Biology, MS

Program Coordinator: Michael Brewer (2503 Life Sciences and Biotechnology Building; 252-328-1833; brewermi14@ecu.edu)

Program participants are trained in various disciplines in the biological sciences. Fields of study comprise the expertise of the faculty in the Department of Biology. Thesis and non-thesis options are available.

The degree requires a minimum of 30 s.h. as follows:

Thesis option requirements:

Students must complete a minimum of 30 s.h. of course work (15 s.h. must be at the 6000-7000 level), and a research-based thesis, comprehensive defense of a thesis proposal, seminar based on thesis research, thesis defense, and show competence in teaching. Up to 9 s.h. of graduate courses from other departments may be used to meet curriculum requirements upon approval by the department’s director of graduate studies.

1. Core - 8 s.h.

2. Electives - 22 s.h.

Choose a minimum of 22 s.h. from the following courses:

Note:

*A minimum of three credits of BIOL 7000 is required. BIOL 7000 may be repeated for registration status, but only 6 s. h. may count toward graduation. Additional courses may be selected as electives upon approval of the graduate program director and the candidate’s advisor.

Non-thesis option requirements:

Students must complete a minimum of 30 s.h. of course work (17 s.h. must be at the 6000-7000 level), a final project, an oral defense of the final project, and show competence in teaching. The final project may take many forms (e. g., review paper, symposium, and internship) and requires approval of the Director of Graduate Programs. Up to 10 s.h. of graduate courses from other departments may be used to meet curriculum requirements upon approval by the department’s director of graduate studies.

1. Core - 5 s.h.

BIOL 6880 - Introduction to Research
A course (3 s.h.) in statistics (e.g. BIOL 7900 , BIOS 7022 , MATH 5031 ), statistical inference (e.g. MATH 6802 ), or experimental design (e.g. MATH 6005 , BIOS 7501 ) as approved by the faculty advisor and director of graduate studies.

2. Electives - 25 s.h.

The non-thesis option electives will be tailored to the individual’s interests, career goals, and educational background in consultation with the student’s faculty advisor and the director of graduate studies. A maximum of 5 s.h. of directed research courses (BIOL 6504 , BIOL 6514 ) and /or internship (BIOL 6992 , BIOL 6993 ) may be applied toward meeting the electives requirement.

Comprehensive Assessment Requirement

All graduate programs at ECU require students to successfully complete a comprehensive assessment. The Biology, MS requires the following:

• Thesis option: Successful completion of the thesis (BIOL 7000) and oral defense to satisfy this requirement.
• Nonthesis option: Successful completion of a project and oral defense to satisfy this requirement.