| AREAS OF CONCENTRATION |
| Students who wish to concentrate
in a specific area may want to follow one of
these optional tracks: |
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| 1. Marine
Biology |
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Biology majors desiring a concentration in marine biology should follow the recommended four-year curriculum for biology majors. At least one term must be spent in residence at the Marine Environmental Sciences Consortium at Dauphin Island or other approved marine lab, after the sophomore year. The department recommends that students select courses from: BLY 360, BLY 367, BLY 430, BLY 451, BLY 471, BLY 474, BLY 475 and BLY 478. |
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Dauphin Island Sea Laboratory publishes an Information Bulletin each year. Students may request a copy of the Information Bulletin by writing or calling: Registrar, Dauphin Island Sea Laboratory, Post Office Box 369-370, Dauphin Island, AL 36528, (251) 861-2141. |
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| 2. Environmental
Science |
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Biology majors desiring a concentration in environmental science should focus primarily on biology and chemistry. BLY 325 or BLY 475 is required. The following biology courses are recommended: BLY 314, BLY 352, BLY 360 and BLY 433. Upon consultation with the student’s faculty advisor, additional biology electives are to be selected from the following: Cell Biology/Biochemistry, Non-Vascular Plants, Ecotoxicology (BLY 515), Freshwater Ecology (BLY 426), Additional courses augmenting this concentration include: CH 414, GY 111, GY 112 and GY 311; GEO 310; and SY 467. |
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| 3. Pre-Health
Professions |
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Biology majors planning a career in medicine, dentistry, optometry, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, or other preprofessional fields should follow the recommended curriculum for biology majors. A year of physics and one or more semesters of genetics and cell biology are strongly recommended for pre-health professional students. |
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| Biology majors may select a traditional minor offered by departments in the College of Arts and Sciences or the Mitchell College of Business or select a minor in Related Sciences by taking CH 131, CH 132, CH 201 and any two courses from the following: |
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CH 202, CH 265, CH 414, CH 440, CH 441
GY 111, GY 112, GY 344, GY 371, GY 413, GY 461
MAS 573, MAS 575, MAS 589 |
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| GENERAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS
FOR BIOLOGY MAJORS |
| Areas I, II, and IV of
the General Education Requirements for Biology
are specified in the College of Arts and Sciences section. Note that Area III requirements
(Mathematics and Natural Sciences) are fulfilled
by the major requirements specified above. |
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| UNDERGRADUATE SENIOR THESIS IN BIOLOGY |
| The Biology Senior Thesis Program
offers bright, academically motivated undergraduate
students the opportunity to develop research
and communication skills in preparation for
a graduate or professional career. To apply
for admission into the program, a student must: |
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| 1. |
Have completed BLY 121, 121L, BLY 122, 122L, CH 131, CH 132, plus one more upper division biology course. |
| 2. |
Have earned a 3.25 GPA or better in biology courses attempted. |
| 3. |
Have earned a 3.0 GPA or better overall. |
| 4. |
Obtain a recommendation from a faculty member. |
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| In addition to fulfilling the requirements of the standard biology program, senior thesis students must complete: |
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| 1. |
Participate in the Undergraduate Senior Thesis in Biology program for four terms; this may include summer terms. |
| 2. |
Complete a minimum of six credits of directed research, three credits of which must be Honors Research in Biology (BLY 499). |
| 3. |
Complete a formal research prospectus including an introduction, proposed methods, and relevant literature citations. The prospectus must be submitted and approved during the first term of participation in the program. |
| 4. |
Complete a formal written report of the final research project in the form of a scientific paper. |
| 5. |
Present a formal oral defense of the final research project for the Department of Biological Sciences. |
| 6. |
Complete a poster presentation at the USA Annual Research Forum or the UCUR Annual Research Forum. |
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| Students participating in the Biology Senior Thesis Program who have a 3.5 GPA will also be eligible for University Departmental Honors status. |
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| Biology students who are part of the University Honors Program will meet requirements for the Undergraduate Biology Senior Thesis as well as those of the University's program. |
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| REQUIREMENTS FOR A MINOR
IN BIOLOGY |
| Twenty-four hours of biology
are required, including: |
| 1.
