Founded in 1952, the Department of Biology initially offered a Bachelor of Science major in Zoology degree. A preparatory medicine program and B.S. degrees with majors in Botany and Biology were added by 1960, and the department offered in 1966 the first Master of Science in Biology program in the southern Philippines. These early years were marked by numerous field expeditions led by Fr. Heinrich Schoenig, SVD, which allowed the department to amass a large collection of flora and fauna which are still on display in the Biological Collection of the USC Museum. In 1970, the department offered a B.S. in Marine Biology and, in 1977, a corresponding M.S. in Marine Biology program. Finally, in 2010, a Doctor of Philosophy in Biology program was offered with tracks in bioscience, marine biology, and environmental science.
Recognizing its crucial role in the southern Philippines, the Commission on Higher Education designated the department as a Center of Development (COD) in Biology, producing graduates who are instrumental in promoting the study of our terrestrial and aquatic natural resources for sustainable socio-economic development and solving problems and issues in our environment. As a regional science education center, the department plays a key role in the decentralization of biology education, training, and research, and contributes to improving the capabilities of other institutions in the region by upgrading their teaching and research faculties.
For more information, contact: The Chair, Department of Biology Room ES239, Arnoldus Science Complex Talamban Campus, Nasipit, Cebu City 6000 Philippines Trunkline +63-32-230-0100 local 156, 227, 419 (telefax) Email biodept@usc.edu.ph or uscbiologydept@gmail.com
Programs Offered
Doctor of Philosophy in Biology-Bioscience track (Ph.D. Bio.) Master of Science in Biology (M.S. Bio.) Master of Science in Marine Biology (M.S. M.B.) Master of Science in Environmental Science (M.S. E.S.) Bachelor of Science in Biology (B.S. Bio.) Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology (B.S. M.B.)
Career tracks
Graduates of biology, marine biology, and environmental science have diverse choices of careers in academe, government, agri-aqua business, and eco-tourism industry. The majority of B.S. Biology graduates proceed to medicine, although some choose to join civil society and non-government organizations as environmentalists and marine scientists. Graduates in marine biology and environmental science pursue careers in research and development, or obtain graduate degrees and are employed in academic institutions in the Philippines and overseas. Some start their businesses or provide consultancy services to local government units and the private sector.
Research areas
Natural resource management Our research framework in natural resource management encompasses the “ridge to reef” concept. Team members focus mainly on biodiversity and ecological studies, including species inventory and resource validation.
Medical and agricultural entomology Climate change has increased the vertical range of tropical insect vectors of medical and agricultural importance. Researches in this area focus on distribution studies of mosquitoes and economically important bugs and bees. This group collaborates with other departments and government agencies in conducting bio-socio-economic surveys.
Industrial microbiology Research efforts in this area aim to identify, quantify, and purify products produced by microbes collected from extreme environments (e.g., hot springs, acidic areas). Our collection of microbes can be made available for collaborative research.
Biotechnology and material science This research group is engaged in studies on lipidomics and natural products, genomics/systematics, toxicology and bioremediation studies, development of aquaculture and mariculture technology including hybridization of cultured organisms.
Facilities and equipment
Facilities
Marine Station, Maribago, Mactan Island, Cebu
Entomological Collection, USC Museum
Marine Biology Collection, USC Museum
Equipment
Aquatic light meter
Autoclaves
Bio-safety cabinet
Centrifuges
Conductivity meters
Electrophoresis system
Furnaces
Hot-air sterilizers
Micro-homogenizer
Illuminator
Incubator
Laser range meter
Micro casting set
Microscopes, including an epifluorescent microscope
PCR (Real-Time) machine
Psychrometer
Refractometer
Rotary evaporator
Semi-analytic balances
Soil tester
UV-visible spectrophotometer
Water distilling unit
Student life
The Biology Integrated Organization is the co-curricular student organization of the department.
Alumni association
Graduates of all programs can join the Biology Alumni Association.
