Biology MS

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► Graduate School Rules apply to this program.

Graduate MS Program Director: Michael Wunder
Office: Science, 4124
Telephone: 303-556-8870
E-mail: michael.wunder@ucdenver.edu
Website: clas.ucdenver.edu/biology/grad.html

Requirements for Admission

Applicants must hold a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university, awarded within the preceding ten years. Students whose biology degree was awarded more than 10 years prior to entrance to the CU Denver program will be expected to retake or show competence in the biology core courses. Successful applicants generally have earned an overall GPA of 3.0 or better. Most applicants have an undergraduate major in biology or a related field. Students entering the master’s program in biology must have completed 2 semesters of general biology (lecture and laboratory); 2 semesters of any combination of chemical, physical, or mathematical sciences; and one semester of applied or biological statistics. Additional prerequisite requirements may be set by individual faculty. Please contact an individual faculty member to learn of any additional requirements to join their program. Although a deficit of one prerequisite course may be allowed, this must be completed within the first semester of entering the master’s program and will not apply toward the degree. The general GRE is required of all applicants, with scores above the 50th percentile required on each of the three sections (verbal, quantitative and analytical writing).

Applicants to the master’s in biology program must have a declared area of specialization that aligns with the research focus of a biology graduate faculty member. Faculty expertise can be found under Graduate Faculty Profiles on the Department of Integrative Biology website. Students must contact prospective faculty advisors to determine if openings are available within the faculty member’s program.

Application deadline is February 1 for domestic U.S. and international students. Applications submitted after the deadline date WILL NOT be considered. Before submitting an application, students must refer to the Biology MS Program website for additional application criteria. Application to the master’s in biology program is through CU Denver Admissions.

Degree Requirements

All course work taken within the Department of Integrative Biology and applied toward the degree must be at the 5000 level or above. A course plan is developed jointly by the student and faculty advisor and is approved by the student’s graduate committee. In addition to regular meetings throughout the semester, all students must meet with their faculty advisor at the beginning of each semester to determine course schedules and upcoming deadlines. A pre-registration agreement form is signed by the student and advisor, and then filed with the associate chair for graduate studies in biology to ensure that degree requirements are met, and that selected courses will be applicable toward the MS degree.

With the advisor’s and/or graduate committee’s approval, a maximum of 6 semester hours of course work at the 4000 level taken outside the department may be applied toward the degree. At least 18 semester hours must be taken from faculty in the Department of Integrative Biology at CU Denver. Upon approval of the master’s program, as many as 12 semester hours may be transferred into the program.

Students must form a three-person committee consisting of members of the graduate faculty, with at least two from the rostered CU Denver graduate faculty. Committee membership must be approved by the faculty advisor. The master’s degree requires 30 semester hours, including a minimum of 4 and no more than 6 thesis hours. Students may also count a maximum of 7 hours (total) of graduate-level independent study and/or internship. Graduate internship or independent study projects must be research-based. In addition, two semesters of graduate seminar (BIOL 6655), one semester of Biological Data Analysis (BIOL 6764), and one semester of Principles of Biological Research (BIOL 5705) are required. The Biology MS also requires a research proposal defense and a research thesis defense.

Required Courses:

Financial Assistance

Financial aid for graduate students may be available from university and/or state fellowships, research assistantships sponsored by individual faculty members and teaching assistantships. Teaching assistantships are available on a competitive basis through application. Students should refer to the department web site for information on how to apply for a teaching assistantship.

Contact the Office of Financial Aid for information about fellowships, or the Graduate MS Program Director for information about research and teaching assistantships.

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