Thesis Track
The thesis track requires at least 30 hours of courses approved for graduate credit, including:
- 24 credit hours in non-thesis, graded coursework
- 6 credit hours in thesis research (BIOL 599 ); thesis hours may also be satisfied by BIOL 699
- An overall GPA of at least 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale, no more than 6 credit hours with a grade of “C, ” and no grades lower than “C”
Of the 24 credit hours in non-thesis graded coursework:
- At least 12 credit hours must be from courses in the Department of Biology
- Up to 6 credit hours may be from other departments in the College of Sciences or College of Engineering
- At least 12 credit hours must be in courses at the 500 level or above
- 2 credit hours must be in the Graduate Seminar (BIOL 551 and BIOL 552 )
- 1 credit hour must be in Teaching Skills (BIOL 553 )
Students must also take 1 credit hour of Colloquium in Biological Science each semester they are in residence and enrolled full-time; this course does not count toward the credit hours required for the degree.
No more than 9 credit hours of transfer graduate credit may be applied toward degree requirements.
Thesis-track students must also successfully complete a thesis proposal, research-based thesis, and final examination in defense of the thesis conducted by the student’s Advisory Committee.
All other Graduate School Rules and Regulations apply to the degree.
Students enrolled in the PhD program in Environmental and Evolutionary Biology may obtain a MS degree in Biology as they work toward the completion of the doctoral degree. Either thesis or non-thesis track may be pursued.
Non-Thesis Track
The non-thesis track of the M.S. program requires at least 30 credit hours of graded courses approved for graduate credit, including:
- At least 18 credit hours from graduate courses in the Department of Biology
- At least 3 credit hours required and up to 12 credit hours allowed outside of biology but in the College of Sciences or College of Engineering
- At least 15 credit hours at the 500 level or above
- 2 credit hours must be in the Graduate Seminar (BIOL 551 and BIOL 552 )
- 1 credit hour must be in Teaching Skills (BIOL 553
- Not more than 3 hours of Advanced Problems courses (BIOL 560 , BIOL 561 , or BIOL 564 )
- An overall GPA of at least 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale, no more than 6 credit hours with a grade of “C,” and no grades lower than “C”
Students must also take 1 hour of Colloquium in Biological Science each semester they are in residence and enrolled full-time; this course does not count toward the credit hours required for the degree.
No more than 9 credit hours of transfer graduate credit may be applied toward degree requirements.
Thesis and dissertation hours (BIOL 599 and BIOL 699 ) cannot be applied to the non-thesis track of the MS program.
Non-thesis track students must pass written and oral comprehensive examinations conducted by the student’s Examination Committee.
All other Graduate School Rules and Regulations apply to the degree.
Students enrolled in the PhD program in Environmental and Evolutionary Biology may obtain a MS degree in Biology as they work toward the completion of the doctoral degree. Either thesis or non-thesis track may be pursued. The written and oral comprehensive exams of the non-thesis track may be satisfied by passing the doctoral comprehensive examination.
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