Most science students gain a good undertanding of fundamental processes involved in physiology, genetics, biochemistry, botany, ecology, etc. However, in too many cases, science majors don't learn how to do science. It's important to understand that material presented to students in most biology or chemistry lectures is the product of science, not the process of science. Rarely is the actual work, done to establish the idea or phenomenon being taught, presented to the students. This is the case at most universities and mostly due to the time limitations that professors have to cover a topic. This points out the importance of course-associated labs and research experience on-campus & in off-campus research programs, especially for those pursuing post-baccalaureate education. Graduate schooling extends science from the didactic to the pursuit of unfound knowledge.

The Cal Poly Pomona Graduate school in the Biological Sciences centers around the goal of having its students perform original research and mastering the process of discovery. The diversity of the faculty allows the opportunity for students to pursue forefront research in a variety of scientific fields. Regardless of field, students are mentored to become strong, young scientists. Specifically, they become proficient at the following:

• developing expertise in their field
• learning how to identify the pertinent questions in the field that remain unresolved
• formulating a hypothesis
• acquiring the skills to perform the necessary experiments to test a theory
• collecting and analyzing their data
• drawing conclusions from experimental outcomes
• designing a progressive strategy based on the work completed

To further learn about the Graduate School and the faculty, please visit the Official Website.