School of Biology and Ecology

Requirements for the MS or PhD in Biological Sciences

Qualified candidates for the graduate program in the Biological Sciences should have a Bachelor’s degree in biology, botany, chemistry, ecology, environmental science, natural resources, wildlife biology, zoology, or a similar field. Students with other undergraduate degrees may be required to take additional coursework, either before or during their matriculation. Interested students should read faculty web pages and contact prospective advisors to discuss their interests, qualifications, and the admissions process. 

1. Graduate Advisory Committee and Program of Study: Each student will be advised by a graduate advisory committee consisting of at least three graduate faculty members for Master’s students or five graduate faculty members for Ph.D. students. The advisory committee should be formed during the first year of graduate study. A Program of Study (POS), approved by the student’s graduate advisory committee, is required for both Master’s and PhD students. For Master’s students, the POS is due before completion of twelve credits or by the third registration, whichever comes first. For PhD students, the POS must be submitted to the Graduate School before the end of the first year of study for students holding a Master’s degree. Those holding only a baccalaureate degree must file the POS before completion of 12 credits or by the third registration, whichever comes first.

2. Written Research Proposal and Proposal Defense: A written research proposal must be approved by the student’s advisory committee no later than 12 months from the time of matriculation of an M.S. student or 18 months from the time of matriculation of a Ph.D. student. A public proposal seminar, outlining the research planned or presenting preliminary results, is required.

3. Annual Progress Report: A report on the progress of each student is required each year, which will be reviewed by the Graduate Committee. Reports will be due by the second Friday in April each year.

4. Credits:

   MS: A minimum of 30 credits, including thesis credits, are required for the Masters, taken at the graduate level (400 or higher). Students may take 100-300 level courses, but these will not count towards requirements. Students are required to complete at least 12 credits of 500- and/or 600-level course work. A minimum of 6 thesis credits are required, with a maximum of 15 total.
   
   PhD: A minimum of 30 credits, including thesis credits, are required for the doctorate, taken at the graduate level (400 or higher). Up to 30 course credits may be transferred from a Master’s program, and may make no more than half of the doctoral credits. Doctoral students are required to complete at least 12 credits of 500- and/or 600-level course work. A minimum of 6 thesis credits are required, with a maximum of 15 total. 

Course Requirements

1. Seminar requirement: At least two seminar credits total are required. Any seminar course will qualify as long as it includes a presentation by the student. (Note: EES 598: Ecology and Evolution of Everything may only count as 1 credit towards this requirement, but can be taken multiple times towards the overall credit requirements, and may also count towards an area requirement. BIO 500 does not count towards this requirement).

2. Quantitative Methods Requirement: At least 3 credits are required to demonstrate proficiency in quantitative methods. Options include:
   • AVS 554 – DNA Sequencing Analysis Lab (2 cr)
   • BIO 557/558/559 – R programming language
   • BIO 593 – Advanced Biometry (4 cr)
   • BMB 502 – Introduction to Bioinformatics (3 cr)
   • MAT 586 – Biological Modeling and Simulation (3 cr)
   • BIO 509 – Experimental Design (4 cr)
   • SIE 510 – Geographic Information Systems Applications (3 cr)
   • SIE 512 – Spatial Analysis  (3 cr)
   • SFR 406 – Remote Sensing of the Forest Environment (3 cr)
   • SFR 575 – Advanced Forest Biometrics and Modeling (3 cr)
   • STS 437 – Statistical Methods in Research (3 cr)
     
3. Biological Inquiry and Analysis: All students are required to take BIO 500 – Biological Inquiry and Analysis (2 cr), typically in their first semester. Students who took this course at the Masters level who continue on for a PhD are not required to take BIO 500 a second time.

4. Professionalism: All students are required to take BIO 505 – Professionalism in Biology (2 cr), or a suitable substitution as approved by the graduate coordinator. Substitute classes must fulfill the Responsible Conduct of Research requirement, as defined by the Graduate School. Continuing doctoral students are not required to re-take this course.

5. Thesis or Dissertation Submission and Defense: Master’s students must submit a thesis describing the results of an original research investigation. Doctoral students must submit a dissertation describing the results of an original research investigation, following advancement to candidacy (after completion of the comprehensive examination and proposal). The acceptability of the Master’s thesis or Doctoral dissertation shall be determined in a final oral defense conducted under the supervision of the student’s graduate advisory committee. Preceding the defense, each candidate must present a public seminar describing the results of the research (this is typically scheduled immediately before the defense). A copy of the student’s thesis or dissertation must be made available upon submission of the Tentative Thesis to the Graduate School (at least five business days before the defense). This is typically provided as a printed copy, but may also be shared electronically with the defense announcement.

Additional Requirements for Doctoral Students

1. Teaching: All students must have one semester of teaching experience, which may be waived with committee approval and appropriate coursework (e.g., EES 590 – Teaching in Ecology and Environmental Sciences or the CITL Teaching Academy (or equivalent).

2. Comprehensive Examinations: Before a student is admitted to candidacy as defined by the Graduate School, they must pass comprehensive written and oral examinations. These examinations can be scheduled no earlier than the end of the third semester of graduate study, must be initiated by the fifth semester, and completed no later than the eighth semester.
   
