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MASTER OF SCIENCE IN BIOLOGY

Bill Wolfe, Coordinator
E-mail: bill.wolfe@gcsu.edu

INTRODUCTION

The Master of Science degree in Biology consists of 36 hours of graduate work. There are a variety of concentrations that a student can pursue within either the thesis or non-thesis option. All graduate students (thesis and non-thesis) must successfully complete as an undergraduate or graduate student at least one course each in physiology, ecology, and evolution before receiving a Master's Degree. The Department Chairperson and/or Graduate Coordinator will resolve questions concerning courses in these areas.

REQUIREMENTS

In order to apply for admission to the graduate program of the Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences Department you must meet the following criteria.

1. Hold a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution with evidence for success in graduate work.
2. If you are presently enrolled in or have taken graduate courses elsewhere, you must be in good standing at that institution to be eligible for admission to graduate study at Georgia College & State University.
3. If Biology was not your major, then to receive regular admission you need at least 30 hours of undergraduate course work in Biological Sciences. If you do not have enough hours, you can be admitted contingent on completing enough undergraduate courses to fulfill the 30 hours. Your graduate committee will help you decide what undergraduate courses you need.
4. Undergraduate students within 6 (8) hours of graduation and who have at least a B academic average in the major subject may enroll for graduate courses. Approval must be obtained from the graduate coordinator, academic advisor, and the instructor for the class prior to registration (use a regular add/drop form). Graduate work taken under this provision may not be used to meet undergraduate requirements. No more than 6 (8) semester hours of graduate work may be completed prior to the completion of baccalaureate degree requirements and admission to the Graduate Program as an applicant for a graduate degree.
5. Transfer Students - 9 credit hours may be transferred from other accredited institutions.
6. Transient Students - A student in good standing at another regionally accredited graduate school can enroll as a transient student at GCSU for one semester. In lieu of the usual transcripts and test scores, this student must submit a letter from the registrar where the student is regularly enrolled that certifies good standing and recommends admission to GCSU as a transient student. Transient status means that a student is admitted to GCSU for normally a single semester, with the understanding that the student will return to the student's own institution for the next term.
7. International Students - Must attain minimum language scores as follows (TOEFL/IELTS scores MAY be waived if undergraduate school was completed in USA):
   1. IBT (Internet Based TOEFL Test) - 23 in listening portion, 23 in speaking portion, with overall score of 80 to be eligible for a Graduate Assistantship. An overall score of 79 is required for international students seeking admission with a GA (no minimum score is required in any specific portion of the test for non-GA's).
   2. IELTS (International English Language Testing Service) - 6.5 in listening portion, 7.5 in speaking portion, with overall score of 6.5 to be eligible for a Graduate Assistantship. An overall score of 6.5 is required for international students seeking admission with a GA (no minimum score is required in any specific portion of the test for non-GA's.)
   3. PBT (Paper Based TOEFL Test) - is ONLY utilized if both the IBT and IELTS are unavailable. A minimum overall score of 625 is required to be eligible for a Graduate Assistantship. An overall score of 550 is required for international students seeking admission without a GA (no minimum score is required in any specific portion of the test for GA applicants or non-GA's.)
   4. CBT (Computer Based equivalent of Paper Based TOEFL (is being phased out) - is ONLY utilized if both the IBT and IELTS are unavailable. A minimum overall score of 263 is required to be eligible for a Graduate Assistantship. An overall score of 213 is required for international students seeking admission without a GA (no minimum score is required in any specific portion of the test for GA applicants or non-GA's.)
8. Enrichment Students - A student with a baccalaureate degree who wishes to enroll in graduate courses for purposes of self-improvement or enjoyment may be admitted for graduate study as an enrichment student. There are no specific admission score requirements. Should the student later decide to transfer to a degree seeking category, no more than 12 semester hours of credit earned while in this category may be applied toward a graduate degree program and then only if approved by the coordinator. Furthermore, minimum GRE and admission scores (see below) will be required.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

In order to complete your application you should:

1. Submit an application (with application fee) to the Graduate Admissions Office.
2. Submit TWO OFFICIAL transcripts from ALL colleges and universities attended.
3. Submit an official copy of GRE exam scores. The minimum score for the Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences is 800 (verbal – quantitative combined score)
4. Complete a Certificate of Immunization Form.
5. For thesis/research students, optionally request a letter of recommendation from a professor who is interested in beginning immediate collaboration with you. This will add 200 points to your admission score.

