Master of Science in Biology - Non-thesis

The Department of Biology offers both thesis and non-thesis Master of Science degree programs. Both programs require a minimum of 30 semester hours of courses at the 300 level or higher. A minimum of 18 semester hours of formal course work is required for the thesis degree, and a minimum of 24 semester hours of formal course work for the non-thesis degree. The remaining credits may be research credits (BIOL 601 Research and BIOL 651 Thesis M.S.). The Entrepreneurial Biotechnology (EB) is a two-year Plan A professional MS degree in Biology. The program includes four (4) required courses, an internship and electives to make up the 30 semester hours. The thesis is based on a real entrepreneurial project with an existing company or your own startup (the internship). Plan B (Non-thesis) The Plan B Master of Science degree in biology is a non-thesis graduate degree program. The purpose of the program is to provide advanced exposure to biology for interested professionals, to provide additional training for those wishing to resume or change careers, or to provide additional preparation in biology for students interested in pursuing professional studies in the health sciences. Students are not required to write a Master of Science thesis, but the program does require independent study of all degree candidates. Program of Study All candidates must complete a total of 30 credit hours in course work at the 300 level or higher. At least 18 of these credit hours must be at the 400 levels or above. Further, at least 15 credit hours must be in courses offered by the Biology Department. At least one course must be taken in each of the following areas of biology: cell and molecular biology (including chemical biology), organismal biology, and population biology. The remaining course work may include courses offered by any department within the University, subject to the advisor’s approval and School of Graduate Studies regulations. Candidates are limited to a total of 6 credit hours of independent study (BIOL 599 Advanced Independent Study for Graduate Students or BIOL 601 Research). Both of these courses require completion of a Course Proposal Form (available in the Biology Departmental Office) and approval by the advisor. In the case of enrollment in BIOL 599, the letter grade assigned will reflect the evaluation by a three person committee recruited by the student and advisor.