Biology 4 + 1 Bachelor’s / Master’s Program

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The Biology Bachelor’s/Master’s 4+1 Program provides undergraduate students the opportunity to complete both a baccalaureate (BA or BS) and a master’s (MS) degree in Biology within five years of study. This program is intended for students that wish to accelerate their graduate studies by one year, perhaps with the goal of strengthening their credentials toward further graduate or professional studies following completion of the MS degree. A maximum of 12 credits from Biology courses at the 500 and 600 levels can be taken for undergraduate credit and applied toward the MS requirements. Interested students must obtain the permission of the Graduate Director and meet entry level requirements before being accepted into the 4+1 program. Upon earning a bachelor’s degree in Biology, with permission of the Graduate Director(if program requirements continue to be met), students may matriculate into the MS degree. Graduate credits earned during the third/fourth year will be added to the student’s graduate transcript, enabling the completion of the MS Biology degree with as few as 21 credits in the fifth year. For the full list of requirements for the program, see the bottom of this page.

Complete the Biology, B.A. or Biology, B.S. requirements (120 credits), followed by the M.S. (33 credits, research thesis option - 36 credits, non-thesis option)

Junior and Senior Year

Up to 12 credits chosen from any Biology (BIO) course at the 500 to 699 level may be applied toward the MS degree requirements.

Fifth Year

Students can follow a course of study which requires a research thesis, or take an alternate course of study with a non-thesis option. However, because a research thesis requires ample time spent on research activities, only students that have taken undergraduate research for credit (Bio 498 and 499) are eligible to follow the research thesis option. The research thesis option requires 33 credits while the non-thesis option requires 36 credits (with up to 12 credits of these taken in the junior or senior year). Any courses at the 500 and 600 level can be taken toward the degree, with a limit of 4 courses at the 500 level. As part of those credits, the following courses should be taken, according to the option chosen:

BIO (0105) 790 - Special Research Problems Credits: 1.00 to 3.00
or
BIO (0105) 791 - Special Research Problems Credits: 2.00 to 3.00
or
BIO (0105) 792 - Directed Readings Credits: 2.00 to 3.00
or
BIO (0105) 793 - Directed Readings Credits: 2.00 to 3.00
and

Thesis track requirements:

BIO (0105) 798 - Thesis Research Credits: 3.00
BIO (0105) 799 - Thesis Research Credits: 3.00

Non-thesis track requirements:

BIO (0105) 796 - Scholarly Paper Credits: 3.00

500 or 600 Level

The following courses at the 500 or 600 level will count towards both the undergraduate and graduate degree. There is a limit of 4 courses at the 500 level.

(up to 12 credits)

BIO (0105) 504 - Survey of Biochemistry Credits: 4.00
BIO (0105) 506 - Introduction Molecular Biology Credits: 4.00
BIO (0105) 516 - Behavioral Ecology Credits: 4.00
BIO (0105) 521 - Endocrinology Lecture Credits: 3.00
BIO (0105) 522 - Endocrinology Lab Credits: 1.00
BIO (0105) 528 - Immunology Credits: 3.00
BIO (0105) 540 - Principles of Disease Credits: 3.00
BIO (0105) 613 - Conservation Biology Credits: 3.00
BIO (0105) 614 - Ecological Systems Credits: 3.00
BIO (0105) 615 - Regulatory Physiology Credits: 3.00
BIO (0105) 619 - Biology of Aging Credits: 3.00
BIO (0105) 620 - Statistical Modeling and Experimental Design Credits: 3.00
BIO (0105) 623 - Vertebrate Evolution Credits: 3.00
BIO (0105) 624 - Scientific Computer Graphics Credits: 3.00
BIO (0105) 625 - Community Ecology and Evolution Credits: 3.00
BIO (0105) 626 - Cell Culture Technique Credits: 4.00
BIO (0105) 630 - Special Topics in Biology Credits: 3.00
BIO (0105) 640 - Graduate Genetics Credits: 3.00
BIO (0105) 641 - Graduate Genetics Laboratory Credits: 1.00
BIO (0105) 644 - Graduate Genomics Credits: 3.00
BIO (0105) 645 - Introduction To Biotechnology Credits: 3.00
BIO (0105) 650 - Graduate Cell Biology Credits: 3.00
BIO (0105) 654 - Basement Membrane Biology Credits: 3.00
BIO (0105) 658 - Cancer Biology Credits: 3.00
BIO (0105) 660 - Graduate Developmental Biology Credits: 3.00
BIO (0105) 670 - Virology Credits: 3.00
BIO (0105) 674 - Graduate Microbiology Credits: 3.00

Full Biology 4 + 1 Bachelor’s / Master’s Articulation Agreement

1) Students can apply to the 4+1 program in junior year, but no later than summer leading up to their senior year. A second application to the graduate program is required by the University, which should be done during or after the student’s last semester. (Note: this application is a formality. Unless there is a specific extraordinary reason, students that have been admitted into the 4+1 will be granted admission to the graduate program if they have met all of the criteria listed below). It is only upon formal acceptance and matriculation to the graduate program that a student is considered a graduate student.

2) Up to 12 credits of Biology courses at the 500 or 600 level taken as an undergraduate can count toward the MS degree.

3) A 3.0 GPA in the major is required for acceptance in to the 4+1 program and must be maintained until matriculation into the graduate program.

4) Students must complete Bio 222 (Genetics) and Bio 224 (Project Lab) before applying to the 4+1.

5) Biology 4 + 1 students may only enter the thesis research track (MS in Biology Research Thesis Option) if they have completed Bio 498 and Bio 499.

6) The graduate director will (co-)advise undergraduate students in the 4+1 track to ensure their progress toward graduate matriculation.