Whitworth's department of biology emphasizes breadth of knowledge about all levels of the natural world and the practical application of that knowledge through faculty-student collaboration in leading-edge research projects.

The biology department offers a number of degree programs that prepare students for careers in a variety of biological, medical, clinical and environmental fields. The curriculum for each of these programs contains the following core courses that introduce students to the unifying principles of biology: cell biology, animal biology, plant biology, microbial biology, ecology, genetics, and select courses in general chemistry and physics.

Students can also choose from a variety of upper-division biology courses, according to their career or graduate-school objectives. These elective courses offer students laboratory and respective field experiences in various specialized areas of biology.