This department, located in the Ciudad Universitaria, came about in 1974 as a result of the division of the Department of Sciences of the Complutense University, created in 1857 by the Moyano Law, which separated these studies from the Faculty of Philosophy, giving rise to today’s Biological, Mathematical, Chemical, Physical and Geological faculties.

The faculty forms part of the Campus of International Excellence (CEI) and is located in two buildings in Madrid University City, which overlooks the Alfonso XIII Royal Botanical Garden and the Paraninfo sports fields. The main building is the highest in the University City, consisting of 13 floors, built in 1971.

As a result of research and teaching, there are several museums and collections in the faculty, such as the Museum of Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy, the UCME Entomology Collection, the Herbarium (MACB) and the Museum of Ethnobotany.