MA/MS in Biology, General

The biology master's degree (MS) is thesis-based and centered on independent research. It requires 32 graduate semester hours, at least 26 of them in biology, while the rest may come from related areas, for example computer science, chemistry or education, with the graduate coordinator's approval. Fifteen hours must be regular classroom courses, one hour is a thesis proposal preparation course, and twelve hours must be at the 600 level. In the first year each student forms a three-member committee that includes the thesis advisor, and most members must come from Bradley's biology faculty. The student drafts a proposal, enrolls in six hours of thesis once the committee accepts it in writing, presents a departmental seminar and defends the thesis. A comprehensive oral exam covers basic biology and the science behind the proposed research. Applicants need sixteen hours of biology beyond the first year, plus organic chemistry, physics and calculus, a GPA above 3.0 in the last 60 undergraduate hours, and GRE verbal plus quantitative scores summing to 300 or more. Full-time students should expect at least four semesters.