Biological Sciences M.S.

Biology

Current and Prospective Student Information

Biological Sciences M.S.

The Biological Sciences graduate program offers an advanced and rigorous education tailored for students eager to deepen their knowledge and expertise in the biological sciences. Our program provides a comprehensive curriculum that covers a wide range of disciplines, including molecular biology, ecology, evolution, genetics, physiology, and biotechnology.

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ADMISSION

GRADUATE ASSISTANTSHIPS

FACULTY ADVISORS

DEGREE PROGRESSION

How to Apply

Our program has a rolling application such that we review applications as we receive them, so we do not have any official application deadline. However, we must have enough time to process your application before your first semester begins and if you wish to apply for a Teaching Assistantship (TA) position you will need to be accepted into the program before May 1 (for any open Fall Semester TA positions) and before December 1 (for any open Spring Semester TA positions).

Students can begin their program in the fall or spring semesters.

Eligibility/Application:

GRE is not required
Minimum undergraduate GPA of 2.75

The Biological Sciences M.S. degree has 3 culminating project options, including a comprehensive exam, a starred paper, and a thesis.

For Thesis Culminating Project Students

All prospective students that want a thesis as the culminating project need to find a faculty member within the department willing to be your graduate advisor where you will gain hands-on-experience working on a research project in their lab. We will only accept student for an M.S. degree for the thesis culminating project track from whom we have a faculty advisor willing to mentor the student in their lab, so make sure to contact a faculty member before requesting to do a thesis culminating project.

When contacting a faculty member, it is recommended that you provide the faculty some information about your academic background and career interests. At the minimum, this information should include your undergraduate GPA, GRE scores, relevant work experience, and career goals.

Only after you have made contact with a member of the faculty do we recommend sending your formal graduate application to the university. In your application, it is helpful to indicate the faculty advisor who has agreed to sponsor you on a research project.

Most faculty can only accommodate a few students in their labs.
When contacting a faculty member, provide information about your academic background and career interests. At minimum, this information should include — your undergraduate GPA, GRE scores, relevant work experience and career goals.

Teaching Assistantships

One way to financially support your education is a Teaching Assistantship (TA). We award paid TA positions to graduate students to help pay for their graduate education.

As a teaching assistant, students are responsible for teaching 2-3 two-hour-long lab sections per semester of undergraduate biology laboratories. Criteria for selecting students for TA positions includes GRE scores, undergraduate GPA, prior teaching experience and the degree track of the applicant (M.S. students are given priority in TA rankings).

TA applications are accepted in the Spring and Fall. Applicants must already be accepted into our graduate program to apply for a TA position. While students enrolled in our M.A. program are still eligible to apply for TA positions, applicants enrolled in our thesis-based M.S. program are given priority in TA application rankings.

A student can occupy a TA position for a maximum of four semesters — two academic years.
If a student changes their degree plan during their TA position, they must reapply for a TA position following the completion of their initial contract.
Students with a TA position must register for BIOL 678 during their first semester of TA status.
Return your TA Application electronically to the Biological Sciences Graduate Director (Dr. Matthew Davis: mpdavis@stcloudstate.edu) before the appropriate due date.

In addition to TA positions, you can also apply for one of many Graduate Assistantships offered in other departments on campus to perform various work that also includes a stipend and tuition reimbursement.

Graduate Research Assistantships are also a possibility contingent on funding from your faculty advisor. Inquire with your faculty advisor about the possibility of Graduate Research Assistantships.

Faculty and Advising

Our faculty have diverse specializations within fields associated with Cell and Molecular Biology and Ecology and Evolution. Many of the course offerings during your graduate degree are flexible, allowing you to plan out a suite of courses with your faculty advisor that will complement and enhance your learning experience.

Masters of Science (M.S.) students will need to have a faculty advisor identified in advance of applying that has agreed to work with the student on their masters thesis that is required for the completion of the degree. Below is a list of some of the potential faculty advisors and their research interests in our department.

