12 Best Biology Schools in California

This is a well-detailed blog post on the best biology schools in California to facilitate admission for students who want to pursue a biology degree in the state of California.

Home to Stanford University, Hollywood, UCLA, and Disneyland, California is a vibrant place for studying and meeting a diverse range of people and cultures to broaden your study abroad experience and earn a degree from some of the best universities in the world. The state is also one of the right places to pursue a business degree.

Turns out we have a well-detailed blog post on the best business schools in California which gives further information on how to apply and the application requirements.

In the United States, Biology is one of the most popular majors as well as the hottest. Students with a degree program in any biology field are quickly employed, whether it is an associate, bachelor, master’s, or doctorate, they are in high demand.

Biology has grown to become a field with a wide range of disciplines that are studied separately, the courses under biology are:

  • Microbiology
  • Biochemistry
  • Environmental Science
  • Molecular Biology
  • Marine Biology
  • Ecology
  • Cell Biology
  • Neuroscience
  • Biophysics
  • Anatomy
  • Conservative Biology
  • Immunology
  • Neuroscience
  • Physiology
  • Zoology
  • Human Physiology
  • Computational Biology

These courses are under biology and most, if not all, are studied as a separate degree program in the undergraduate and graduate levels of study. Another thing all of these courses have in common is that you need to have a strong knowledge of biology before applying for them.

If it is a course that you want to study as a graduate degree program, you must satisfy biology in your undergraduate study before going into them. Biology is what is used to scientifically explain our world and its importance keeps showing itself day by day. It is used in all forms of medicine as well, to produce drugs that will counter sicknesses and diseases which is why the graduates are in high demand.

Going for a biology program is a good choice and choosing a good school for the program is an even better choice but maybe a bit of a hassle for your which is what this blog post is created for. This post on the best biology schools in California will help you make the right choice in choosing a school that is just right for you to make your career a successful one.

Without further ado, let’s get into the best biology schools in California.

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Top Best Biology Schools in California

Listed below are the best biology schools in California which are further discussed with the direct website link to learn more about specific program offering requirements.

  • Stanford University
  • The University of California, Berkeley
  • California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
  • The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
  • Claremont McKenna College
  • The University of California, Irvine
  • The University of California, Santa Barbara
  • The University of California, San Diego
  • The University of Southern California
  • The University of California, Davis
  • Harvey Mudd College
  • Pomona College

1.      Stanford University

Stanford University is a prestigious institution with global recognition located in Stanford, California and its biology programs are recognized as well, making it rank among the best biology schools in California. The university can offer biology programs through its School of Humanities and Sciences which is just one of the academic programs at Stanford.

The School of Humanities and Sciences here at Stanford houses the Department of Biology which offers undergraduate, coterminal master’s program and a Ph.D. program. The undergraduate biology program is designed for students wishing to study biology, enter medical school, or get started in research. For students who seek an advanced degree in biology, the masters and Ph.D. program is for them.

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2.      The University of California, Berkeley

Established in 1896 as a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, UC Berkeley is one of the best biology schools in California. The university has 14 colleges and schools offering more than 350 degree programs to students enrolled in the graduate and postgraduate levels of study.

There is no single department of biology at UC Berkeley, courses in the biological sciences are offered through many campus departments including the Departments of Integrative Biology, Nutritional Sciences & Toxicology, Optometry, Environmental Science, Policy & Management, Molecular and Cell Biology, and Plant &Microbial Biology which collectively offers 27 biology programs leading to bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees.

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3.      California Institute of Technology (Caltech)

Caltech is a private research institute in Pasadena, California is known for its strength in science and engineering and its devotion to the instruction of pure and applied sciences. There are six academic divisions within the school with a strong emphasis on science and engineering. The Division of Biology and Biological Engineering offers biology and biology-related programs.

The BBE division has seven research areas related to biology including Systems Biology, Microbiology, Biological Engineering, Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, and Biophysics, and more. The graduate degree options are Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics, Medical Engineering, Neurobiology, Biology, Geobiology, Computation & Neural Systems, Social & Decision Neuroscience, and Bioengineering.

Bioengineering is the only undergraduate program offered in the BBE division.

