Mar 28, 2024  
2019-2020 Graduate Bulletin 
    
2019-2020 Graduate Bulletin [ARCHIVED BULLETIN]

Biological Science, M.S. (Accelerated Master’s)


Return to the Department of Biological Science 

The accelerated master’s degree program allows highly motived students to begin earning hours towards a Master of Science (M.S.) in biological science while completing a Bachelor of Science in Biological Science (B.S.B.S.). The master’s component may be based on the thesis  program option or the non-thesis  program option. The accelerated master’s program allows six to nine hours of coursework at the 5000 level undergraduate courses to also count towards the master’s degree requirements. When combined with up to six hours of additional graduate level coursework while still completing undergraduate degree requirements, students can potentially reduce the total time to degree completion for the master’s portion by up to one year.

Entering freshman who need only three years to graduate with a B.S.B.S. degree in biological science due to AP and IB course credits may find this an attractive program since a single additional year would allow the student to graduate with an M.S. degree in biological science. Undergraduates on a pre-professional track (medical, dental, veterinary, pharmacy, physical therapy, etc.) may also want to consider this as an option since the non-thesis track will provide an opportunity for graduate coursework that will help them reach their career objectives.

Interested students should apply during their junior year. Applicants must be full time biology majors at The University of Tulsa and must have completed at least 75 hours of undergraduate coursework with a G.P.A. of 3.3 or higher to be considered for this program. Further, in order to be considered for the accelerated master’s degree program in biological science, a student must be admitted to the program through a formal application to the Graduate School, which requires submission of GRE scores and three letters of recommendation. Applications may be obtained from the Graduate School.

Degree Requirements


M.S. Thesis Option


The thesis M.S. option is identical to that of the traditional M.S. in biological science with a thesis .

Of the 15 hours of required research/thesis courses, 6 hours will be taken the summer after the senior year.

M.S. Non-Thesis Option


The non-thesis M.S. option is identical to that of traditional non-thesis M.S. in biological science .

Of the 9 to 12 required Graduate Seminar hours, three will be taken at the 5000 level as a biology elective during the student’s senior year. These 3 hours will count toward both the B.S. and M.S. degrees in biological science.

Of the 18 to 21 hours required in the student’s area of specialization, 6 will be taken at the 5000 level as biology electives during the student’s senior year. These 6 hours will count toward both the B.S. and M.S. degrees in biological science. In addition, 3 hours of graduate course work will be taken the last semester of the senior year at the 6000 level. This 6000 level course will be in addition to the student’s undergraduate coursework and will not be counted towards the undergraduate degree.