The program for the M.S. degree must be completed within a period of three (3) years beginning with the first semester of enrollment in which the student is accepted to a degree program.

MU requires a minimum of 30 hours of graduate credit beyond the bachelor’s degree (or its equivalent) for a master’s degree. Fifteen of the 30-hour minimum must be selected from courses numbered at 8000 or 9000 level. No more than 40 percent (12 credit hours) of the 30-hour credit requirement can be satisfied by research.

Full-time enrollment is defined as enrollment in 9 credit hours per semester in the fall and spring semesters and 4.5 hours in the summer. 

The Division requires all Master's students to take the following courses as part of their degree program.

• BIO_SC 8050, Professional Survival Skills (3 credits) - Year 1, Fall
• BIO_SC 8060, Ethical Conduct of Research (1 credit) - Year 1, Spring
• BIO_SC 8087, DBS Seminar (4 credits total) - Years 2 and 3, Fall and Spring
• BIO_SC 8187, Grad Seminar/Biolunch (4 credits total)  - Years 2 and 3, Fall and Spring

The remainder of the 30 hours is made up of courses, selected in consultation with their faculty advisor, and research toward the thesis.

The Division requires a thesis for degree completion. The thesis must be the student’s own work and must demonstrate a capacity for research and independent thought. 

A student must successfully orally defend the thesis in a public seminar followed by a closed meeting of the committee. 

The program for the Ph.D. degree must be completed within a period of five (5) years beginning with the first semester of enrollment in which the student is accepted to a degree program.

MU requires a minimum of 72 credit hours, including 15 hours of 8000-9000 level coursework exclusive of research. 

A student's doctoral committee may recommend that up to 30 hours of post-baccalaureate graduate credit from a regionally accredited University be transferred toward the total hours required for the doctoral degree.

Full-time enrollment is defined as enrollment in 9 credit hours per semester in the fall and spring semesters and 5 hours in the summer. After successful completion of the comprehensive examination, full-time enrollment is 2 credit hours in the fall and spring semesters and 1 hour in the summer session. 

The Division requires all Ph.D. students to take the following courses as part of their degree program.

• BIO_SC 8050, Professional Survival Skills (3 credits) 
• BIO_SC 8060, Ethical Conduct of Research (1 credit) 
• BIO_SC 8087, DBS Seminar (10 credits total) 
• BIO_SC 8187, Grad Seminar/Biolunch (6 credits total)  

The remainder of the 72 hours is made up of courses, selected in consultation with a student's faculty advisor, and research toward the dissertation.

The doctoral degree requires successful completion of a Qualifying Exam and a Comprehensive Exam.  

The Qualifying Examination occurs at the end of the student's first year and involves presentation of a student's research interests and plan of study to the student's Doctoral Program Committee. The goal of the exam is to identify areas the student needs to develop to accomplish their research interests.

The Comprehensive Examination is taken after most of coursework has been completed and consists of written and oral sections. Most advisors in the Division require students to write a proposal about their intended dissertation research and present it to the student's Doctoral Program Committee.  The aim of the comprehensive exam is to evaluate that the student has the depth of knowledge needed in his/her area of specialty to propose and conduct sound research as well as a breadth of knowledge in biology as a whole.

The Division requires a dissertation for degree completion. The dissertation must be written on a subject approved by the candidate’s doctoral program committee, must embody the results of original and significant investigation and must be the candidate’s own work.

A student must successfully orally defend the dissertation in a public seminar as well as in a closed meeting of the committee.