College of Science and Health > Academics > Biological Sciences > Graduate Programs > Biological Sciences (MS) > Degree Requirements

Degree Requirements

Degree Requirements

Course Requirements

50 hours of graduate credit including:

Course Title Quarter Hours
BIO 402INTRODUCTION TO GRADUATE STUDIES2
BIO 403DEVELOPMENT OF TOPICS FOR RESEARCH4
BIO 494COMMUNICATING SCIENCE4
BIO 499THESIS RESEARCH (20 quarter hours)20
Select at least one course from the Ecology, Evolution, and Population biology core area4
Select at least one course from the Genetics, Cell and Molecular biology core area4
Select at least one course from the Physiology and Neurobiology core area4
Select two additional courses from any of the core areas8

Graduate students are also required to attend all of the seminars presented in the department’s Seminar Series.

Core Areas of Study

Ecology, Evolution, and Population Biology

Course Title Quarter Hours
BIO 415
TOPICS IN ECOLOGY
BIO 417
AQUATIC BIOLOGY
BIO 419
TOPICS IN BEHAVIORAL PARASITOLOGY
BIO 421
MOLECULAR METHODS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
BIO 430
DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
BIO 432
POPULATION ECOLOGY
BIO 435
CONCEPTS IN EVOLUTION
BIO 445
TOPICS IN PALEOBIOLOGY
BIO 489
RESEARCH IN FIELD BIOLOGY

Genetics, Cell and Molecular Biology

Course Title Quarter Hours
BIO 409
PLANT PHYSIOLOGY
BIO 420
ADVANCED MICROBIOLOGY
BIO 421
MOLECULAR METHODS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
BIO 425
CELLULAR EVENTS IN THE IMMUNE RESPONSE
BIO 430
DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
BIO 439
CELLULAR NEUROBIOLOGY
BIO 447
TOPICS IN MEDICAL BACTERIOLOGY
BIO 448
THE BIOLOGY OF INFECTION
BIO 449
TOPICS IN MICROBIOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
BIO 455
GENETIC TOXICOLOGY
BIO 460
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
BIO 461
TOPICS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
BIO 462
ADVANCED GENETIC ANALYSIS
BIO 471
IMMUNOBIOLOGY
BIO 475
INTRODUCTION TO PHARMACOLOGY
BIO 480
CANCER BIOLOGY
BIO 481
TOPICS IN CANCER
BIO 486
ENDOCRINOLOGY

Physiology and Neurobiology

Course Title Quarter Hours
BIO 409
PLANT PHYSIOLOGY
BIO 412
TOPICS IN EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGY
BIO 439
CELLULAR NEUROBIOLOGY
BIO 440
BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE
BIO 441
TOPICS IN NEUROBIOLOGY
BIO 442
COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE
BIO 452
ADVANCED COMPARATIVE PHYSIOLOGY
BIO 465
PRINCIPLES OF TOXICOLOGY
BIO 475
INTRODUCTION TO PHARMACOLOGY
BIO 485
MAMMALIAN REPRODUCTION
BIO 486
ENDOCRINOLOGY
BIO 489
RESEARCH IN FIELD BIOLOGY

BIO 490, as appropriate, may also be approved in one of the three core areas.

BIO 406 can be taken as an elective.

Advancement to Candidacy

Based upon the results of a qualifying examination taken near the end of the third quarter of the student’s first full year and earning grades of B or better on graduate courses taken during the first year. Participation in undergraduate laboratory instruction is strongly encouraged.

Thesis Requirement

Results based upon an independent laboratory investigation.

Final Examination Requirement

An oral examination, including presentation of a seminar based on the MS thesis research, and a period of questioning on the thesis, the area of research which the thesis addresses, and basic biology as it relates to the thesis area.

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