Degree Requirements

The degree requirements are:

1. Total hours required: at least 30 for Biological Sciences and 36 for Biology Education;
2. Course Load: A full course load is nine credit hours per semester. The maximum number of graduate hours in any semester is twelve;
3. Grades: Students with a cumulative grade point average below required standards (3.0 on a 4.0 scale) must limit their course load to 6 semester hours and are subject to an academic warning (first occurrence), probation (second occurrence), and/or suspension (third occurrence). Students have the right to appeal academic suspensions and apply for readmission if they believe that failure to maintain the minimum cumulative grade point average for continued enrollment was due to extenuating circumstances. Students may appeal academic suspension and apply for readmission to the university;
4. Amount of transfer credit accepted: maximum of 6 hours;
5. Any course grade below a "C" irrespective of the credits associated with the course is grounds for dismissal from the program and may require a re-application for admission;
6. No more than two "C" grades may be obtained during the entire matriculation period irrespective of credits associated with course;
7. Other requirements:

   Each student will be advised by the Department Graduate Program Co-coordinator initially, until such time as the student forms his or her graduate committee (by the second semester). The Department Graduate Program Co-coordinator will help students settle any concerns that they may have about the program.

   Research/Thesis requirements: The Masters of Science in Biology degree program requires completion of research in a biological specialty or sub-specialty, or in an area of teacher education development, and it requires approval of a thesis or action research project and oral defense of that work. The student must complete and defend a thesis or action research project that resulted in high quality, scholarly work, approved by the student’s committee. The student must orally present and successfully defend the thesis or action research project to his or her advisory committee.