GRADUATE STUDIES
The Master of Science degree in Biology is designed to provide qualified students the opportunity to further their knowledge in generalized and specialized areas of biology, as indicated by course offerings and research interests of the faculty. In addition, the Department incorporates into its offerings some areas of study leading to concentrations in Basic Medical Sciences (through cooperative agreement with the College of Medicine -see below) and in Marine Biology (through cooperative agreement with the Department of Marine Sciences and/or the Dauphin Island Sea Laboratory - see below). A student may also concurrently pursue a Class A Professional Teaching Certificate (through cooperative agreement with the College of Education - see below). Admission to the M.S. Program does not automatically qualify a student for entry into one of the special areas of concentration; students desiring such entry should familiarize themselves with the special conditions noted below and contact the Department for special rules and conditions.

REQUIREMENTS FOR ADMISSION
Students are admitted each semester.
The following criteria supplement the Graduate School criteria (see Categories of Admission):
 
REGULAR ADMISSION

1. Undergraduate major in Biology, Botany, or Zoology with a minimum GPA of 2.8 (on a 4-point scale) in all biological courses taken.
2. Two years of chemistry.
3. One year of physics or geology.
4. Mathematics at least through calculus or statistics.
5. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) score of at least 1100 on the Verbal and  Quantitative portions, with at least a score of 500 on Verbal. (An MCAT score of 24  may be substituted for the GRE by persons intending to enter a cellular/molecular  area.)
6. Students who do not speak English as their native language must submit a   minimum TOEFL score of 600.
7. Three letters of reference.
8. A letter from the student indicating their research interests.
9. A willing mentor from Biology (in this regard the student should contact the Graduate Coordinator before applying to the program).

PROVISIONAL ADMISSION

1. Undergraduate major or minor (or equivalent) in Biology, Botany, or Zoology.
2. A minimum undergraduate GPA of 2.5 (on a 4-point scale), with a minimum of 2.8  on all biological courses taken.
3.  Submission of GRE (or MCAT) score as outlined above, but without minimum score requirements, and a minimum TOEFL score of 600.

NON-DEGREE ADMISSION
The Department of Biological Sciences accepts Non-Degree Graduate Students within the general admission and credit regulations of the University of South Alabama with certain reservations and limitations. Students should consult the Department concerning these limitations before applying for such status. Included, but not limited to, are the following:

1. Students are restricted to enrollment in courses prefixed BLY that the Chair determines will advance their career development in biological sciences. Only in exceptional cases wherein it is determined to the satisfaction of the Chair that the aforementioned career goals are enhanced will a non-degree student be permitted to enroll in courses in other departments.
2. Students must confer with the Chair or the Graduate Coordinator of the Department of Biological Sciences before attempting to enroll in any class.
3. Students seeking to change from non-degree status to a degree-granting program must reapply and be evaluated as any other student who has not  previously applied to such program.

CONCENTRATION IN BASIC MEDICAL SCIENCES (BMS)
The purpose of this track is to provide qualified beginning graduate students with an opportunity to become research scientists in biology with an emphasis in basic medical science. Course work and research opportunities are offered in the Departments of Biochemistry, Microbiology/Immunology, Pharmacology, Physiology, and Structural and Cellular Biology in the College of Medicine, as well as in the Department of Biological Sciences. Students fulfill the normal criteria for the MS degree in Biology. Students must complete thesis research in basic medical sciences. This track prepares the student for additional graduate study in the basic medical sciences leading to the Ph.D. degree. A non-thesis option is not available.
Students are expected to choose a major professor and to define a thesis topic by the end of the first year in residence. The student and the major professor select an advisory committee consisting of the major professor, who may be from either Basic Medical Sciences (with a co-major professor from Biological Sciences) or the Department of Biological Sciences, and at least one other member from Biological Sciences.

CONCENTRATION IN MARINE BIOLOGY
Dauphin Island Sea Laboratory
The Dauphin Island Sea Laboratory is supported by nineteen colleges and universities in Alabama to form one marine campus. Students in the MS program Biological Sciences at the University of South Alabama may take courses through the sea laboratory and apply credits earned toward fulfilling requirements for the MS degree. Students frequently choose to spend part of their time, particularly in the summers, at Dauphin Island and the rest of their time on the main campus in Mobile. Other arrangements are also possible.

GRADUATE ASSISTANTSHIPS
The Department offers several types of assistantships to qualified students. Application forms for assistantships with primary responsibilities in teaching and preparing laboratories are available from the departmental office. In addition, some assistantships with primary responsibility in research are usually available each year. These assistantships are associated with grants and contracts that support the research of individual faculty members. In all cases, assistantships are approved by the Dean of the Graduate School upon recommendation of the appropriate sponsor within the University. To be eligible for an assistantship, MCAT or GRE scores must be submitted to the Biology Department.