Program Overview

Biological Sciences (MS)

The School of Biological Sciences provides interdisciplinary training and professional development opportunities for students interested in a career in the life sciences.

Description

Research interests of our faculty range from analyzing molecular and cellular processes to studying the ecological & evolutionary determinants of biological form and function. Faculty conduct research on a diversity of biological systems, including viruses, bacteria, fungi, plants, and animals, representing all major groups of living organisms.

The program is highly flexible, allowing you to tailor your curriculum to meet your individual interests and goals. Following receipt of their degrees, students are competitive for a wide range of positions. Former students now hold positions at academic institutions, in government, and in private industry.

Academic Pathways

Accelerated Master's:

• CAS: Biological Sciences (BS): Biological Sciences (MS)

Specializations

• Ecology, Evolution and Behavior
• Genetics, Cell and Molecular Biology
• Plant Pathology

Program Requirements

The masters degree under Option A requires a thesis. Option A is most appropriate for students who are preparing for careers in research and scholarly work or additional academic pursuits beyond the masters degree. Under this option, a student must earn a minimum of 30 credit hours, consisting of 20 to 24 credit hours of regular course work, plus a thesis equivalent to 6 to 10 credit hours. At least one-half of the credit hours required for the degree, including thesis, must be in the major. The remaining work may be in supporting courses and may comprise a minor consisting of at least 9 credit hours selected from and approved by the minor department. At least 8 credit hours, excluding thesis, must be earned in courses open exclusively to graduate students.

The masters degree under Option B does not require a thesis. Option B is most appropriate for students pursuing practice-based or professional careers in which the masters degree provides suitable training. Under Option B, a student must earn a minimum of 30 credit hours. At least one-half of the credit hours required for the degree must be in the major. The remaining work may be in supporting courses and may comprise a minor consisting of at least 9 credit hours selected from and approved by the minor department. At least 15 credit hours must be earned in courses open exclusively to graduate students.

Admission Requirements

Standard Requirements

• Application for Admission with $50 non-refundable application fee.
• Transcripts (unofficial): Uploaded as part of application form.
• If applicants native language is not English, verification of English proficiency is required.
• If applicant is not a US citizen and expects an F or J visa: financial information.
• Applicants must also fulfill any additional requirements the department specifies at the time of application.

Additional Requirements

• Minimum English proficiency: Paper TOEFL 565, Internet TOEFL 85, IELTS 6.5
• Three recommendation letters
• Curriculum Vitae or Resume
• Personal Statement: Your statement of purpose should be no longer than 2 pages. It should include a description of your previous research experiences (if any), how those experiences have shaped your current interests, and the types of research you would like to conduct during graduate school.
• Faculty: Identify up to four faculty who share your research interests and with whom you would like to work.

Admission Deadlines

• December 1 for Fall. This is for an August start; the program accepts new students once a year.

Program Faculty

A list of faculty members and their research interests is available, including:

• Peter Angeletti: DNA Replication and Maintenance of Particular Human Papillomaviruses (HPVs)
• Audrey Atkin: Regulation of Gene Expression, RNA Biology, Cell Communication
• Chad Brassil: Mathematical Modeling of Ecological Interactions
• Marianna Burks
• Alan Christensen: DNA Damage and Repair, Plant Mitochondrial Genomes, Repeats of Unusual Size, Recombination
• Brian Couch: Assessment in Undergraduate STEM Courses
• Clay Cressler: Disease Ecology and Evolution
• John DeLong: Body Size Evolution, Predator-Prey Ecology, Eco-evolutionary Dynamics, Ecological and Evolutionary Energetics, Human Population Ecology
• Scott Gardner: Parasite Mammal Biodiversity
• Kim Hansen
• Eileen Hebets: Evolution and Diversification of Animal Communication Systems, Evolution and Function of Animal Communication, Sensory Systems and Mating Systems
• Michael Herman: Genetics, Evolutionary and Ecological Genomics, Nematode-Bacterial Interactions
• Ian Keesey: Ecology, Evolution, Behavior Neuroethology, Comparative Neuroscience Sensory Systems, Animal Communication Chemical Ecology, Pheromone Biology
• Qingsheng Li: HIV, Transmission, Vaccine and Prevention
• Kate Lyons: Species and Community Level Responses to Climate Change, Extinction and Extinction Risk, Macroecological Patterns Across Space and Time, Macroevolution of Body Size in Mammals, Biases in the Mammalian Fossil Record
• Colin Meiklejohn: Genetic Basis of Speciation, Regulatory Evolution and Co-Evolution between Nuclear and Mitochondrial Genomes
• Kristi Montooth: Evolution of Genes, Genomes and Physiology
• Emily Moore: Evolutionary, Behavioral, and Reproductive Genomics
• Etsuko Moriyama: Bioinformatics, Molecular Evolution, Molecular Population Genetics
• Hideaki Moriyama: Electrophysiology and Structural Biology, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Bioinformatics
• Wayne Riekhof: Lipid Metabolism, Transport, and Storage, Algal and Fungal Biology, Metabolic Regulation and Biochemical Genetics
• Sabrina E. Russo: Biodiversity, Plant Ecology & Ecophysiology, Plant-Microbe Interactions, Seed Dispersal
• Nicole Sexton: Evolution, Codon Usage, Host-virus Interactions of Arthropod-borne Viruses, Genetic Robustness of RNA Viruses
• Daizaburo Shizuka: Evolutionary and Behavioral Ecology, Social Networks, Ornithology
• Jay Storz: Evolutionary Genetics, Genomes and Physiology
• Brigitte Tenhumberg: Population Ecology, Behavior and Life History Theory, Mathematical Modeling, Plant and Insect Ecology, Life History Evolution, Population Management and Demography
• Rebecca Varney: Eukaryotic Extremophiles in both Freshwater and Marine Systems, Evolutionary Biology, Genomics & Physiology
• Eric Weaver: Virology, Microbiology, Immunology
• Karrie A. Weber: Microbiology of Soil, Sediment and Water Biogeochemical Cycling, Geomicrobiology of Modern and Paleo-Environments, Physiology of Novel Microorganisms and Metabolisms Using Culture Dependent and Independent Techniques
• David A. Woodman: Human Anatomy, Physiology
• Bin Yu: RNA Silencing and Epigenetics
• Chi Zhang: Computational Systems Biology, Bioinformatics, Gene Protein Interaction Network, Omics Data Integration
• Luwen Zhang: Structure-Function Relationships of Metallomolecules Involved in Redox Sensing, Metal Homeostasis and Detoxification, Metalloproteins Involved in Biotic and Abiotic Stress Sensing or Detoxification