BIOLOGY
Academic Regulations
Preliminary Requirements
The B.A. and B.S. programs require Bisc 160, 161, 162, and 163 as Initial courses. The prerequisite for Bisc 160 is a minimum ACT mathematics score of 22 (SAT 510) or B minimum in Math 121. These courses provide the foundation for subsequent work and are prerequisites for admission into advanced major courses.
A candidate for admission to the M.S. program in the Department of Biology must submit an application package consisting of a Graduate School application; departmental application; official scores for the GRE general test; official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate course work; and three letters of recommendation. International students must submit a TOEFL score that satisfies the Graduate School’s minimum for admission. Acceptable results on the TSE or SPEAK tests of spoken English are required for international students to be eligible for a teaching assistantship. Candidates must (a) satisfy the Graduate School admission requirements, (b) have an undergraduate degree (B.A. or B.S.), (c) have a strong record of achievement in biology, chemistry, and mathematics. Admission is also contingent upon a faculty member agreeing to serve as dissertation adviser.
A candidate for admission to the Ph.D. program in the Department of Biology must submit the following: a Graduate School application; a departmental application; official scores for the GRE general test; official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate course work; and three letters of recommendation. International students must submit a TOEFL score that satisfies the Graduate School’s minimum for admission. Acceptable results on the TSE or SPEAK tests of spoken English are required for international students to be eligible for a teaching assistantship. Candidates must (a) satisfy the Graduate School admission requirements, (b) have an undergraduate degree (B.A. or B.S.), (c) have a strong record of achievement in biology, chemistry, and mathematics. Admission is also contingent upon a faculty member agreeing to serve as dissertation adviser.
Students who do not meet all requirements for the M.S. program or the Ph.D. program may be admitted for a probationary period of 12 months, during which time the deficiencies, as well as the course requirements, must be completed with a minimum 3.0 grade-point average on a 4.0 scale. Remedial courses may not be counted toward degree requirements. New graduate applications will normally be reviewed once per year during March/April. The committee reserves the right to consider applicants outside the review period if a compelling reason is provided by the adviser.