We offer non-thesis and thesis Master of Science degrees in Biology that are tailored to the student’s individual career goals.

Possible tracks: (1) Pre-professional; (2) Microbiology; (3) Cellular, Developmental, & Molecular Biology; (4) Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; (5) Neurobiology; (6) Bioinformatics; (7) Practice of Biology

Non-Thesis MS Degree: A one-year non-thesis M.S. degree entails formal coursework, with no research requirement. This one-year professional degree is designed to prepare students for specialized careers on the track they choose.

Requires up to 33 credit hours of course work and up to 6 hours of directed studies, with the total number of credit hours not exceeding 36. Students will enroll in BIOL 685 (Directed Studies) during their final semester in order to complete their final exam. The final exam is a comprehensive written paper on a topic of interest that connects to course work done over the year.

Thesis MS Degree: Thesis M.S. degree requires significant laboratory research, and a written thesis. The degree will take 2 years to complete. The research option helps students develop scientific research skills for improved preparation for entry into PhD programs, or for direct employment in research laboratories in academia, government, and industry.

Thesis Masters: Requires 32 credit hours, including at least 8 hours of research and 24 hours of coursework. A thesis committee is required by the end of the first Fall semester and the thesis proposal needs to be approved by the committee in Summer Year 1. For thesis students, Year 1 courses outlined for the nonthesis master program can be distributed over Years 1 & 2. Additional coursework required will be relevant to your research area and will be approved by your P.I. and thesis committee by the end of Spring Semester.

*A maximum of 12 credit hours in electives may be taken outside of the department.

Applicants should have completed an undergraduate degree in one of the life sciences, with at least 3 semesters of Biology, 4 semesters of Chemistry, including Organic Chemistry, 1 semester of Biochemistry, 2 semesters of Physics, and one advanced Mathematics course beyond algebra and trigonometry.

Applications from students lacking any of the general requirements will be considered, but any deficiencies must be resolved before completion of the program. Qualified students are admitted to the Biology M.S. program under the non-thesis option.

For consideration, applications must be received by March 1, 2024.

Submit online in the Texas A&M University Graduate CAS application portal.

In addition to the online application, you will need to submit the following:

1. A Statement of Purpose:
   1. For students applying to the Non-Thesis Option, the statement of purpose should then explain why you want to pursue graduate studies, your future goals, and how you believe this program will help reach your goals.
   2. For students applying to the Thesis Option, the statement of purpose should then explain why you want to pursue graduate studies, why you are applying to our department, your research interests, and a description of your previous research experience.
2. Transcripts can be sent directly to the Texas A&M Office of Admissions (address below). You can upload unofficial transcripts to CAS; however, if you are admitted to the biology program, you must have official transcripts sent to the Office of Admissions before the start of the fall semester.
3. Two letters of recommendation should be submitted through CAS.
4. TOEFL/IELTS scores:
   1. Have TOEFL scores (for international applicants) sent to the Texas A&M Office of Admissions. The Institute Code for Texas A&M University is 6003 (there is no department code needed).
   2. IELTS scores need to be sent electronically to Texas A&M University (College Station and Galveston). Texas A&M University only accepts scores submitted electronically by the IELTS test center. No paper Test Report Forms will be accepted.
5. C.V.: Upload your resume or C.V. to CAS.
6. Letter from Faculty Member: For student’s applying to the thesis-option program, please upload a letter from the faculty member with whom you will work that states she/he will be your primary advisor.
   1. Applicants should visit the Faculty Research Interests page to identify the most suitable labs and contact the faculty directly.
7. Additional Information: We no longer take the GRE.

Please do not send any materials directly to the Department of Biology. Everything should go to the Office of Admissions or uploaded through CAS.

Biology master’s students are eligible for teaching assistantships through the Department of Biology. In order to placed on a list to receive a teaching assistantship, students must enroll in and successfully complete BIOL 697: Methods in Teaching Biology Laboratory. The course will take place in the two weeks prior to the start of the fall semester.

Biology master’s students will teaching three sections of a biology lab (e.g. BIOL 111 Lab, BIOL 112 Lab, etc.). The assistantship will give students in-state tuition and pay a monthly salary of $3,000.

Track 1: Pre-professional—This track will provide students with experience in the types of subjects covered in professional schools (e.g., medical school, dental school, veterinary school) and helps students be successful in these environments.

Fall Year 1

BIOL 613                              Cell Biology (3 cr. hr.)

BICH 606                             Biochemistry (3 cr. hr.)

BIOL 683                              Experimental Design (3 cr. hr.)

BIOL 405                              Endocrinology (3 cr. hr.)

BIOL 681                              Department Colloquium (1 cr. hr.)

XXXX XXX                             Elective (3 cr. hr.)

Spring Year 1

BIOL 456                              Medical Microbiology (4 cr. hr.)

BIOL 454                              Immunology (3 cr. hr.)

BIOL 681                              Department Colloquium (1 cr. hr.)

BIOL 696                              Ethics and RCR (1 cr. hr.)

XXXX XXX                             Electives (6 cr. hr.)

Summer Year 1

BIOL 685                              Directed Studies (5 cr. hr.)

Track 2: Microbiology—This track will provide students with in-depth knowledge of microbiology with courses focusing on both bacteria and viruses and on design of microbiological experiments.

Fall Year 1*

BIOL 647/650/651         Bioinformatics (3 cr. hr.)

BIOL 622                           Microbial Physiology (3 cr. hr.)

BICH 606                          Biochemistry (3 cr. hr.)

BIOL 689                           Biology of Viruses (3 cr. hr.)

BIOL 681                           Department Colloquium (1 cr. hr.)

XXXX XXX                         Elective (3 cr. hr.)