ADMISSION

Admission to our program is based on an overall admission score generated from:

1. GRE score.
2. Undergraduate GPA.
3. Research experience (in the form of publications and/or papers presented at professional meetings).
4. Previous Master of Science degree.
5. Optionally, request a recommendation from one of our faculty that indicates significant history of collaboration and/or willingness to immediately begin collaborating with you. This will add 200 points to your admission score.
6. The overall admission score is computed as follows:

GRE (verbal-math)+ GPAx500+publication pts (200 pts/publication (maximum 400 pts))+papers/meeting (50 pts/paper (maximum 100 pts))+letter of support (200 pts for one letter only)+previous Master of Science degree (100 pts per degree).

ADMISSION STATUS

If admitted to the program, you will have regular, conditional, transient, or enrichment status.

Regular Status.

The following admission standards are required for regular admission to the Master of Science program in Biology.

1. A bachelor's degree from an accredited institution.
2. A minimum of 30 hours of undergraduate biological sciences course work.
3. GRE Minimum Score – 800 combined verbal and quantitative score
4. An admission score of >= 2300 (see above).

Students with regular status are eligible for a Graduate Assistantship.

Conditional Status

Applicants may be assigned conditional status if they apply too late for full consideration for admission and/or have not submitted all required documents for evaluation. Students with conditional status are not eligible for an assistantship. While in this status you may register for one semester only, by completing a Georgia College & State University Conditional Registration Agreement form that requires the signatures of both the student and the Graduate Coordinator. Any student who registers under this agreement must be admitted to regular status by the end of the first semester of enrollment to continue taking courses in the degree program. Since you can only take a total of 12 credits during conditional status, you must obtain at least a "B" in each class in order to remain in the Graduate Program. You will need to see the Graduate Coordinator in order to have your course selection approved. The 12 credits maximum that can be earned in conditional status may be reduced according to the number of hours a student has earned in enrichment, certification, or transient categories. In no instance will more than a total of 12 semester hours from any one or a combination of the conditional, enrichment, certification or transient designations be counted toward a degree program.

Transient Status

GCSU graduate students with regular status may take courses as transient students at other institutions that will count toward their degree at GCSU. Graduate students in good standing and who have been enrolled within the last five years are eligible for transient status. You must petition the program coordinator and obtain the approval of your faculty advisor for the specific courses prior to enrolling at the other institution. Finally, you must have the other college/university send a transcript of the courses to the GCSU Office of the Registrar. Ordinarily, students are permitted to be transient students away from the University for only one semester and up to 9 credits. See the discussion of conditional status for complete explanation.

Enrichment Status

There are no specific admission score requirements. A student with a baccalaureate degree can enroll in graduate courses for purposes of self-improvement or enjoyment as an enrichment student. Should the student later decide to transfer to a degree seeking category, no more than 12 semester hours of credit earned while in this category may be applied toward a graduate degree program and then only if approved by the Graduate Coordinator (minimum GRE and admission scores will be required. See the discussion of conditional status for a complete explanation.)

ACADEMIC DISMISSAL POLICY

If the overall graduate GPA of a graduate student falls below 3.00, the student is placed on academic probation. The student has one academic semester (Fall or Spring) to raise the overall GPA back to 3.00; failure to do so will result in academic dismissal and, if applicable, the loss of graduate assistantship. Students can reapply after one semester. Readmission is not guaranteed. If readmitted, students have two contiguous academic semesters (Fall-Spring/Spring/Fall) to attain an overall 3.00 GPA.

GRADUATE COMMITTEE

A graduate committee is formed for thesis and non-thesis students in regular and/or conditional status.

1. The Graduate committee must be composed of at least three full-time faculty members.
2. An additional committee member may be required for the determination of the Program of Study. This is sometimes necessary to assess strengths and weaknesses in academic training.
3. By the end of the second semester the major advisor and the committee composition must be determined.
4. You must meet with your committee and determine a Program of Study by the end of your second semester.
5. You will not be able to enroll for your third semester until your committee: 1) is formed, 2) has met, 3) decided on a thesis vs. non-thesis option, and 4) has determined your program of study.

PROGRAM OF STUDY

A preliminary Program of Study form must be completed within one week of initial registration for classes in consultation with the student's committee and/or approved by Graduate Coordinator if the committee has not been formed. The preliminary Program of Study can be modified at a later date.

By the end of your second semester, you must:

1. SUBMIT a program of study form to the Graduate Coordinator.
2. CHOOSE a major advisor (the choice of advisor is not necessarily permanent and can be changed.)
3. DECLARE a thesis or nonthesis focus.

Planning your program of study, consider the following issues.

