MASTER OF SCIENCE DEGREE IN BIOLOGY

Graduate specialization are available in the following areas:

Financial Assistance: Admitted students are eligible for FULL TUITION SCHOLARSHIPS. Teaching assistantships are available for a variety of classes. Research assistantships may also available in certain specializations.

Program Overview: The Master's degree is a program in which the student undertakes an active research project that culminates in a formal written thesis. A student who successfully completes the program will be well prepared to enter into a technical position in a related research or industrial laboratory or to continue further postgraduate work (e.g., Ph.D. or M.D.). See the Biology Department Graduate Student Learning Outcomes website for additional information on our program.

All Master's students must be paired up with a Professor that will guide them in their research efforts while at USF. Interested applicants should contact the graduate advisor (Dr. Dever) regarding the potential matching of students to professors.

See the Graduate Faculty website for a brief description of our faculty's research interests and for information on current student research see the Current Student Research Projects site.

For additional program information, here is the Graduate Student Handbook.

Requirements for receiving the Master of Science Degree: 24 units of course work in Biology (of which 16 MUST be graduate level)

A thesis based on original research

Graduate seminar

Prerequisites for admittance:

Bachelor's degree in Biology or its equivalent. Minor deficiencies may be corrected during the first year. We require official transcripts be submitted.

A grade point average of 3.0 or higher in a student's undergraduate major and in all upper-division course work in Biology.

Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores, including both the General and Biology Subject (or Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology) Test, should be competitive. For information on Subject Test Dates see the ETS website: http://www.gre.org/testdate.html#subdate. We require official scores be submitted.

Application Deadline: The last day for applicants to submit supporting documents to The Graduate School to be considered for Fall Semester admission is May 1st and for the Spring Semester admission is November 1st.

*The University does not control the issuing of visas by the U.S. government.

Degree Requirements :

A total of 24 units in Biology or Biochemistry (of which 16 must be graduate-level), including a thesis based on original research is required. A maximum of six (6) units of graduate research (BIOL 698), and four (4) units of thesis writing (BIOL 699), and a maximum of six (6) units of directed reading (BIOL 695) may be applied toward the degree. All graduate students must enroll in the graduate seminar (BIOL 600) each semester it is offered while they are in residence.
The student is expected to meet sequentially the following conditions and requirements:
1. The student and major professor will establish a plan of formal course work that will meet the needs of the student and complement the chosen research program.
2. Under the guidance of the major professor, the student will select a Graduate Committee composed of the major professor and two additional scientists, one of whom may be outside the Biology Department.
3. The committee and student will define a specific biological problem or point of inquiry and formulate a research program that will be submitted to the Graduate Chair on the Thesis Approval Form.
4. At the end of each semester in the Graduate Program at USF, the student's academic and research progress will be evaluated by the Graduate Chair in consultation with the student's major professor. The results of this evaluation must be satisfactory in order for the student to continue in the Biology Master's Program. Two consecutive poor evaluations will result in the dismissal of the student from the program.
5. The student will file a form for Advancement to Candidacy with the Graduate Chair after consultation with his or her major professor. This form should be filed in the same semester the student enrolls in the final courses for completion of the program unit requirements.
6. In addition to the successful required formal course work, the student will conduct the approved research program and write a thesis based upon the findings.
7. A final thesis outline is to be submitted to the committee at least one semester prior to submitting the completed thesis. A draft of the thesis is to be submitted to the committee at least one month prior to the completed thesis.
8. During the final semester of the research program, the student will present a seminar to the Biology Department based upon the research conducted.
9. The thesis must be approved by the Graduate Chair before its submission to the Dean for formal approval. The student must file a notice to post form with the Graduate Chair.

Important Links:

Advice for students interested in attending graduate school

Request a Biology information/application packet

To apply online , To check you application status

For additional information concerning particular areas of study, send email inquiries to the Chair of the Graduate Committee: Dr. Jennifer Dever jadever@usfca.edu.

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