About the Biology Major
The Biology major is jointly run by the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS) and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS). Together, these two colleges coordinate and offer six tracks designed to access the respective and shared expertise of these colleges in the biological sciences. CLAS coordinates and offers the Biology Track and the Biology Secondary Education Track, and CALS coordinates and offers the Natural Science Track, the Biotechnology Track, and the Applied Biology Track. Pre-professional Tracks are separately administered by both CALS and CLAS.
CLAS students majoring in Biology are designated with the abbreviation “BIO” and CALS students are designated with “BLY”. A Biology Coordinating Committee comprised of faculty from both colleges coordinates the curricula. Advising for CLAS students occurs in the CLAS Academic Advising Center and at the department level for both CLAS and CALS students.
CALS and CLAS are uniquely equipped to offer UF undergraduates a state-of-the-art biology major. Fifteen of the nineteen departments and schools in CALS are engaged in teaching and research in the biological sciences. CALS teaching and research activities are also carried out at sites throughout the State of Florida. CALS departments offer a variety of biology classes spanning a broad spectrum of subjects and applications. Internationally recognized basic and applied research programs in the life sciences complement these academic offerings. The CLAS Department of Biology provides the core introductory biology series for UF science majors, and the research and teaching programs of this department focus on biology as an integrative and comparative science, where knowledge about one group or system is used to address questions about others.
