The Department of Integrative Biology offers graduate work leading toward the master of science, and doctor of philosophy degrees in all areas of biology ranging from molecular to community levels.
Research is conducted in laboratories on campus, at the Malheur Field Station in southeastern Oregon, at the Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport, the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest, and in natural areas of the Cascade Mountains and Willamette Valley. Students also have entered into cooperative research programs in other departments, with the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, and with the Primate Research Center in Beaverton.
As part of their training, all students participate in the departmental seminar program, and doctoral students spend at least one year as teaching assistants. Most students are supported by graduate teaching or research assistantships. Students are expected to have broad competency in biology. The master's program leads to a thesis or research report (nonthesis option) on a specific problem; the Ph.D. program emphasizes independent thesis research on a major topic at the forefront of the chosen field.