCAT is one of the foremost facilities in the world for basic, applied, or translational research using synchrotron radiation that may be relevant to medical advances.

bioinformatics student

Bioinformatics at Illinois Tech

Bioinformatics is a cross-disciplinary field at the interface between biology, computer science, and mathematics, allowing for massive amounts of data generated on any given day. Genomics and transcriptomics could not exist without bioinformatics. Explore this exciting pathway at Illinois Tech.

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A Breakthrough in Understanding Chlamydia

Chlamydia affects one in 20 Americans, making it one of the world’s most prevalent STDs. Oscar Juarez, assistant professor of biology, is closing in on methods to disrupt the growth of chlamydia.

News

Headshot of Matthew Smith, assistant professor of biology

What can bumblebees teach us about the link between individuality, group behavior, and the brain? For Matthew Smith, who joined Illinois Institute of Technology as an assistant professor of biology at...

"I took part in a research laboratory right after my first year, with graduate students and a professor, on the aggregation of a specific protein in neurodegenerative disease tissue samples. Soon after I started in the lab, I presented my research to faculty and students with a poster presentation. Collaborating on the research was rewarding, and I am grateful that I was able to apply my academics early in my undergraduate career. One of the most important things I’ve learned at Illinois Tech is outreach—the conversations with professors, mentors, and my fellow peers have led me to these opportunities and allowed me to further my development as a student."

—Collin Standish (Biological Science/Psychological Science 3rd year)

Collin Standish

“Earning my doctorate will be my proudest accomplishment, but I will always remember all the smaller steps and hurdles that were taken and overcome to reach the final outcome.” 

—Daniel Raba (Ph.D. BIOL ’19)

PhDRaba

Contact Biology

Phone

312.567.3480

Fax

312.567.3494

Office Location

Department of Biology
Robert A. Pritzker Science Center
3105 South Dearborn Street, Room 182
Chicago, IL 60616