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BLY
121, BLY 121L,
BLY 122, BLY 122L
(General Biology). |
| 2. |
Sixteen hours of biology electives, at least eight of which must be in laboratory courses taken in the Biology department at the University of South Alabama. |
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| Credit will not be allowed for both the non-major sequence (BLY 101, BLY 101L and BLY 102, BLY 102L) and the major/minor sequence (BLY 121, BLY 121L, BLY 122, BLY 122L.) |
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| 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 next page) and
in Marine Biology (through cooperative agreement
with the Department of Marine Sciences and/or
the Dauphin Island Sea Laboratory). 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. |
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| REQUIREMENTS FOR ADMISSION |
| Students are admitted
each semester. |
| The following criteria
supplement the Graduate School criteria (see
Categories of Admission): |
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| 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). |
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| 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. |
| 4. Three letters of reference. |
| 5. A letter from the student indicating their research interests. |
| 6. A willing mentor from Biology (in this regard the student should contact the Graduate Coordinator before applying to the program). |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| REQUIREMENTS FOR DEGREE FOR
ALL STUDENTS |
| Students will find detailed
explanation of special departmental requirements
in a document, “Special Policies and Procedures
Regarding the Master’s Degree Program in
the Department of Biological Sciences.” This document is available from the departmental
office or the Biology
web site, and describes initial orientation
for new students, administration of the comprehensive
examination, departmental seminars, and the
like. |
| The curriculum for each
student will be developed by the student’s
advisory committee in view of the student’s
professional goals. If, in the opinion of a
student’s committee, the student lacks
adequate undergraduate preparation or English skills, the student
will be required to make up such deficiencies. |
| All requirements must be met in five years. In addition to satisfying
the general requirements of the Graduate School,
the candidates for the Master of Science degree
in Biology must satisfy the following requirements: |
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| Thesis Program |
| 1. Complete,
with a minimum grade of “B”, thirty
hours, of which at least twenty-four hours
must be course work at the 400 or 500 level. All Biology graduate students, including those with a BMS or Marine Biology concentration, must complete at least six hours of formal coursework in BLY (excluding directed studies and thesis) listed courses. No course at the 300 level or below
may be taken for graduate credit. A maximum
of six credit hours may be granted
for Directed Studies (BLY 594). All courses
must be accepted by the student’s
graduate advisory committee. The student’s
graduate committee may, at
its option, after consultation with the student,
require demonstration of additional
proficiency in mathematics,
computer skills, statistics,
and/or require the student to take additional
course work beyond the twenty-four
hour minimum. |
| 2. Complete
a thesis representing original research. A maximum
of six hours credit will
be granted for the thesis. Enrollment in BLY 599 (Thesis) is not permitted until
the student’s research prospectus has been
approved by the advisory committee
and the Directory of Graduate Studies, College
of Arts and Sciences. |
| 3. Enroll
in Biology Seminar during at least two semesters
of residency. |
| 4. Complete
successfully a comprehensive written examination
in the student’s general
area(s) of expertise as indicated by their research
project and course work.
The student’s graduate committee determines
what defines the ‘area(s) of expertise’.
This examination may be taken only after the
student has completed 18
hours of graduate work excluding thesis credits.
The student, with the endorsement
of the major professor, should submit to the
department a letter of intent
to take the examination one week prior to its
administration. The comprehensive
examination is a requirement for graduation,
not for admission to regular
graduate standing. Candidates failing the comprehensive
examination may
be examined over the parts of the test which
they failed after a minimum three-month
delay. No portion of the comprehensive examination
may be taken more
than twice. |
| 5. Make
an oral defense of the thesis. |
| 6. A
student that starts as a ‘thesis student’ will be allowed to change their status to non-thesis
only with the majority consent of their committee. |
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| Non-Thesis Program |
| Students planning to pursue
the Ph.D. degree are encouraged to follow the
thesis option. However, a non-thesis curriculum
is available for those students who so elect.
The student will be required to complete the
same degree requirements as those for a student
who chooses the thesis option, with the following
exceptions. |
| 1. A
thesis will not be required. Consequently BLY
599 (Thesis) may not be taken, and
the six semester hours normally associated with
it must be earned through formal
course work. |
| 2. The
student must complete BLY 594 (Directed Studies)
under the direction of a major
professor. The student must also have a faculty
committee whose members
will decide if the student’s report relating
to the directed study is satisfactory.
The committee normally will consist of the major
professor and two others.
The student is required to present an open seminar
about the directed study
during the last semester of residency. |
| 3. A
non-thesis student is allowed to change their
status to ‘thesis’ only with the majority
consent of their committee. |
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