Master of Science in Biology

The Federated Department of Biological Sciences is committed to equal opportunity and respect for all students, staff and faculty, and does not tolerate discrimination or harassment in any form. We welcome a diverse set of voices, because it is right to do so, and because diversity of experience and thought leads to creativity of ideas and, ultimately, to better science. If you are from a group that is under-represented in science, or in biology specifically, we encourage you to consider a degree, and ultimately a career, in biology.

Requirements

The Master of Science in Biology is designed to provide students with advanced knowledge of both plant and animal biology and microbiology.  The program requires a minimum of 30 credits. These must include at least one 3-credit course in four of the following six areas:

• Cell Biology /Biochemistry
• Molecular Biology
• Physiology
• Ecology
• Plant Biology
• Computational/Mathematical Biology

Admissions Requirements

Applicants are expected to have an accredited undergraduate degree in biology from an accredited institution. Candidates with other appropriate backgrounds will be considered. The following cognate undergraduate courses are required: general chemistry, organic chemistry, physics, and calculus. An undergraduate cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 is expected.

In addition to the application form, three letters of recommendation, undergraduate and graduate transcripts, and Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General test scores are required for admission. Scores in the 50th percentile or better on each section of the general examination are required. The subject test in Biology is recommended. All applicants who received an undergraduate degree from a school outside of the United states are required to submit scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).

Bridge Program: To ensure academic success in their graduate studies, students may be required to take additional undergraduate or graduate courses before beginning program curricula. Such courses are not counted toward degree requirements. The graduate courses will count in the calculation of the graduate grade point average (GPA).

Degree Requirements

Students can fulfill the written thesis requirement either by conducting laboratory or library research. Important to successful completion of the thesis requirement is early identification of a thesis advisor such that proper planning is in place to complete research requirements in a timely and effective manner.

Laboratory or Field Research Thesis Option: Students selecting the experimentally-based research thesis option must successfully complete a minimum of 24 credits of course work and 6 credits in research with a graduate faculty of the department. The thesis resulting from this research is expected to be presented as a hypothesis-driven scholarly work, with conclusions clearly derived from the experimental research and published background information. Students will write a scholarly thesis demonstrating the ability to write clearly and scientifically and based on experimental laboratory and/or field project research, and defend it publicly.

Bibliographic Thesis Option: Students selecting the bibliographic-based research thesis option must successfully complete a minimum of 27 credits of coursework and 3 credits of Independent Study with a graduate faculty member of the department. Under the guidance of this faculty member, the student will write a scholarly review of the literature on a scientific topic of interest. The thesis resulting from this research is expected to be a scholarly work, with conclusions clearly derived from the published information referred to by the author. The student will defend it publicly.

Playbook for Public Online Thesis Defenses

Contact Information:

Dirk Bucher, Graduate Program Director: bucher@njit.edu