Borderless classrooms, endless opportunities

Life Sciences represents the full spectrum of experiential and classroom studies of the natural world.

Lab coats and goggles give way to waders and sunglasses. Many courses in VCU Life Sciences allow our students to immerse themselves in experiential learning. Whether it is navigating the whitewater rapids on the Salmon River, banding birds on top of a mountain in Panama or gathering water quality data down the road at VCU Rice Rivers Center, our pathway to an education in the life sciences takes students to the research.

It's not where you start, it's where you finish. 

Not every one of our graduates began their educational journey with VCU Life Sciences. Our students have joined us from community colleges, four-year universities, even other fields of study within VCU. Our alumni can be found working at places like NASA, NOAA, the Environmental Protection Agency, National Institutes of Health and the Army Corp of Engineers. Whether they are taking wildlife photos for National Geographic or tracking Atlantic Sturgeon in the James River, their paths led them through our hallways. Hands-on student opportunities often lead to top-tier jobs as alumni.

four scenes: a person standing on a pier overlooking a body of water, a v.c.u. student group posing outside in a mountainous area, students working in a lab, and a group of people whitewater rafting

News

Chris Gough

July 1, 2025

Chris Gough appointed director of the VCU Rice Rivers Center

Gough is a biology professor and graduate program director in the School of Life Sciences and Sustainability.

American kestrels ready to fledge

June 24, 2025

Notes from the Field: A look at Summer@Rice research projects

Interns highlight their research in their own words.

VCU students in the Wilderness and Wildlife course spotted 92 species of birds during a five-day trip in the South Carolina low country this spring. (Contributed photo)

June 16, 2025

VCU students embrace the call of the wild

Two recent environmental studies courses reflect how hands-on learning – sometimes far from campus – is at the heart of the new School of Life Sciences and Sustainability.