BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
Graduate Program
The graduate program in Biological Sciences leads to either a Master of Arts (MA) or a Master of Science (MS) degree and provides an opportunity for students to receive advanced training and to pursue independent investigations in particular fields of biology. It allows students to upgrade their qualifications for educational advancement to doctoral programs or for professional advancement in teaching, laboratory work, or fieldwork. Whereas the MA degree requires the completion of a project, the MS degree requires completion of a thesis with both having concentrations in Biological Conservation and in Molecular and Cellular Biology to provide advanced training and research experience in these fields.
All students are required to complete a project or thesis involving field, laboratory, or literature research. The project or thesis research may be conducted on campus with a biology faculty member or at an off-campus location. In either case, the student's research must make a new contribution to the field of biology. If the research is conducted off campus, a biology faculty member must be identified as the student's graduate advisor. Following admission to the program, students are advised by a temporary graduate advisor or by the faculty member who has agreed to supervise the student in their project/thesis research. Students should plan their academic program in consultation with their graduate advisor as early as possible, preferably prior to enrollment in the program.
For additional information regarding the Biological Sciences Graduate Program, students may contact the Biological Sciences Department Office, Biological Sciences website (http://www.csus.edu/bios/), or consult the Biological Sciences Graduate Program Handbook, available through the Department's website.
Graduate Admission Requirements
Admission as a classified graduate student to the MA or MS degree program in Biological Sciences requires:
- a baccalaureate degree;
- completion of a major in biological sciences or closely related field; or completion of 24 units of upper division biological sciences courses or courses in closely related fields, each of which must be passed with a grade of C- or better;
- a minimum GPA of 2.75 in all biology courses and a minimum GPA of 3.0 in upper division biology courses;
- GRE General Test scores;
- a faculty member who has agreed to serve as their graduate advisor;
- two letters of recommendation from persons qualified to judge the applicant's potential for successful graduate study; and
- a statement of purpose.
It is important to note that meeting all admission requirements does not guarantee acceptance into the graduate program. Students who have deficiencies in admission requirements that can be removed by specified additional preparation, or who have not been accepted by a graduate advisor, may be admitted with conditionally classified graduate status. Admission as a conditionally classified graduate student does not guarantee fully classified status. Fully classified graduate status is conferred when all deficiencies identified at the time of admission are removed and a biology faculty member has agreed to serve as their graduate advisor. Any deficiencies in admissions requirements will be noted on a written response to the admission application.
Graduate Admission Procedures
All prospective classified graduate students, including Sacramento State graduates, must file the following application materials with the Office of Graduate Studies, River Front Center 206, (916) 278-6470:
- an online application for admission; and
- two sets of official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended, other than Sacramento State.
In addition, all prospective graduate students must submit the following application materials directly to the Department of Biological Sciences:
- an online departmental application for admission;
- one set of unofficial transcripts from all colleges and universities attended, other than Sacramento State;
- GRE General Test scores (NOTE: GRE General Test scores will be accepted after the application deadline but only if the test was taken prior to the deadline);
- two letters of recommendation; and
- a statement of purpose.
The deadline for receipt of all application materials will be announced on the departmental website (http://www.csus.edu/bios/) for admittance in the fall semester. There is currently no general call for admission for students to begin in the spring semester. However, a student may petition the department to begin in the spring. Please contact your potential graduate advisor (i.e., a faculty member in your area of interest) to discuss this option. Approximately eight to ten weeks after receipt of all items listed above, a decision regarding admission will be mailed to the applicant.
Advancement to Candidacy
The Advancement to Candidacy process serves to ensure that a student is qualified for and making good progress toward successfully completing the Master’s degree. Each classified graduate student must file an application for Advancement to Candidacy, indicating a proposed program of graduate study. Advancement to Candidacy should occur as soon as the student has:
- removed any deficiencies in admission requirements;
- completed at least 12 units in the graduate program with a minimum 3.0 GPA, including at least one course at the 200-level;
- begun preliminary research for the thesis or project; and
- passed the Writing Proficiency Exam (WPE) or secured approval for a WPE waiver[ JB1] .
An Application for
Advancement to Candidacy is available online through the Office of Graduate
Studies website and the Department of Biological Sciences website. The student
fills out the form after planning a degree program in consultation with his/her
Biological Sciences graduate advisor. After approval by the Biological Sciences
Graduate Committee and the student's supervisory committee, the completed form
is returned to the Office of Graduate Studies for
approval.
Requirements - Master of Arts Degree
Units required for
MA: 30 includes units required in areas of concentration.
