M.S. Integrated Biosciences
The Master of Science program in Integrated Biosciences provides quality graduate education through student‐faculty collaboration in interdisciplinary natural science research and scholarly activity with links to biology.
Program Overview
The Master of Science degree program in Integrated Biosciences is designed to meet the needs of students with an interest in the intersection of biology and the other sciences, technology and engineering fields such as chemistry, physics, geology, atmospherics, climatology, mathematics and computer science.
Student thesis projects in this program emphasize the interdisciplinary nature of natural sciences and biology, drawing on diverse knowledge bases and skillsets. Projects are developed at the discretion of the student and the student’s interdisciplinary graduate advisory committee. The advisory committee will review the student’s background and determine what training and/or coursework will be required.
Where a Master's Degree in Integrated Biosciences Ed Can Take You
Graduates will have a strong understanding of interdisciplinary natural sciences and the principles that guide the design and execution of high‐quality research. Graduates will have substantial research experience and will be able to successfully communicate scientific information to the public and the scientific community.
Program Curriculum
There are a total of 32 credits required for this degree program. Students will take the following required courses:
- BI 500 Planning and Proposing Scientific Research
- BI 589 Research in Biology or other equivalent
- BI 599A Thesis in Biology
In addition to the above required courses, students will also select 22-28 credits worth of electives from a department-established list.
Admission Requirements
Applicants are required to comply with the regular admission requirements of the Office of Graduate Education and Research, which includes an undergraduate grade point average of 3.0. In addition, students must have either:
- A bachelor's degree in the natural sciences, mathematics or computer science, or
- A minimum of 24 credit hours in undergraduate natural science courses, or equivalents, with a minimum GPA in these courses of 3.0.
Students are expected to have sufficient training at the undergraduate or post‐baccalaureate level, which could include employment‐related experience, to successfully undertake the thesis project and the program. Transcripts of applicants will be evaluated on an individual basis with input from the faculty advisor.
Applicants are also expected to have a background in a breadth sciences, with a total of 16 credits of coursework from at least two natural science, mathematics, or computer science disciplines that are not the area of their primary undergraduate training. Other courses may be accepted with the approval of the program advisory board.