   The written examination will be given before the oral examination, and will consist of five parts, each representing a distinct subject field. Exam fields will be determined and administered by the advisory committee; each committee member (or an appropriate substitute) typically provides or approves of a reading list of primary literature and/or books. Exam fields are meant to represent broad topics in the biological sciences or application degree concentration (e.g., Community Ecology, Developmental Biology, Bioinformatics). Preparation for these exams typically take at least a semester.
   
   The written exam is typically administered over the course of five days, with one exam field being tested each day. The parameters of each exam are up to the advisory committee member (i.e., length of exam, number of questions, open/closed book). The student is required to pass all five parts of the comprehensive written examination in order to proceed to the oral examination. If the student fails a component of the written exam, they may be re-examined once. The examining committee may require additional coursework before any or all portions of the written are retaken.
   
   The comprehensive oral examination will be administered by the same committee that gave the comprehensive written examination, and may consist of follow-up questions related to the oral exam, further questions about assigned readings or exam field topics, or any other questions the examining committee deems relevant. The examination is considered to have been passed if at least four members of the examining committee consider the performance passing; no more than one dissenting vote can be cast. Students may pass without conditions, may pass conditionally (upon completion of coursework, additional reading, or other work), may retake the oral examination once at a future date, or may fail without taking the exam at a future time. A failed examination prevents admission to candidacy, and the student may no longer continue in the program (students will have the option to transition to a Masters in this case).

Requirements for the MS in Entomology

The MS in Entomology program is designed for students interested in the study of insect ecology, diversity, and management. Qualified candidates for a graduate program in entomology should have a Bachelor’s degree in entomology, biology, botany, chemistry, ecology, environmental science, natural resources, zoology, or a similar field. Students with other undergraduate degrees may be required to take additional coursework. Interested students should read faculty web pages and contact prospective advisors to discuss their interests, qualifications, and the admissions process. Specific course requirements for the MS in Entomology.

1. Graduate Advisory Committee and Program of Study: Each student will be advised by a graduate advisory committee consisting of at least three graduate faculty members for Master’s students or five graduate faculty members for Ph.D. students. The advisory committee should be formed during the first year of graduate study. A Program of Study (POS), approved by the student’s graduate advisory committee, is required for both Master’s and PhD students. For Master’s students, the POS is due before completion of twelve credits or by the third registration, whichever comes first. For PhD students, the POS must be submitted to the Graduate School before the end of the first year of study for students holding a Master’s degree. Those holding only a baccalaureate degree must file the POS before completion of 12 credits or by the third registration, whichever comes first.

2. Written Research Proposal and Proposal Defense: A written research proposal must be approved by the student’s advisory committee no later than 12 months from the time of matriculation of an M.S. student or 18 months from the time of matriculation of a Ph.D. student. A public proposal seminar, outlining the research planned or presenting preliminary results, is required.

3. Annual Progress Report: A report on the progress of each student is required each year, which will be reviewed by the Graduate Committee.

4. Credit Requirements:

MS: A minimum of 30 credits, including thesis credits, are required for the Masters, taken at the graduate level (400 or higher). Students may take 100-300 level courses, but these will not count towards requirements. Students are required to complete at least 12 credits of 500- and/or 600-level course work. A minimum of 6 thesis credits are required, with a maximum of 15 total. 

Course Requirements

The following courses are required:

• BIO 535 Insect Taxonomy (5 cr)
• At least one of the following:
• • BIO 430/530 Ecology and Systematics of Aquatic Insects (4 cr)
  • BIO 511 Insect Ecology (3 cr)
• At least one of the following:
• • BIO 431 Emerging Infectious Diseases (4 cr)
  • BIO 53 Forest Entomology (3 cr)
  • BIO 429/529 Plant-Insect Interactions (3 cr)
  • BIO XXX Principles of Pest Management (3 cr)
  • BIO 455/555 Biological Invasions (3 cr)
• A course in quantitative methods (3-4 cr)
• BIO 500 Biological Inquiry and Analysis (2 cr)
• BIO 505 Professionalism in Biology (2 cr)
• A seminar course with a presentation (2 cr minimum)
• BIO 699 Thesis credits (6 cr minimum)

All students will need to take additional credits of additional coursework or research credits, as recommended by their advisory committee. Students who did not take an undergraduate general entomology course may be required to take either BIO 326 General Entomology or BIO 597 Advanced Entomology.

Students will be required to pass an oral general knowledge exam in entomology as a part of their oral thesis defense examination in order to complete their degree program. Proficiency can be acquired through course work and/or suggested readings provided by faculty.

Non-thesis Option for the Master’s Degree in Biological Sciences

The M.S. degree in Biological Sciences has a literature-based, non-thesis option met by taking coursework and completing a review of the primary literature under the supervision of a graduate committee. Note: unlike our thesis-based programs, non-thesis degrees are typically unfunded (i.e., self-paid by the student). Requirements are the same as the MS in Biological Sciences (with optional concentrations) and follow the same guidelines, with several exceptions: 

• Students do not take thesis credits. 
• Students are not required to take a quantitative methods course. 
• Non-thesis students must also accrue six hours of credit in laboratory or field research by completing courses (e.g., BIO 687: Problems in Biology) that require an independent research project, or by completing a semester-long internship. 
• Non-thesis M.S. students will be required to pass an oral examination at the end of their degree. Questions for the exam will focus on the literature-based capstone project, as well as a synthesis of ecological or biological concepts relating to the student’s program of study. This will be administered by the student’s graduate advisory committee, at the end of the degree. Students will have two attempts to pass their oral examination.