Master of Science
Program Requirements

The Department of Biological Sciences provides M.S. students with a choice of two programs, thesis or non-thesis. A minimum of 30 graduate semester hours is required for the thesis program, while a minimum of 36 graduate semester hours is required for the non-thesis program. The Applied Ecology Option is available for students in the thesis program. A Bioinformatics Option is also available. Information about this option is available on our bioinformatics webpage. Specific requirements for the thesis and non-thesis programs are as follows:

Thesis Option

Graduate students must complete a minimum of 30 graduate semester hours for the M.S. degree. The program of study must include:

• Six hours of thesis research (BIO 891)
• Six hours of 'Biology core' courses: Scientific Literature and Writing (BIO 801; 2 hours), Seminar (BIO 890; 1 hour), and a course in statistics (either BIO 710 or STA 700; 3 hours)
• At least 9 additional hours of 800-level courses (in biology or related subject areas) plus 9 additional hours of 700- or 800-level courses (in biology or related subject areas)

Students in the Applied Ecology Option must also complete a minimum of 30 graduate semester hours and their program of study must include:

• Six hours of thesis research (BIO 891)
• Six hours of 'Biology core' courses: Scientific Literature and Writing (BIO 801; 2 hours), Seminar (BIO 890; 1 hour), and a course in statistics (either BIO 710 or STA 700; 3 hours)
• Eight (8) hours of 'Applied Ecology core' courses: Aquatic Ecosystems (BIO 848; 3 hours), Field Methods in Ecology (BIO 849; 3 hours), and Dynamics of Ecosystems (BIO 850; 2 hours)
• At least 1 additional hour of 800-level courses plus 9 additional hours of 700- or 800-level courses

All students must also:

• Demonstrate their knowledge of biology by successfully passing at least three written comprehensive exams (administered by the student's graduate committee)
• Pass an oral examination in defense of their thesis

Non-thesis Option

Graduate students must complete a minimum of 36 graduate semester hours for the M.S. degree. The program of study must include:

• Nine hours of 'Biology core' courses: Scientific Literature and Writing (BIO 801; 2 hours), Seminar (BIO 890; 1 hour), Current Review of Biology (BIO 880; 3 hours), and a course in statistics (either BIO 710 or STA 700; 3 hours),
• At least 12 additional hours of 800-level courses (in biology or related subject areas) plus 15 additional hours of 700- or 800-level courses (in biology or related subject areas)

All students must also:

• Demonstrate their knowledge of biology by successfully passing at least three written comprehensive exams (administered by the student's graduate committee)
• Pass an oral examination in defense of the review written for BIO 880 (Current Review of Biology)