Program Description | Admission | Degree Requirements | Courses
Program Description
The Master of Science in Biology allows for a specialization in one of several areas of biology and is designed for students planning to pursue careers in research at the collegiate level or in environmental biology with governmental agencies and industry. This degree is also appropriate for students planning to continue their training in a PhD program at other institutions or professional schools. The degree is a research-oriented degree and requires the completion of a thesis.
Admission
Applicants seeking admission to the graduate program in biology must submit the following directly to the Office of Graduate Studies:
- A Graduate Studies Application with the application fee
- Official transcript(s) of all previous college work
- Official GRE scores
- Two letters of recommendation from faculty in the student's major at the undergraduate degree-granting institution
To be granted regular admission, applicants must have an undergraduate degree in biology or a related field. Applicants having an undergraduate degree in a discipline other than biology must successfully complete the equivalent of an undergraduate minor in the biological sciences before being considered for regular admission.
Regular admission is based in part on a combination of GRE scores and undergraduate GPA, but these factors do not constitute the sole criteria for consideration of an applicant. Rather, a holistic review of each student's application file will be completed.
More detailed information on competitive GRE scores and undergraduate GPA can be found on the department's website at: www.shsu.edu/~bio_www/.
Degree Requirements
There are two different plans leading to the MS in Biology. Plan 1 requires completion of a thesis for a total of thirty-two hours of graduate credit in biology. In Plan 2, students take twenty-six hours of biology (including thesis hours) and twelve hours in a secondary field that logically supports the major for a total of thirty-eight hours of graduate credit.
All graduate students are required to pass a comprehensive examination on general biological concepts based on their coursework. The nature of this examination, which may be written and/or oral, will be determined by the faculty. Students must be enrolled the semester they take the comprehensive examination.
A thesis research project is conducted under supervision of the student's thesis advisor, and the student will present the thesis to the faculty in seminar format. The thesis must be defended before the student's thesis committee. Once enrolled in BIO 699 <BIOL 6399> Thesis, a student must be continually enrolled until graduation.
Plan 1 - MS in Biology
|
Item
|
Requirement |
Options |
Hours Required |
| 1 | Specified Course |
Choose all from: BIO 520 <BIOL 5200> Professional Aspects of Science |
2 |
| 2 | Electives |
Choose eight from: Graduate courses in BIOL excluding thesis courses1 |
24 |
| 3 | Thesis | Choose all from: BIO 698 <BIOL 6398> Thesis BIO 699 <BIOL 6399> Thesis |
6 |
TOTAL |
32 |
||
| Notes: |
| 1 | Selections should be made in consultation with the Graduate Advisor. |
Plan 2 - MS in Biology
|
Item
|
Requirement |
Options |
Hours Required |
| 1 | Specified Course |
Choose all from: BIO 520 <BIOL 5200> Professional Aspects of Science |
2 |
| 2 | Electives |
Choose six from: Graduate courses in BIOL excluding thesis courses1 |
18 |
| Secondary Field | Choose four from: Graduate courses in an approved field1 |
12 |
|
| 3 | Thesis | Choose all from: BIO 698 <BIOL 6398> Thesis BIO 699 <BIOL 6399> Thesis |
6 |
TOTAL |
38 |
||
| Notes: |
| 1 | Selections should be made in consultation with the Graduate Advisor. |
Courses
Senior Courses Open to
Graduate Students
With departmental approval, a maximum of six
hours of the following senior (4000-level) courses may be taken for graduate
credit toward the MS in Biology. Course requirements in senior courses must be appropriately modified for graduate credit.