Biological Sciences: Biodiversity, Ecology, and Evolution
Name	Email	Areas of Expertise
Dr. Michael Bredeson	michael.bredeson@stcloudstate.edu	agricultural science, ecosystems, entomology
Dr. William Cook	wmcook@stcloudstate.edu	prairie ecology including habitat fragmentation and community ecology
Dr. Matthew Davis	mpdavis@stcloudstate.edu	evolution and tree of life of fishes with an emphasis on fishes that live in deep-sea habitats and their associated adaptations (e.g., bioluminescence, fangs)
Dr. Matthew Julius	mljulius@stcloudstate.edu	potential applications algae may have on various industries, including alternative energy sources and dietary supplements
Dr. Jennifer Lamb	jylamb@stcloudstate.edu	taxonomy and population genetics of amphibians
Dr. Angela McDonnell	angela.mcdonnell@stcloudstate.edu	evolution and biology of flowering plants
Biological Sciences: Life Science Education
Name	Email	Areas of Expertise
Dr. Felicia Leammukda	felicia.leammukda@stcloudstate.edu	STEM education and integration, teacher preparation, and curriculum and instruction
Biological Sciences: Medical, Cellular, and Molecular Biology
Name	Email	Areas of Expertise
Dr. Marina Cetkovic-Cvrlje	mcetkoviccvrlje@stcloudstate.edu	immunology, autoimmunity (experimental type 1 diabetes), transplantation (experimental pancreatic islet transplantation and bone marrow transplantation), and Janus tyrosine kinase (JAK3) inhibitors
Dr. Oladele Gazal	osgazal@stcloudstate.edu	mammalian physiology and endocrinology
Dr. Kristin Gulrud	kpgulrud@stcloudstate.edu	medical microbiology, bacterial toxins, and mechanisms of bacterial pathogenesis
Dr. Christopher Kvaal	cakvaal@stcloudstate.edu	bioinformatics, molecular biology, and genetics to study a variety of systems including causes of Toxoplasmosis
Dr. Brian Olson	blolson@stcloudstate.edu	molecular biology of human diseases including the use of cell culture and biochemistry to study human proteins involved in human diseases
Dr. Heiko Schoenfuss	hschoenfuss@stcloudstate.edu	leading researcher in aquatic toxicology and functional morphology
Dr. Timothy Schuh	tjschuh@stcloudstate.edu	early development of Xenopus laevis

Degree Progression and Completion

During your first semester of graduate school you should declare your program of study and form a graduate committee that is composed of your faculty advisor, a second faculty member from biology, and an outside faculty member from a department other than biology. Additional faculty members or external scientists/faculty can be added as approved by the faculty advisor. You must submit a form indicating the composition of your committee. Work with your advisor and committee to identify the electives that are relevant for your career goals and degree. Necessary forms are completed digitally and must be initiated by the student. For directions on how to complete the various forms please follow the link below.

Graduate Studies Forms

Options

Option 1: Comprehensive Exam

The Comprehensive Exam is a written examination designed to demonstrate understanding and integration of learning in the program. Following the completion of the exam your committee will grade it and you will need to submit a Final Evaluation Committee form indicating the result of the exam. The format of the exam is outlined below.

On-campus or Online exam
Exam consists of 10 core concept questions (i.e., Evolution; Structure and Function; Information Flow Exchange and Storage; Pathways and Transformation of Energy and Matter; Systems) and 10 coursework- based exam questions from 500 and 600 level graduate courses taken by the student.
Graduate Director chooses core concepts and coursework-based questions from a question bank provided by the graduate faculty and maintained by the Graduate Committee.
Each question is graded individually as pass/fail.
A student passes the exam with 75 percent passed answers (i.e., 15 of 20 answers are graded “pass”). A student who received a pass grade on 10-14 questions (50-70 percent) will be given one chance to retake the exam within six months of receiving the grades for the first exam. A student who received a pass on 0-9 exam questions will be considered failed and will not be given an opportunity for a retake of the exam.
Students retaking the exam will receive 10 new core concepts and 10 new course-work based questions from the question bank.
Only one retake of the exam is permitted.

Option 2: Starred Paper

During your third and fourth semester of graduate school you should begin writing your starred paper, which is a literature review on a topic of your choice of significant depth and breadth. While it depends on the faculty advisor, you will typically need to prepare a written document outlining your starred paper plan and discuss this with your advisor and committee prior to writing.

You will need to upload your starred paper into the institution repository and have it finalized for approval by the graduate school. The School of Graduate Studies provides detailed instructions on the formatting of the starred paper document and how to upload your final submission. Follow these formatting instructions carefully, as it will greatly expedite the final submission of your starred paper if it is in the proper formatting style. Also do not forget to apply for graduation in the semester you intend to graduate.

Option 3: Thesis Advisor Approval Required

Proposal Defense (M.S. Students)
During your second semester of graduate school, organize a committee meeting to discuss your proposed thesis research and your plan for how you will accomplish this work. While it depends on the faculty advisor, you will typically need to prepare a written document outlining your thesis plan and give a presentation about this plan. Following the completion of this meeting you will need to submit a form indicating the committee's decision regarding your thesis plan.

Public and Private Thesis Defense (M.S. Students)
Typically during your fourth semester of graduate school you should begin to finalize writing your thesis and preparing for your final public and private thesis defense. A public defense is a requirement for the Biology M.S. program and your public defense must be advertised at least a week in advance. In addition to a public defense, you will need to schedule a final committee meeting for your private defense.

Submission of the Thesis (M.S. Students)
After the completion of your public and private defense and the acceptance of your thesis by your graduate committee, you will need to upload your thesis into the institution repository and have it finalized for approval by the graduate school. The School of Graduate Studies provides detailed instructions on the formatting of the thesis document and how to upload your final submission. These instructions also include information on how to order bound copies of your thesis. Follow these formatting instructions carefully, as it will greatly expedite the final submission of your thesis if it is in the proper formatting style. Also do not forget to apply for graduation in the semester you intend to graduate.

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