Spring Year 1

BIOL 606                           Microbial Genetics (3 cr. hr.)

BIOL 661                           Antimicrobial Agents (1 cr. hr.)

BIOL 681                           Department Colloquium (1 cr. hr.)

BIOL 696                           Ethics and RCR (1 cr. hr.)

XXXX XXX                         Electives (9 cr. hr.)

Summer Year 1

BIOL 685                           Directed Studies (5 cr. hr.)

*To be successful in this track, students should have previously taken microbiology course(s) that cover the following learning objectives.

1. Explain the central dogma of molecular biology;
2. Diagram DNA replication, transcription, and translation indicating the players involved in each;
3. Identify structures and components in a prokaryotic cell;
4. Compare and contrast prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms;
5. Analyze experiments in primary literature articles and provide criticisms of the articles’ findings;
6. Analyze the effects of DNA mutations (e.g., silent mutation, missense mutation, nonsense mutation or frameshift mutation) on gene expression / translation;

If the student has not taken a course that meets these learning objectives, the student should take BIOL406 in the Fall semester in place of an elective.

Track 3: Cellular, Developmental, & Molecular Biology—This track will provide students with in-depth knowledge of cell, developmental, and molecular biology with a focus on eukaryotic systems.

Fall Year 1

BIOL 647/650/651         Bioinformatics (3 cr. hr.)

BIOL 613                           Cell Biology (3 cr. hr.)

BICH 606                          Biochemistry (3 cr. hr.)

BIOL 611                           Developmental Genetics (3 cr. hr.)

BIOL 681                           Department Colloquium (1 cr. hr.)

XXXX XXX                         Elective (3 cr. hr.)

Spring Year 1

BIOL 650                           Genomics (3 cr. hr.)

BIOL 681                           Department Colloquium (1 cr. hr.)

BIOL 696                           Ethics and RCR (1 cr. hr.)

XXXX XXX                         Electives (9 cr. hr.)

Summer Year 1

BIOL 685                           Directed Studies (6 cr. hr.)

Track 4: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology—This track will provide students with in-depth knowledge of evolution and ecology with a focus on the use of genomic data.

Fall Year 1

BIOL 647/651                  Bioinformatics (3 cr. hr.)

BIOL 610                           Evolution (3 cr. hr.)

BIOL 698                           Behavior, Genes, and Evolution (3 cr. hr.) (not currently taught)

BIOL 681                           Department Colloquium (1 cr. hr.)

XXXX XXX                         Electives (6 cr. hr.)

Spring Year 1

BIOL 650                           Genomics (3 cr. hr.)

BIOL 681                           Department Colloquium (1 cr. hr.)

BIOL 696                           Ethics and RCR (1 cr. hr.)

XXXX XXX                         Electives (9 cr. hr.)

Summer Year 1

BIOL 685                           Directed Studies (6 cr. hr.)

Track 5: Neurobiology—This track will give student an in-depth knowledge of the workings of the nervous system and its study.

Fall Year 1

BIOL 611                              Developmental Genetics (3 cr. hr.)

BIOL 627                              Principles of Neuroscience I (3 cr. hr.)

BICH 606                             Biochemistry (3 cr. hr.)

BIOL 681                              Department Colloquium (1 cr. hr.)

XXXX XXX                             Elective (6 cr. hr.)

Spring Year 1

BIOL 628                           Principles of Neuroscience II (3 cr. hr.)

BIOL 644                           Neural Development (3 cr. hr.)

BIOL 681                           Department Colloquium (1 cr. hr.)

BIOL 696                           Ethics and RCR (1 cr. hr.)

XXXX XXX                         Electives (6 cr. hr.)

Summer Year 1

BIOL 685                           Directed Studies (6 cr. hr.)

Track 6: Bioinformatics—This track is appropriate for those interested in further the understanding of complex life science data using computer science skills.

Fall Year 1

BIOL 651                           Bioinformatics (3 cr. hr.)

BIOL 683                           Experimental Design (3 cr. hr.)

BIOL 613                           Cell Biology (3 cr. hr.)

BIOL 681                           Department Colloquium (1 cr. hr.)

XXXX XXX                         Elective (6 cr. hr.)

Spring Year 1

BIOL 609                           Molecular Tools (3 cr. hr.)

BIOL 650                           Genomics (3 cr. hr.)

BIOL 647                           Digital Biology (3 cr. hr.)

BIOL 681                           Department Colloquium (1 cr. hr.)

BIOL 696                           Ethics and RCR (1 cr. hr.)

XXXX XXX                         Electives (2 cr. hr.)

Summer Year 1

BIOL 685                           Directed Studies (3 cr. hr.)

Track 7: Practice of Biology—This track is appropriate for those interested in biological research but not interested in completing a thesis, for instance students who are currently working in industry or biotechnology.

Fall Year 1

BIOL 647/650/651         Bioinformatics (3 cr. hr.)

BIOL 683                           Experimental Design (3 cr. hr.)

BICH 606                          Biochemistry (3 cr. hr.)

BIOL 622                           Microbial Physiology (3 cr. hr.)

BIOL 681                           Department Colloquium (1 cr. hr.)

XXXX XXX                         Elective (3 cr. hr.)

Spring Year 1

BIOL 609                           Molecular Tools (3 cr. hr.)

BIOL 686                           Biomedical Therapeutics Dev (1 cr. hr.)

BIOL 661                           Antimicrobial Agents (1 cr. hr.)

BIOL 681                           Department Colloquium (1 cr. hr.)

BIOL 696                           Ethics and RCR (1 cr. hr.)

XXXX XXX                         Electives (6 cr. hr.)

Summer Year 1

BIOL 685                           Directed Studies (7 cr. hr.)