1. First, decide whether you will be in the thesis or non-thesis program. If, at a later date, you change from non-thesis to thesis you can petition to have up to three hours of Biol 6940 to count as three hours of Biol 6970.
2. You must take at least 9 hours of 6000-level courses (graduate student only courses) not including Thesis Research (6970) and Independent Study (6940). The 6000-level courses (excluding 6940 and 6970) must meet the following criteria: 1.) Be open to all graduate students, 2.) Meet regularly, 3.) Have scheduled assignments, and 4.) Cannot be open to undergraduate students. If more than 9 hours of 6000 level course are taken (excluding 6940 and 6970) then correspondingly fewer 5000 level courses are required to meet total graduation requirements. For example if 9 hours of 6000 level courses are taken then 21 hours of 5000 level would be required for the thesis option; however if 12 hours of 6000 level courses are taken then only 18 hours of 5000 level courses are required. This same correspondence of hours is true for the non-thesis option.
3. Non-thesis students must take three hours of Independent Study (6940).
4. Thesis/research students take Thesis Research (6970); you may take as many credits of Biol 6970 as you want but only 6 credits count towards your degree.
5. You have 7 years to complete your graduate degree. Courses that are transferred from other institutions must fit into the seven-year time frame.
6. The normal time for completing a Masters Degree in our department is two years. Eligibility for a graduate assistantship is only for two years (24 months) applicable to the completion of one graduate degree. Once a student has completed a graduate degree, whether that program of study required one year or two, the student is no longer eligible for a graduate assistantship.
7. You can transfer up to 9 credits (~one semester) from another accredited institution with prior approval.
8. No more than a total of 12 semester hours from any one or a combination of the conditional, enrichment, certification, or transient designations can be counted toward a degree program.
9. At least 18 semester hours of graduate work must be completed in regular Georgia College & State University courses on campus or at a Regents' approved Residence Center.
10. Graduate students in the Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences are permitted to take up to two graduate level courses with the same title/name previously taken at the undergraduate level.
11. Full time graduate students must take a minimum of 6 hours; however, a normal course load is 9-12 semester hours/semester. The advice of the student's faculty advisor should be considered when deciding the total number of hours per semester. Nine semester hours is considered a full-course load for graduate students and for Veteran's Certifications purposes. Students can only take 3-4 hours during the Maymester term.
12. You must have completed, as an undergraduate or graduate student, at least one course each in physiology, ecology, and evolution before receiving a Master's Degree. The Graduate Coordinator or the Department Chairperson will resolve questions concerning courses in these areas.
13. Only grades in courses numbered 5000 - 7999 shall be counted in a student's institutional grade point average. Courses in which the student has earned less than a "C" cannot be counted for degree credit.
14. You must be enrolled the semester you defend your thesis (or nonthesis report) AND the semester you submit your thesis to the library.
15. Summary Table.

THESIS OPTION

1. Program of Study. A total of 36 hours are required for graduation. Of the 36 total hours, 30 hours of coursework is required. By the end of the second semester (before registration for the third semester or before the next semester after 18 hours are completed) each student must meet with his/her committee to determine a program of study that most effectively compliments both the academic history and future plans of the student. The program of study will include six hours of BIOL 6970, nine hours of 6000-level coursework (excluding BIOL 6960 and 6970), and a 21 hours of 5000-level coursework. Additional remedial undergraduate coursework in biology may be required in addition to graduate-level coursework.
2. Thesis. Students must successfully complete a thesis research project that will be supervised by the student's Primary Advisor and Graduate Committee. Style and format used will follow the current Georgia College & State University Style Guide for thesis preparation and the American Institute of Biological Science Style Manual. The Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences must approve the thesis. Upon successful completion of the oral defense the student will submit the required five signed copies of the thesis to the library with payment for binding.
3. Final defense. The oral defense consists of an oral presentation of the thesis research as well as a defense of the thesis. The student's Graduate Committee will administer this examination. The Graduate Committee shall consist of at least three members of the Graduate Faculty of the Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences of Georgia College & State University. The committee shall include either the Graduate Coordinator or the Department Chairperson. The examination will be administered two or more weeks after the committee receives final copies of the thesis. Passing of the defense will be determined by a favorable simple majority vote of the committee members. A second attempt at the defense cannot be scheduled until at least 90 days after the original failure and must occur no later than one calendar year after the initial failure. Only two defense attempts will be allowed.

