Specialization Areas
Areas of study include Botany, Microbiology, Genetics and Molecular Biology, Physiology, Conservation Biology, Systematics, Wildlife Management, and Zoology.
Program Admission
Regular Admission
Applicants must have earned a baccalaureate degree with a minimum overall GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale or a 3.0 GPA on the last 60 hours of attempted coursework to be regularly admitted.
or
Applicants who have earned any graduate or terminal degree from a from a college or university accredited and recognized at the institutional level by the US Department of Education (USDOE) will qualify for regular admission to a master’s program provided they meet all other eligibility requirements.
or
minimum formula score of GPA (either cumulative or last 60 hours)
x GRE (Q + V) = 825
The program will consider using other standardized examinations
(MCAT, DAT, etc) to calculate a formula score on a case-by-case basis.
International student applicants must meet Graduate School
requirements for English proficiency.
Conditional Admission
Applicants must have earned a baccalaureate degree with a minimum overall GPA of 2.75 on a 4.0 scale or a 2.75 GPA on the last 60 hours of attempted coursework to be conditionally admitted.
or
minimum formula score of GPA (either cumulative or last 60 hours) x GRE (Q+V) = 750
Provisional Admission: Provisional admission will be granted to qualified applicants awaiting graduation, official transcripts, or GRE scores, according to the Graduate School policy for provisional status.
Non-Thesis Option: Applicants meeting the minimum admissions requirements will be automatically accepted into the non-thesis option.
Thesis Option: Student must have a faculty sponsor to be admitted into the thesis option. The faculty member must notify the graduate coordinator in writing that he/she will sponsor the thesis option student.
Graduate Assistantships: To be considered for a graduate assistantship, a student must be admitted to the Biology Graduate Program in regular or conditional status, provide three (3) letters of recommendation forms, and have a minimum GRE score of 300 (V+Q).
Sponsor/Major Advisor
Once the application materials have been received by the Graduate Coordinator in the Department of Biology, potential students will be contacted to determine if they have a sponsor/major advisor. This person is a full member of the Graduate Faculty that serves as the student’s advisor for their graduate career. Potential graduate students may request assistance in finding a sponsor/major advisor from the Department’s Graduate Coordinator, but it is ultimately the student’s responsibility to secure a sponsor. A student WILL NOT be admitted without a sponsor/faculty advisor.
Non-Thesis Option
Upon recommendation of the Biology Committee on Graduate Studies, applicants may enroll in a non-thesis option in the Master of Science Biology degree program. Students admitted to the Biology M.S. Non-Thesis option are generally not considered to be eligible for assistantships.
Program Requirements
Undergraduate requirements include a B.S. or B.A. in a biological sciences discipline or a bachelor’s degree with sufficient science background. Selected undergraduate biology classes may be identified as deficiencies by the student’s graduate advisory committee.
A candidate for the Master of Science degree pursuing the thesis option must complete a minimum of 33 semester hours of biology and related courses, including six semester hours of BIOL 5099 .
A candidate for the Master of Science pursuing the non-thesis option must complete a minimum of 33 semester hours of biology and related courses. Non-thesis candidates must enroll in Research Methods (BIOL 5005 & BIOL 5006 ) and at least one additional lab-based course during their degree program. No more than six credit hours of coursework from outside the Biology curriculum will be accepted toward the non-thesis degree. BIOL 5099 credit hours are not applicable to the degree plan of non-thesis candidates.
A graduate student may only transfer nine semester hours from the M.S. Thesis option to the M.S. Non-Thesis option.
NOTE: The following is required of ALL Biology graduate students (both Thesis and Non-Thesis)
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No more than three credit hours of BIOL 5091 or MNSC 5091 can count toward the degree; and
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Successful completion of two hours of BIOL 5007 (Seminar); and
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Successful completion of two Biology courses (minimum of six hours) beyond the required courses – not including BIOL 5091 or MNSC 5091 ; and
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Successful completion of written comprehensive exams.
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