M.S. in Physiology

Attention grabber for MS Physiology applicants.
We are “currently accepting applications to the M.S. Program for the 2024-2025
Application information can be found on the Graduate School website.
Please contact Mrs. Jennifer Wells at Jennifer.wells@louisville.edu when you have submitted your application to let the department know that you have applied.

 

PROGRAM OVERVIEW AND OBJECTIVES

The Department of Physiology is located in the Health Sciences Center of the University of Louisville which provides our graduate students with an active and intellectually stimulating environment.  Our Graduate Program offers a Master of Science Degree to provide several career options. The Pre-HealthCare concentration is for students who wish to enhance their credentials for admission to and performance in professional healthcare programs. The Research concentration is to: 1) develop competence in directed research for advanced technical positions in industry, government, and university medical research laboratories; 2) prepare students with a good general knowledge of human physiology to enable them to communicate physiological concepts to future students; and 3) explore the possibility of a future career as an independent scientist in medically-related research.

The typical Master of Science (M.S.) Graduate Program consists of thirty (30) semester hours typically over a twelve-month (3 semesters) period to include the following:  14 credit hours of physiology and biochemistry and at least 16 credit hours of electives.

ADMISSION

APPLICATION PROCEDURES

The University of Louisville Graduate School catalog gives a general  description of admission procedures.  Application information can be found on the Graduate School website (www.graduate.louisville.edu).  The following application items must be submitted to the Graduate School Admissions Office at the University of Louisville.

  1. One official transcript of the applicant's previous work for each college or university that has been previously attended.  Transcripts from institutions outside the U.S. must be certified by the ECE (Education Credential Evaluators) or WES (World Education Services).
  2. At least two letters of recommendation from people who are well acquainted with the applicant's previous academic work.
  3. TOEFL Examination scores required for international students for whom English is not their primary language.
  4. A non-returnable application  fee to the University of Louisville.
  5. Applicants must state in a letter (referred to as the Personal Statement in the application materials), why they desire a M.S. degree in the Department of Physiology.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

  1. A cumulative undergraduate grade point average that is usually 2.80 or higher on a scale of 4.00 (A=4, B=3, etc.)

For international students for whom English is not their primary language, the applicant must achieve a TOEFL Examination score of 550 (paper) or 213 (computerized).

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)


REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MASTER'S DEGREE

ADVISOR SELECTION

FIRST SEMESTER TEMPORARY ADVISOR

  1. The Director of Graduate Studies will meet with the new student to discuss the academic and research interests. The Director of Graduate Studies will serve as a Temporary Advisor until a Permanent Advisor is selected.
  2. During the first semester of their graduate study, Research concentration students visit research laboratories in which they have an interest.  First-year students must select a principal advisor.  The selection process involves approval by the student, the Principal Advisor, the Director of Graduate Studies, and the Department Chair.
  3. The Director of Graduate Studies will serve as the Academic Advisor for students in the Pre-HealthCare concentration.

MINIMUM PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

At least 30 semester hours beyond the Baccalaureate Degree are required for the degree of Master of Science.  A maximum of 6 semester credit hours (CH) may be credited  from post-baccalaureate work in other professional or graduate degree programs.

MINIMUM COURSE REQUIREMENTS

The typical M.S. Program must include the following courses taken on a grade basis:

Fall semester:
PHZB 605 (required) 5 CH
BIOC 645 (required) 4 CH
Electives 3 CH

Spring semester:
PHZB 606 (required) 5 CH
Electives 6 CH
Seminar 1 CH

Summer:
Electives 6 CH
All electives must be graduate levels courses. Electives may include but are not limited to:

Fall:     
PHZB 604     Stem Cell Biology 3 CH Pre-Health
PHZB 607     Principles of Presentation 3 CH Pre-Health
PHZB 617     Seminar 1 CH    Res. or Pre-Health
PHZB 619     Research 3 CH    Res. or Pre-Health
PHZB 630     Eye Physiology 3 CH   Pre-Health

Spring:                    

PHZB 608    Physiological Concepts Related to the Metabolic Syndrome
PHZB 611    Advanced Human Cardiovascular Physiology
PHZB 619    Research  3 CH   Res. or Pre-Health
PHZB 621    Physiological Adaptation to Exercise, Immobility, and Inactivity
PHZB 630    Eye Physiology 3 CH   Pre-Health

Summer:      
PHZB 619     Research 6 CH   Res. or Pre-Health
PHZB 615     Clinical Physiology 6 CH   Pre-Health

Other Potential Graduate Elective Course Areas:
Communications
Sociology
Psychology
Biostatistics
Public Health
Pharmacology
Oral Biology

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

A student must have at least a 3.0 accumulated GPA to be graduated with a degree of Master of Science in Physiology.  In general, a student with a GPA that is less than 3.0 at the end of the second semester will require a 2/3 majority vote of the Departmental faculty to continue in the Program.  A student may not be graduated with more than 6 CH of “C” grades in their required courses.

FINAL EXAMINATION

The Research concentration M.S. student will take a Final Examination during the last semester of the M.S. Program.  The Final Examination shall consist of an oral presentation.  This exam may take the form of a presentation of the research experience or a detailed review of a selected topic. 

 The Pre-HealthCare concentration M.S. student will be given a final as part of the Clinical Physiology course during their last semester.

How to Apply

The University of Louisville Graduate School catalog gives a general description of admission procedures.  Application information can be found on the Graduate School website (https://louisville.edu/graduate/). The following application items must be submitted to the Graduate School Admissions Office at the University of Louisville.

  1. One official transcript of the applicant's previous work for each college or university that has been previously attended. Transcripts from institutions outside the U.S. must be certified by the ECE (Education Credential Evaluators) or WES (World Education Services).
  2. Two letters of recommendation from people who are well acquainted with the applicant's previous academic work.
  3. TOEFL Examination scores for foreign students from non-English speaking countries.
  4. A non-returnable application fee to the University of Louisville.
  5. Applicants must state in a letter to the Department but submitted to the SIGS (referred to as the Personal Statement in the application materials), why they desire a M.S. degree in this Department of Physiology.

Admission Requirements

  1. A cumulative undergraduate grade point average that is usually 2.80 or higher on a scale of 4.0 (A=4, B=3, etc.).
  2. In the case of a foreign applicant from a non-English speaking country, the applicant must achieve a TOEFL Examination score of 550 (paper) or 213 (computerized).

Jennifer Wells
Academic Coordinator, Sr.
jkwell02@louisville.edu
(502) 852-6231

Dale A. Schuschke, Ph.D.
Professor
Director of Departmental Graduate Studies
daschu01@louisville.edu
(502) 852-7571