NON-THESIS OPTION

1. Program of Study. A total of 36 hours are required for graduation. Of the 36 total hours, 33 hours of coursework is required. By the end of the second semester (before registration for the third semester or before the next semester after 18 hours are completed) each student must meet with his/her committee to determine a program of study that most effectively compliments both the academic history and future plans of the student. In general the program of study will include three hours of BIOL 6940, nine hours of 6000-level coursework (excluding BlOL 6960 and 6970), and a 24 hours of 5000-level coursework.
2. Independent Study (BIOL 6940) - 3 hours. The student will write a library research paper on a topic selected in consultation with the members of their Graduate Advisement Committee. This paper will be organized to conform to the standards of the GCSU research journal. This paper will be submitted, then defended not less than two weeks from the time of submission, at a time agreeable to the members of the committee.
3. Final Defense. The defense shall consist of an oral presentation of the independent study research paper and a defense of the ideas and concepts presented within the paper. Passing of the defense will be determined by a favorable simple majority vote of the members of the Graduate Advisement Committee. A second attempt at the defense cannot be scheduled until at least 90 days after the original failure and must occur not later than one calendar year after the initial failure. Only two defense attempts will be allowed.

OUTSTANDING GRADUATE STUDENT AWARD

All graduate students are eligible for the outstanding graduate student award during the first 2.5 calendar years of enrollment. The award is derived from the following point system:

1. Graduate assistantship (RA or TA for at least one semester) – 1 point
2. Grade point average (GPA) – value / 2 (a 3.5 GPA would = 1.75 points)
3. Seminar-paper presentations

Georgia Academy of Science (or comparable meeting) – 2 points

Regional or National meetings – 3 points

4. Articles submitted for publication

Georgia Academy of Science (or comparable) – 3 points

Regional or National journal – 5 points

Students with 7 total points are eligible for the award. A maximum of three awards can be given each year. If there are ties (e.g. five students with the same score) priority will be given to papers and articles in regional and/or national meetings/journals.

GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

To qualify for a graduate degree at Georgia College & State University you must:

1. Fulfill the departmental requirements for the degree chosen. These requirements are described above.
2. Present an application for graduation to the graduate coordinator or chairperson for approval then submit the approved application to the Office of the Registrar, 107 Parks Hall, by the dates indicated in the Official University Calendar.
3. A graduate student must have an institutional average of B (3.0 GPA).

ASSISTANTSHIPS

The Biology-Environmental Science Program has between 20 to 30 graduate students and about 15 Graduate Assistantships.

1. A graduate assistant must have regular admission to the graduate program
2. Enroll for 6 – 12 hours for fall and/or spring, and 3 - 9 hours for summer.
3. Assistantships are awarded based on the overall admission score (see above for calculation).
4. Assistantships generally are awarded for 2 academic years (4 semesters - fall/winter): however; TA's-RA's are not guaranteed and are renewed each semester pending evaluations.
5. Graduate assistants must maintain at least a 3.0 GPA on graduate courses at GCSU.

If a student's grade point average falls below 3.0 (academic warning), the student will have one semester to improve and return to academic good standing before termination of the assistantship. Should a student fail to return to good standing after one semester, or should a student receive academic exclusion and be dismissed from the degree program, the assistantship will be terminated at once. Students with an assistantship will receive a stipend and be required to work between fifteen and 20 hours per week while enrolled in at least six graduate hours per semester. The assistantship will waive the tuition, but the student is responsible for all appropriate fees, including a reduced matriculation fee, a technology fee, a university health fee, a student activity fee, a parking fee, and an athletic fee.

Assistantships offer a waiver of tuition and a stipend of approximately $5300AY: $2650 per Fall and Spring semester. Graduate Assistants must purchase mandatory health insurance that costs $1,003.00 per year.  The breakdown is ~$432.00 for Fall and ~$571.00 for Spring Semester. The Spring semester medical insurance payment is higher because it covers each student through July 31. The gross pay for GA's is ~$652.50/month Sep., Oct., Nov., and Dec. during Fall semester and Jan., Feb., Mar., and Apr. during Spring semester.

Application process.

1. You can fill out an application at /graduateservices/GradAsstApplication.html; however, all Biology Program applicants are automatically evaluated for an assistantship because all applicants are ranked based on their admission score and offered assistantships accordingly.

Evaluations:

1. The appropriate supervisor evaluates GA's.
2. GA's provide confidential feedback regarding their experience. This feedback is required before tuition can be waived.

Coursework for the non-thesis option will be determined in consultation with the student’s Graduate Advisement Committee. The Graduate Advisement Committee shall consist of at least five members, approved by the Graduate Coordinator or and the Department Chairperson. Remedial undergraduate course work in biology may be required in addition to graduate-level course work. The Graduate Advisement Committee will determine the need for remedial work. Excluding BIOL 6940, 6960, and 6970, a minimum of 9 credit hours mist be taken at the 6000 level.

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