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4.      The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)

UCLA is a world-renowned institution of higher learning located in Los Angeles, California established in 1919. The institution has a current enrollment of 31,500 undergraduates and 12,800 graduates enrolled in over 337 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in a wide range of disciplines. These programs are offered via the schools six undergraduate colleges, seven professional schools, and four professional health science schools.

UCLA offers 48 biology programs through its College of Life Sciences which lead to undergraduate majors and minors and graduate degrees. The College is consistently ranked among the best biology schools in California due to its many achievements in the field.

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5.      Claremont McKenna College

Claremont McKenna College is one of the best biology schools in California, it was established in 1946 as a private liberal arts college located in Claremont, California. The Keck Science Department offers a wide range of undergraduate science courses including biology. There aren’t any graduate biology programs at this college but the undergraduate program is one of the best in the country.

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6.      The University of California, Irvine

This is one of the best biology schools in California established in1965 as a public land-grant research university in Irvine, California. UCI offers a wide range of undergraduate and graduates degree programs through its 16 academic units including the School of Biological Sciences that offer biology and other biology-related programs.

The School is a center for quality education that fosters the passionate and ongoing expansion of knowledge in the biological sciences and facilitates research not just for graduate students only but also for undergraduate students. The School further houses four departments where students are equipped with knowledge and skills to find answers to complex biological issues.

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7.      The University of California, Santa Barbara

UCSB or UC Santa Barbara as it is commonly referred to has a wide range of biology programs available to students in the undergraduate and graduate levels of study and due to the quality of the program and the achievement it continuously brings to the school, this allows it to be consistently ranked among the best biology schools in California.

The biology programs are offered through the School of Biological Sciences and as of 2015, 1,119 students graduated from programs in the study area of biology earning bachelor, master’s, and doctoral degrees. The biology program at UC Santa Barbara is the fastest-growing program at the campus.

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8.      The University of California, San Diego

UC San Diego has a Division of Biological Sciences consistently ranked as one of the best biology schools in California. The Division offers a wide range of biology-related programs leading to bachelor, master’s, and graduate degrees. The mission here is to advance knowledge of basic biological sciences and apply research discoveries in ways that improve human health, protect the environment and enrich the economy.

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9.      The University of Southern California

Established in 1880 as a private research university in Los Angeles, California, USC is the oldest private research university in the states and its Department of Biological Sciences is one of the best biology schools in California. The Department has research faculty with specialties in four disciplines: human and evolutionary biology, marine and environmental biology, molecular and computational biology, and neurobiology.

Through these four disciplines, the department offers a range of undergraduate, graduate, postdoctoral training programs.

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10. The University of California, Davis

UC Davis College of Biological Sciences is one of the best biology schools in California offering a wide range of top-notch biology programs leading to undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. The college explores life to advance knowledge and meet the scientific challenges of the modern world.

The college houses five departments through which these academic degrees are produced, the Departments of Evolution and Ecology, Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Molecular and Cellular Biology, Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behaviour, and Plant Biology. There are also facilities with cutting-edge equipment for students to engage in practical and research purposes.

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11. Harvey Mudd College

This is a private not-for-profit college in Claremont, California established in1955. Harvey Mudd College is known for its strength in science and engineering, the biology program is equally recognized and makes the college one of the best biology schools in California. The college offers only four-year degree programs, so, if you want to pursue an undergraduate degree program in one of the best biology schools in California, you may want to consider Harvey Mudd College.

Harvey Mudd College has a Department of Biology, the biology program here is hands-on and interdisciplinary. In lab and field courses, students do open-ended, cross-disciplinary research and learn by doing.

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12. Pomona College

Pomona College has a biology department that offers both a major and minor, educates students in a range of biological principles, practices, and subject areas. The department has facilities that allow students to join professors in hands-on practical research even as undergraduates. They get to apply scientific inquiry and critical analysis to study organisms in the classroom, lab, and field.

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These are the 12 best biology schools in California that you may want to apply to, whether for undergraduate or graduate programs you will be trained and equipped with skills and a quality degree that is recognized anywhere in the world.

FAQ on the Best Biology Schools in California

What is the difference between a biology school and a marine biology school?

A marine biology school prepares students for a career specifically in marine biology but a biology school prepares students for a wide range of careers in the field of biology which include biochemistry, biomedical sciences, biotechnology, medicine, environmental science, marine biology, etc.

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