Biology - PhD

Biology is an exceedingly broad discipline, and the Division of Biology graduate program exploits this exciting diversity of research opportunities. The graduate faculty members of the Division of Biology strongly believe research is the preeminent feature of our training responsibilities. Our faculty are a coalition of scientists with a wide diversity of experimental expertise. In partnership with a major advisor and a supervisory committee, each graduate student pursues a mixture of course work and research activities that comprise an individualized program of study. This partnership tailors the program to the needs of each student, and selects coursework from a set of available courses in the student's area of interest. We require that each student write a thesis (MS) or dissertation (PhD) based on original research, of sufficient quality and importance to merit publication in a peer-reviewed journal. 

The Biology Ph.D. degree requires a minimum of 90 credit hours, including 24-30 hours of graded course work (15 hours at the 800 level or higher), depending on the student's background, and at least 30 hours of research for the dissertation. Students may chose from all graduate courses, including all Division of Biology Graduate Courses listed in the Graduate catalog. Course selection should be based on consultation with, and approval by the student's supervisory committee. All students are required to take BIOL 863, Professional Skills in Biology (3 hours) during their first year.