Biological Science, Thesis, M.S.

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The thesis Master of Science (M.S.) in biological science degree option is designed for graduate students who wish to undertake a significant research project and write a thesis. Although class work is required, the focus of this degree option is research and writing. The thesis involves not only a scientific report on the research performed for the degree, but also a comprehensive literature review on the subjects related to the thesis research. The thesis M.S. degree option is for those students focusing on a career that involves biological research, and gives participants hands-on training to be scientists.

Admission

Application for graduate degree programs in biological science must be made through the Graduate School. An undergraduate G.P.A. of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale is required. The application must also contain:

Results from the General Test of the Graduate Record Exam;
A statement of purpose describing the applicant’s background, specific interests in biology, and long-term professional objectives;
Reference letters (evaluations) from three individuals familiar with the applicant’s academic and/or technical background; and
TOEFL or IELTS exam scores for students from countries where English is not the primary language. Minimum TOEFL score to be considered for graduate school is 90 on the internet-based exam or 575 on the paper exam. The minimum IELTS score is 6.5.

Students not meeting the specific course requirements at the time of application may be admitted on conditional grounds. In such cases, coursework required to make up deficiencies will be determined by the departmental Graduate Committee and should be undertaken during the first year of graduate work. Credit for courses required to correct deficiencies cannot be applied to the graduate degree requirements.

Degree Requirements

Coursework

The thesis M.S. in biological science requires 30 hours of coursework with no more than 40 percent at the 6000 level.

Graduate Seminar	6 hours
Coursework	9 hours in an area of specialization
Research/Thesis Courses	15 hours
Total	30 hours

Committee

An advisory committee chaired by the faculty member supervising the research should be formed at the end of the first year of study. It should have two other members of the graduate faculty of biological science.

Research/Thesis

The research should be of adequate originality and quality to be recognized by the faculty as meeting criteria applied for publication in peer-reviewed scientific journals.

Thesis Defense

The thesis defense consists of a departmental seminar that details the results of the research followed by a satisfactory defense of the thesis in an oral exam administered by members of student’s thesis committee.

Common Questions