Master of Science in Biology (Botany or Zoology) or Master of Science in Microbiology

The M.S. programs require a substantial, original research project that culminates in a thesis, a minimum of 30 credits (including research and thesis) earned in graduate courses and seminars, expertise in core conceptual areas of the biological sciences, and completion of a research tool. Candidates must have at least a 2.75 GPA for all upper division credits taken at the undergraduate level. Scores in the verbal, quantitative, and analytical portions of the GRE must be submitted; an average score of the 50th percentile or above on the verbal and quantitative portions of the GRE is required. If either the GPA or GRE requirement is not met, the Department may choose to admit the candidate on conditional status. In all cases, acceptance by a member of the faculty is required for admission.

Several courses are prerequisite for the M.S. degree programs, and any student who has not met these requirements through previous course work must take them as part of his/her M.S. program. These are:

1. a semester of calculus
2. one year of inorganic chemistry
3. one year of organic chemistry
4. one year of physics, and
5. (M.S. in Microbiology only) quantitative analysis or analytical chemistry. These are undergraduate courses; thus, credits earned in them do not count toward the 30 credit hour requirements for the M.S. In addition, there are a number of core conceptual areas of biology to which we expect all students to have had significant exposure by the time they complete their degree requirements. The core areas for the M.S. in Biology are:
   1. genetics and evolution
   2. animal or plant physiology
   3. cell biology, biochemistry, or molecular biology, and
   4. ecology or morphology. The core areas for the M.S. in Microbiology are:
      1. biochemistry and molecular biology
      2. physiology of microorganisms,
      3. immunology
      4. microbial genetics, and
      5. virology Students may opt to gain expertise in these areas via a variety of mechanisms including graduate courses, seminars, special projects, or readings. Although there are no specific credit requirements for the core areas, we expect that the total effort expended in each area would be at least equivalent to that required in a rigorous course in that subject area. It is also expected that any credits earned as part of the graduate program will be at the graduate level (i.e., at the 500 or 600 level); these credits count toward the 30-credit requirement.

         Thirty graduate credits approved by the Department of Biological Sciences and the Graduate School are required to complete the M.S. degree program. At least 15 of these credit hours must be earned at the 600 level. Specific course requirements include:

         BIOS 691-692 Graduate Seminar 2 cr

         BIOS 648 Graduate Problems 1-4 cr

         BIOS 650 Thesis 1-6 cr

         PLUS Two additional 600-level courses 6 cr

         Students in the microbiology program must take

         BIOS 610 Principles of Molecular

         Biology 3 cr

         Tool Requirement: A reading knowledge of a foreign language or proficiency with another research tool is required for the M.S. degree in Biology or Microbiology. Students may satisfy the tool requirement by selecting option 1a, 1b, or 2.

         1. Foreign Language: a) Students who enter the program with grades of "C" or better in two years of a foreign language in college or four years in high school, or the equivalent, meet this requirement. Others must pass a total of 12 credits in one language or pass a special exam administered by the Department of Foreign Languages at ISU.

            b) A foreign-born student from a non-English speaking country may satisfy the requirement by passing courses (with a "C" or better) in a foreign language other than his/her native tongue (as described above) or two semesters of English composition courses at an English-speaking university.

            2) A research tool of equivalent intensity to the language requirement may be substituted for a foreign language. Examples of such tools are biometry, electron microscopy, or a related field outside the biological sciences, such as geology, engineering, economics, or computer science. Graduate credits in the Biological Sciences taken to satisfy the tool requirement count toward the 30-credit requirement for the M.S. degree.