Department of Biology - Appalachian State University

Graduate Studies In Biology

Program Description
The Department offers programs leading to the M.S. degree. The graduate program is designed to prepare men and women for competitive careers in the field of biology, including environmental jobs and teaching and research positions, while also preparing students for further graduate and professional work at doctoral levels. Our program provides students with a comprehensive knowledge of the broad fields in biology while allowing specialization in an area of their choice. In recent years, the Graduate Program in Biology has been twice named the Outstanding Graduate Program at Appalachian State University, and a number of graduate students have been awarded grants or scholarships for their proposed and ongoing research. Several students from Biology have been selected to receive thesis and research awards from the Cratis D. Williams Graduate School.

Faculty members conduct active research in a variety of fields, including algal molecular biology, aquatic ecology, cell biology, conservation biology, cytogenetics, developmental biology, ecological genetics, entomology, immunology, microbial ecology, mycology, neurobiology, parasitology, plant physiological ecology, and systematics. Research programs in the Department of Biology receive outside funding from the National Science Foundation, Environmental Protection Agency, National Geographic Society, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, American Heart Association, Gatorade Sports Science Institute, and General Mills, Inc.

M.S. (Master of Science) Degree Requirements
Students pursuing this degree are required to complete 30 credit hours of course work and research, while maintaining a grade-point average of 3.0. Four of the 30 credit hours may be for thesis research while the remaining 26 hours are chosen in consultation with the student's advisory committee. The student must pass a comprehensive written exam in his or her area, write a thesis on research conducted under the direction of an advisor and committee, present a seminar to the Department based on the thesis research, and pass an oral defense of the thesis.

Application Procedure
An applicant for admission to the Graduate School must hold a bachelor's degree or its equivalent from an accredited American college or university, or from a foreign institution of acceptable standing. Applicants must have a minimum formula score of 2000 to meet the Graduate School requirements for admission and to receive an assistantship. The formula is calculated as 400 x the undergraduate GPA plus the GRE verbal and quantitative scores. Applicants do not need to take the advanced GRE exam.

The Biology Graduate Program requires six foundation courses that should be in an applicant's undergraduate course of study. These are: Ecology, Genetics, a cellular or subcellular level course (such as Cell Biology, Bacteriology, Molecular Biology, or Microbiology), an organismal course (such as Mammalogy, Ornithology, Systematic Botany, or Entomology), a physiology course (such as Animal or Plant Physiology), and at least one semester of Organic Chemistry. If an applicant lacks one or more of these foundation courses, they must be taken during the graduate program of study and those hours will not count toward the graduate degree. Course deficiencies will be pointed out to the student by the Graduate Program Director and can be made up during the first year in residence.

For admission to a degree program, an applicant is required to submit a packet that contains:

one completed Graduate School application form ;

one official transcript from each post- secondary institution attended - college, university, or seminary;

three recommendation letters (or completed recommendation forms) from people qualified to attest to the applicant's qualifications for graduate study;

a Personal Statement of Intent detailing graduate plans and expectations;

Scores from the verbal and quantitative portions of the GRE, and the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) if English is not the applicant's native language, or was not the language of instruction at the undergraduate level, should be forwarded directly to the Graduate School by the testing agency. Completed applications must be received by the Graduate School at least 30 days prior to the start of a semester.

Financial Assistance
Students are offered financial assistance on a competitive basis, with consideration given to grades, GRE scores, recommendations, and other significant factors. The Department offers financial support to full-time graduate students in the form of teaching assistantships (TA), research assistantships (RA), and fellowships. There are several in-state awards and out-of-state tuition remissions per year awarded to the Department. Students may also apply for the Greene Fellowship, which benefits Biology and Physics & Astronomy graduate students. In addition, there are a number of scholarships available for first-year graduate students. Some students can obtain financial support directly from grants obtained by faculty members.

Students desiring to enter school in the fall are encouraged to get their applications to the Biology Department by the end of April in order to be competitive for the assistantships, most of which are awarded early in the summer preceding the fall semester. For those students entering in the spring semester, support is often available.

Students awarded teaching assistantships are expected to teach six hours per week. Typical duties include teaching freshmen biology labs, higher level undergraduate labs, preparing labs, and grading papers. Students also take classes and perform research. Both TA and RA appointments are made each semester. A student awarded an RA does not teach but performs research under the direction of the thesis advisor. All students on assistantships are required to take nine credit hours of classes.

Summary of the Application Procedure
A prospective student should assemble and submit a complete application package to the Graduate School at least 30 days before the date they would like to attend classes. As noted above, applications for the fall should be received by the end of April to have the best chance of obtaining financial aid for the following academic year. Applicants will be informed of their status by a letter from the Associate Dean of the Graduate School and by a letter from the Biology Department Graduate Program Director. Those who intend to accept their offers of admission are requested to confirm their acceptance in writing to the Associate Dean and/or Biology Department Graduate Program Director. Potential applicants are encouraged to correspond with faculty members concerning possibilities for study and research in particular areas.

For more information, contact:

Gary Walker Dr. Gary L. Walker
Graduate Program Director
Department of Biology
572 Rivers Street
Appalachian State University
Boone, NC 28608-2027
Email: walkergl@appstate.edu
Telephone: 828-262-2672
FAX: 828-262-2127

Contact Info

Graduate Studies In Biology