Master of Science in Biological Sciences

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Departmental Requirements for Admission

Fulfillment of the general requirements for admission to the Graduate School.

Completion of a minimum of fifteen hours in the Biological Sciences, including at least two upper-level Biology courses, with a minimum combined GPA 3.0. Applicants with less than a 3.00 GPA in Biology coursework may be considered for conditional admission on a three-course basis. Conditionally admitted students must complete a minimum of three 5000 level Biology courses (9 - 12 credit hours, chosen with approval of the graduate advisor), usually over two consecutive semesters, with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00. In addition, conditionally admitted students may be required to complete specified 3000 or 4000 level courses to remediate deficiencies. [ Conditionally admitted students are not eligible for financial aid. Check with Financial Aid office]

General Requirements

Completion of 12-15 additional hours of Biology graduate courses as specified by the track of study: Applied Physiology (BIOA), Environmental Biology (BIOE), or Molecular / Cell Biology (BIOM)

Completion of a written thesis based on laboratory/field studies or library research. Requirements for the thesis must be completed in the following order:

Completion of BIOL 5090 with a grade of C or better.
Choosing a thesis advisor.
Completion of BIOL 5100 with a grade of C or better.
Selection of a thesis committee composed of a thesis advisor and at least two additional members such that the majority of the committee is composed of tenured/tenure-track faculty members from the CSU Department of Biological Sciences.
Successful presentation and oral defense of a written thesis proposal.
Continuous registration in BIOL 5700 until thesis work is completed and written thesis is approved by the department faculty.
Successful oral defense of the thesis project within two attempts. A maximum of six semester hours for the graduate research course (BIOL 5700 ) may be applied toward the master’s degree. Consistent with the policy of the School of Graduate and Professional Studies, a grade of “T” is assigned for BIOL 5700 until the final written thesis has been approved by the department. “T” grades are then changed to “P” (Pass) once the written thesis has been approved.

The student must declare one of the following tracks of study: Applied Physiology (BIOA); Environmental Biology (BIOE); Molecular / Cell Biology (BIOM).

Completion of 30 Semester Hours of Approved Graduate Courses

Completion of 30 semester hours of approved graduate courses in the biological sciences, including 15-18 hours of required core courses:

BIOL 5015 - Biometrics Credit Hours: 3
BIOL 5040 - Genomics & Evolution Credit Hours: 3
BIOL 5090 - Crit Anal Res Lit Credit Hours: 3
BIOL 5100 - Method Research Biol Credit Hours: 3
BIOL 5700 - Graduate Research Credit Hours: 0 to 6

Tracks of Study

Students may choose from one of three tracks of study for the master’s degree in Biological Sciences. Each track consists of a defined set of courses that will enable the student to receive rigorous graduate-level training by focusing on subjects that will best provide a theoretical and applied foundation for the student’s thesis research topic. The courses for the tracks listed below are taken in addition to the five core courses required for all Biology graduate students (BIOL 5015 , BIOL 5040 , BIOL 5090 , BIOL 5100 , and BIOL 5700 ) for a (minimum) total of 30 credit hours. Credits for graduate courses taken at other institutions may be transferred at the discretion of and evaluation by the department and as per the Graduate School policies.

Applied Physiology Track

PSLY 5035 - Homeostatic Mechnsm Credit Hours: 4
PSLY 5200 - Comp Cell Neuropsly Credit Hours: 4
PSLY 5330 - Physcl Control Mech Credit Hours: 4

Environmental Biology Track

BIOL 5550 - Adv Evolution Credit Hours: 3
BIOL 5730 - Environmntl Biology Credit Hours: 4
At least five additional credit hours of 5000 level biology courses, chosen in consultation with the graduate advisor.

Molecular / Cell Biology Track

BIOL 5510 - Molecular Biology Credit Hours: 3

At Least Nine Additional Credit Hours Chosen from the Following:

BIOL 5170 - Immunology Credit Hours: 4
BIOL 5450 - Electron Microscopy Credit Hours: 4
BIOL 5550 - Adv Evolution Credit Hours: 3 or an appropriate Special Topics course, chosen in consultation with the graduate advisor.