Minimum GPA:
3.0
The MA degree requires completion of 30 units of coursework with a minimum 3.0 GPA. The 30 units must include a minimum of 18 units of 200-level courses. No units from BIO 106, BIO 194, BIO 195, BIO 197A, BIO 197B, BIO 197C, BIO 198A, BIO 198B, BIO 199A or BIO 199B are acceptable toward the master's degree. No more than 2 units of BIO 502 may be applied toward the 30 unit requirement.
Each student who receives a Master of Arts degree from the Department of Biological Sciences must submit a written project based on a research problem in biology under the supervision of a graduate advisor. A project can be based on either of the following:
- Grant Proposal (for the No Concentration): a research proposal in the format required by a state or federal granting agency (e.g., National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health) based on a novel hypothesis that addresses a biological problem; OR
- Internship Project Report (for the Stem Cell Concentration): a project report on the student’s internship experience.
All requirements for the Master of Arts degree must be completed within seven (7) years starting from the time the first course is used to meet the master’s degree requirements.
Courses in parentheses are prerequisites.
A. Required Core Courses (7 units)
|
(2) |
Introduction to Scientific Inquiry | |
|
(1) |
BIO 294 series course |
Seminar |
|
(2) |
Problems in Biological Sciences |
(2) Select one of the following:
|
|
Cell & Molecular Methods and Techniques (BIO 220; may be taken concurrently) OR | |
|
|
Methods in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation (BIO 167; BIO 220 may be taken concurrently) |
B. Culminating Requirement (2 units)
|
(2) |
Master's Project (Advancement to candidacy and chair permission of his/her committee) |
C. Additional Requirements (21 units)
|
(21) |
Approved electives in Biological Sciences or supporting fields. Electives must be selected in consultation with the graduate advisor and approved at the Advancement to Candidacy meeting. Up to six units of upper division (100-level) coursework taken as a graduate student in the program may be applied to the MA degree. Up to an additional 2 units of BIO 299 may be applied to meet coursework requirements. |
Stem Cell Advising Track
Request for approval of Stem Cell Concentration currently in progress.
Courses in parentheses are prerequisites.
A. Required Core Courses (22 units)
|
(2) |
Introduction to Scientific Inquiry | |
|
(2) |
Cell & Molecular Methods and Techniques (BIO 220; may be taken concurrently) | |
|
(3) |
||
|
(3) |
||
|
(3) |
Genomics, Proteomics, and Bioinformatics (BIO 184, BIO 222 and graduate status or instructor permission) | |
|
(1) |
BIO 294G |
Seminar in Cell Biology |
|
(8) |
Problems in Biological Sciences |
B. Culminating Requirement (2 units)
|
(2) |
Master's Project (Advancement to candidacy and chair permission of his/her committee) |
C. Additional Requirements (6 units)
|
Select one of the following: | ||
|
(3) |
||
|
(3) |
Evolution | |
|
(3) |
CHEM 230 |
Separation Methods in Chemistry |
|
(3) |
CHEM 231 |
Chemical Separations Laboratory (CHEM 230) |
|
(3) |
CHEM 240 |
Advanced Instrumentation Laboratory (CHEM 24, CHEM 25, CHEM 124 or instructor permission |
|
(3) |
CHEM 260 |
Protein Biochemistry (one semester of Biochemistry) |
|
(3) |
CHEM 261 |
Nucleic Acid Biochemistry (one semester of Biochemistry) |
|
|
Alternative electives must be selected in consultation with the graduate advisor and approved at the Advancement to Candidacy meeting. | |
|
|
|
|
Requirements - Master of Science Degree
Units required for
MS: 30 includes units required in areas of concentration.
Minimum GPA:
3.0
The MS degree requires completion of 30 units of coursework with a minimum 3.0 GPA. The 30 units must include a minimum of 18 units of 200-level courses. No units from BIO 106, BIO 194, BIO 195, BIO 197A, BIO 197B, BIO 197C, BIO 198A, BIO 198B, BIO 199A or BIO 199B are acceptable toward the master's degree. No more than 6 units of BIO 299 and BIO 500 may be applied toward the 30 unit requirement.
Each student who receives a Master of Science degree from the Department of Biological Sciences must submit a thesis based on original research in biology. A thesis can be based on either of the following sources of data:
- data generated by the student's original research, in which the student performs the fieldwork or laboratory experiments; or
- data obtained from sources other than the student's own fieldwork or laboratory experiments, provided that the data are analyzed in a manner in which they were not previously analyzed.
The use of data must result in an original contribution to the biological problem being investigated.
