Biology, MS

The MS in biology offers several culminating experience options students may apply for and pursue within the degree. Options currently include completing a capstone or a thesis. Students completing a capstone will have a coursework focused degree, while students completing a thesis will have a research focus, since they conduct research throughout their program under the guidance of a faculty advisor. Though experiences differ depending on the culminating experience, both options award students an MS in biology upon degree completion. Please note that application processes differ between the two, described in more detail in the section below.

Moreover, the MS in biology is available in both campus immersion and online modalities. Prospective students have the option of applying for the thesis or capstone culminating experience in the campus immersion offering. However, students only have the option of applying for and completing a capstone culminating experience in the online modality at this time.

The thesis culminating experience involves an MS in biology that is focused on research. If offered admission, students are offered the opportunity to work with a specific faculty advisor or two co-advisors. Throughout their time in the degree, students conduct research with their faculty advisor's and faculty committee's guidance, culminating in a written thesis that students must orally defend in their final semester. Below are some additional details about this program.

Time to degree completion: typically 2 years

Number of faculty committee members required: 3 members required

Modality options: campus immersion only

Degree requirements: 30 credit hours and a thesis

Required Core (3 credit hours)

• BIO 541 SOLS Seminar Series (1)
• BIO 542 SOLS Current Topics in the Life Sciences (1)
• BIO 610 Introduction to Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) in Life Sciences (1) or BIO 611 Current Topics in Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) in the Life Sciences (1)

Electives (21 credit hours)

• At least 6 electives credits must be BIO 592 Research
• The remaining 15 credits may be any combination of additional BIO 592 Research or graduate life science elective courses chosen in consultation with the student's faculty advisor

Culminating Experience (6 credit hours)

• BIO 599 Thesis (6)

The capstone culminating experience involves an MS in biology that is focused on coursework. Admitted students complete life science courses, culminating in a capstone project completed in their final semester. This is typically a final paper where students bring together knowledge learned in prior courses in a way that is meaningful and relevant to their professional goals. In the paper, students summarize current knowledge of an important topic in the biological sciences, and demonstrate their ability to integrate core concepts of biological thinking. Below are some additional details about this program.

Time to degree completion: 1-2 years

Number of faculty committee members required: 1 member required (typically the program director)

Modality options: campus immersion and online

Degree requirements: 30 credit hours and a capstone

Required Core (3 credit hours)

• BIO 541 SOLS Seminar Series (1)
• BIO 542 SOLS Current Topics in the Life Sciences (1)
• BIO 610 Introduction to Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) in Life Sciences (1) or BIO 611 Current Topics in Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) in the Life Sciences (1)

Electives (24 credit hours)

Culminating Experience (3 credit hours)

• BIO 597 Capstone (3) - taken in the final semester

Research and thesis

Applications open September 1 for admission in Fall of the following year. The application deadline is November 15. We accept applications for Fall semesters only. We cannot guarantee that applications received after the November 15 deadline will be considered for admission.

All applicants must apply by filling out ASU's Graduate Admissions application. All application materials must be submitted through the application or to Graduate Admissions directly. Please do not mail or email any documents to the School of Life Sciences. 

Required materials and information include the following:

• 1-2 page personal statement
• An up to date CV or resume
• The names of relevant SOLS faculty you have been in touch with who you might be interested in being supervised by
• Unofficial transcripts and English proficiency test scores (if applicable)
• The names and emails of at least 3 recommenders to write you letters of recommendation. It is strongly encouraged you select college professors and/or research supervisors to provide evaluations of your academic and research experience.

Coursework and capstone

Admission to the coursework and capstone option both on campus and online is more flexible. Applicants may apply to start in fall, spring, or summer semesters. The deadline to apply for each semester is as following: July 15th for the Fall semester, December 15 for the Spring semester, and April 15 for the Summer semester. Please keep in mind, the Summer starts are reserved only for those enrolled in the online Biology MS program. If we receive your application late, we will consider you for admission for the following semester.

All applicants must apply by filling out ASU's Graduate Admissions application. All application materials must be submitted through the application or to Graduate Admissions directly. Please do not mail or email any documents to the School of Life Sciences. 

Required materials and information include the following:

• 1-2 page personal statement
• An up to date CV or resume
• Unofficial transcripts and English proficiency test scores (if applicable)
• The names and emails of at least 3 recommenders to write you letters of recommendation. It is strongly encouraged you include at least one letter from a college professor, and you are strongly discouraged from including letters from family and friends.

Research and thesis

Following the November 15 deadline, faculty will begin reviewing applications. Applicants should monitor their My ASU priority tasks to ensure there are no missing materials in their application. Admission decisions will begin in March, and applicants typically receive final decisions by April 1.

Coursework and capstone

Students applying to complete the capstone option will have their applications reviewed as soon as we have all required materials on file. This typically means we are waiting to review until the three letters of recommendation are submitted. It is important you communicate with your recommenders to ensure timely submissions in order for us to move your application through to be reviewed. Applicants typically receive a decision within 2-4 weeks of all application materials being received.

Minimum requirements for admission include the following:

• Cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale
• International applicants must satisfy university minimum requirements for English proficiency (TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo, PTE). There are other ways to demonstrate English proficiency beyond the tests, so please refer to ASU's English proficiency webpage to review how you might satisfy requirements.

Desired qualifications typically seen in competitive candidates (particularly applicable if applying to complete a thesis):

• Research experience and a letter of recommendation from a faculty research supervisor
• English proficiency scores that meet these teaching assistant language proficiency requirements

Please note that the GRE is not required.

There is a unique process for eligible ASU undergraduate students to apply to an accelerated BS/MS program in the School of Life Sciences, involving a two-phase application process students initiate when they have about 75 credit hours of their bachelor's completed. Please see details about accelerated BS/MS programs and our application process by reviewing the Accelerated Bachelor's and Master's of Science webpage.

In the School of Life Sciences, there is no funding guarantee for students admitted to a master's degree. If admitted, master's students are able to request teaching assistant positions each semester. However, positions may only be assigned on a first come, first serve basis pending position availability. Research assistant positions are uncommon for master's students but ultimately depend on the student's faculty research supervisor (if completing a thesis). Teaching and research assistant positions for master's students come with a salary for the semester assigned, but do not include tuition or health insurance assistance. 

Given the lack of position guarantee, master's students should ensure they understand the tuition costs they will be responsible for. Campus immersion tuition varies depending on a student's residency status, while online tuition has its own charge breakdown. To review anticipated tuition costs, please utilize ASU's tuition estimator. Online students must be sure select the M.S. Biology from the dropdown in the section called "Academic programs with undergraduate college fee, differential or program tuition" for an accurate estimate.