The degree program is available to qualified individuals possessing a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.

A biology undergraduate major is preferred. However, other majors containing sufficient biology, chemistry and math may be acceptable.

The Department of Biology offers master’s degrees with programs of study tailored to the needs and interests of a diverse student population. Students may enroll on a full or part-time basis. The Department of Biology offers both thesis and non-thesis options.

The thesis option is generally chosen by students with career goals which include a research emphasis. Students choosing this option take course work and carry out an intensive independent research project under the supervision of a member of the Graduate Faculty, culminating in a written thesis based upon the research project.

The non-thesis option is usually chosen by those who wish to advance their knowledge of biology but are not sure of a specific career goal or do not anticipate a research emphasis in their future.

Students who wish to pursue an accelerated non-thesis Master’s Degree in Biology (BA-BS/MS) will be allowed to apply up to nine (9) hours of coursework taken for graduate credit while enrolled as an undergraduate. An additional twenty-four (24) hours of graduate coursework will constitute the minimum number of credit hours for obtaining the non-thesis master’s in the accelerated program.

Program Admission Procedure

The following requirements must be met in order to be admitted to any M.S. graduate program in the Department of Biology:

1.  The applicant must have a baccalaureate degree with a major in biology or an acceptable sub-discipline of biology.

2.  The applicant must meet the following minimum admission standards:

•         an undergraduate GPA of 3.0/4.0 or higher;
•         a composite score or at least 1100 on the general test section (verbal + quantitative) and 3.5 on the analytical writing section of the GRE.  An MCAT composite of 24 (at least 8 in each section) or a DAT composite of 51 (at least 17 in each section) are acceptable alternatives;
•         a TOEFL score (for foreign applicants) of 535 or higher (paper exam), 235 or higher (computer exam) or 83 or higher (internet exam).  Students holding a baccalaureate or advanced degree from an accredited institution in the United States are exempt from this requirement.       

3.  All applicants should review the research specialties of the Departmental faculty to ensure that an area compatible with the student's research interests is available.  Faculty research interests and e-mail links are found at http://louisville.edu/a-s/biology.

Additional guidelines for the accelerated program are as follows:

1. Students must:
• apply for admission to this program no later than the end of their Junior year [a total of 90 degree applicable hours], and
• must have completed Biology 240/242/244, 329, 301 or 363, and 330/331 with grades of “B” or better.
• Once approved, the student may take a maximum of nine (9) hours for graduate credit while in undergraduate status, which can also apply to the requirements for the BA or BS in Biology. All graduate coursework must be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies.
2. Students enrolling in the accelerated program will be non-thesis students and must adhere to all policies pertaining to Graduate Students.

Your application will be complete when we have all of the following (final action on your application cannot be taken until all items have been received):

Send to the Office of Graduate Admissions, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292:

1. a completed application form and application fee;
2. one official transcript of all previous undergraduate and graduate work;
3. Graduate Record Examination Scores (General Test Section), MCAT or DAT scores;
4. two or more letters of recommendation from persons familiar with your academic performance and;
5. for foreign students, results of the TOEFL Examination.

Send to the Director of Graduate Studies, Department of Biology, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292:

1. a completed departmental application (Information Form) which can be found on the Biology web page at http://louisville.edu/a-s/biology/graduate.html.

Deadline for completed applications to be reviewed are:

July 15 for Fall admission, December 1 for Spring admission, and April 15 for Summer admission. 

If these dates fall on a weekend, the deadline is the next working day.

The official notification of admission or denial will come from the Graduate School, and will be based on a recommendation from the Department of Biology.

Notification of acceptance to the Department of Biology graduate program does not carry with it the promise of financial support; however, all students admitted to the program will be considered for one of the following types of financial support, if they qualify.

Graduate Assistantships

Graduate Teaching Assistantships (GTA) are awarded by the Graduate Committee of the Department of Biology to meet instructional needs of the department and enhance the educational progress of the student. A monthly stipend, tuition remission and health insurance are provided. All applicants selected for GTA support by the department will be notified by letter.

Another source of financial support may be available from individual faculty members who have extramural or intramural funding that provides support for a graduate student as a Graduate Research Assistant (GRA). The faculty member holding a grant selects eligible graduate students to fill GRA positions.

If you have questions or need further information, please contact the Director of Graduate Studies, Department of Biology, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky 40292 by mail, phone [(502) 852-6771], or by FAX, [(502) 852-0725]. The current Director of Graduate Studies is Dr. Joseph M. Steffen (E-mail: joe.steffen@louisville.edu).

Requirements for the M.S. degree in Biology and for the Accelerated BA-BS/MS in Biology

One course to be selected from each of two (thesis option) or three (non-thesis option) of the following categories:

NOTE: A minimum of 12 (thesis option) or 17 (non-thesis option) semester hours, exclusive of thesis credit, must be in courses at the 600 level. Students intending to seek a Ph.D. degree later are advised to take as many of their courses as possible at the 600 level or above.