Biology Degree Options

Off-campus studies course near a reef.

If you know you want to study biology but aren't sure which degree option is the best fit for you, that's not a problem. You can work with faculty, your academic advisor, and the career coaches at the Berry Career Institute to determine your terminal degree. Cornell students choose from a variety of options, including a single major, a double major, or a major with a minor. That can all be worked out once you've been on campus and spent some time exploring your options. 

Bachelor (B.A.) of Arts

If you have an interest in biology, you could earn your B.A. with one or some combination of majors and minors.

  • Major in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology or Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.
  • Minor in ecology and evolutionary biology.
  • Education major with a secondary certification to teach biology.

Bachelor in Special Studies (B.S.S.)

Or you could create your own individualized degree. A B.S.S. gives you the opportunity to design your own degree. Often, but not always, a B.S.S. is an interdisciplinary field of study that you develop with the advice of your academic advisor. You might decide to be a wildlife conservation major, a cryptobiologist , or something entirely unique to your career goals.