Minimum number of credits required to complete the program: 64 credits (2 year track); 28-32 (1 year track)
Minimum cumulative GPA required: 3.0
School: School of Arts and Sciences
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Mission:
The MS in Biology offers students multiple pathways to learn foundational concepts and methods in life sciences research. Students may engage in either a two year masters thesis project with an emphasis on original research, or may choose from a variety of one-year interdisciplinary course-based tracks that pair coursework in biology with courses in data science, health science or product management. Graduates of these programs will be competitive for a range of positions in biopharmaceutical, academic, medical and government organizations and/or for further graduate study.
The Master of Science in Biology degree is offered by the Department of Natural Sciences and includes a two-year thesis-based track with a research focus, as well as a one-year course-based track. Students in the thesis track are paired with a faculty mentor and will complete core graduate biology courses while engaging in two-year thesis project focusing on original laboratory and/or field-based research. Students in the one-year track complete an interdisciplinary course of study pairing core graduate biology coursework with courses in data science, product management or health sciences. The core biology courses completed by students in both the one-year and two-year tracks are: Survey of Methods in Biological Sciences (4 credits), Quantitative Biology (4 credits), Graduate Research Seminar I (2 credits) and II (2 credits), and Graduate Research Seminar (2 credits).