All requirements for the Master of Science degree must be completed within seven (7) years starting from the time the first course is used to meet the master’s degree requirements.
Courses in parentheses are prerequisites.
A. Required Core Courses (5 units)
|
(2) |
Introduction to Scientific Inquiry | |
|
(1) |
BIO 294 series course |
Seminar |
|
(2) |
Problems in Biological Sciences |
B. Culminating Requirement (2 units)
|
(2) |
Master's Thesis (Advancement to candidacy and chair permission of his/her thesis committee) |
C. Additional Requirements for Concentrations (23 units)
No Concentration (23 units minimum)
|
(2) |
Cell & Molecular Methods and Techniques (BIO 220; may be taken concurrently) OR | |
|
(2) |
Methods in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation (BIO 167; BIO 220 may be taken concurrently) | |
|
(3) |
Evolution | |
|
(3) |
Biological Concepts | |
|
(15) |
Approved electives in Biological Sciences or supporting fields. Electives must be selected in consultation with the graduate advisor and approved at the Advancement to Candidacy meeting. Up to six units of upper division (100-level) coursework taken as a graduate student in the program may be applied to the MS degree. | |
Biological Conservation (23 units minimum)
|
(2) |
Methods in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation (BIO 167; BIO 220 may be taken concurrently) | |
|
(3) |
Evolution | |
|
(3) |
Biological Concepts | |
|
(3) Select one of the following: | ||
|
|
Advanced Plant Ecology (BIO 160) | |
|
|
Population and Community Ecology (BIO 160) | |
|
|
Behavioral Ecology (BIO 160 or instructor permission) | |
|
(5-6) Select two of the following: | ||
|
|
Conservation Policy and Administration (BIO 118, BIO 173, or BIO 179) | |
|
|
Advanced Fishery Biology and Management (BIO 173 or instructor permission) | |
|
|
Conservation Biology and Wildlife Management (BIO 160, BIO 179; or instructor permission) | |
|
(6-7) Approved electives in Biological Sciences or supporting fields. Electives must be selected in consultation with the graduate advisor and approved at the Advancement to Candidacy meeting. Up to six units of upper division (100-level) coursework taken as a graduate student in the program may be applied to the MS degree. | ||
Molecular and Cellular Biology (23 units minimum)
|
(2) |
Cell & Molecular Methods and Techniques (BIO 220) OR | |
|
(3) |
||
|
(3) |
Genomics, Proteomics and Bioinformatics (BIO 184, BIO 222 and graduate status or instructor permission) | |
|
(5-6) Select at least two of the following: | ||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
Contemporary Topics in Immunology (BIO 149A or instructor permission) | |
|
(9-10) Approved electives in Biological Sciences or supporting fields. Electives must be selected in consultation with the graduate advisor and approved at the Advancement to Candidacy meeting. Up to six units of upper division (100-level) coursework taken as a graduate student in the program may be applied to the MS degree. | ||
Note:
Supporting Fields: A maximum of 10
units from an approved supporting field (e.g., Chemistry, Environmental Studies,
Geology, Physics) may be counted toward the degree, with graduate advisor and
graduate committee approval obtained before taking the
course(s).
Career Possibilities
Agricultural
Biologist · Bacteriologist · Biologist · Biotechnologist · Botanist · Clinical
Lab Scientist · Dentist · Environmental Consultant · Fishery Biologist ·
Food/Drug Inspector · Forensic Scientist · Geneticist · High School Teacher ·
Immunologist · Lab Tech in Research Lab · Lab Tech in Food Processing
Facility/Drug Company · Marine Biologist · Medical Illustrator · Medicine ·
Molecular Biologist · Naturalist · Pathologist · Physiologist · Pharmaceutical
Sales · Public Health Microbiologist · Science Advisor · Science Writer ·
Veterinary Medicine · Wildlife Biologist · Zoologist
Faculty
William Avery, Ruth Ballard,
Juanita Barrena, James Baxter, Rosalee Carter, Ronald Coleman, Shannon Datwyler, Nicholas Ewing, Enid Gonzalez, Laurel Heffernan,
Brett Holland, Christine Kirvan, Jamie Kneitel, Winston Lancaster, Tom Landerholm, Susanne Lindgren, Jennifer Lundmark, Kelly McDonald, Robert
Metcalf, Hao Nguyen, Thomas Peavy, Adam Rechs, Ben Sacks, Rose
Leigh Vines
Contact Information
Rose Leigh Vines, Department
Chair
Nancy Angell, Administrative Support Coordinator
Sequoia Hall
202
(916) 278-6535
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