Microbiology, M.S.

View Checksheet

Minimum Total Hours (Thesis): 30

Minimum Total Hours (Non-Thesis): 32

Program Code: M690 Q451

Thesis Track

Required Courses
MBIO 5971Seminar in Microbiology (1 hour course, two credits required)2
MBIO 5980Research for Master's Thesis2-6
Outside Courses
Choose a minimum of 3 hours selected from 5000- or 6000-level courses outside the Microbiology program (Microbiology may use Plant Biology as long as they are not cross-listed)3
Electives
Choose other 5000- and/or 6000-level courses, as approved by advisory committee19-23
Total Credit Hours30

Non-Thesis Track

Required Courses
MBIO 5971Seminar in Microbiology (maximum of one credit required)1
Choose MBIO 5000-and/or 6000-level courses (Must be regularly-scheduled classes as approved by the Graduate Advisor)15
Outside Courses
Choose a minimum of 3 hours selected from 5000- or 6000-level courses outside the Microbiology program (Microbiology may use Plant Biology as long as they are not cross-listed.)3
Electives
Choose other 5000- and/or 6000-level courses, as approved by advisory committee13
Total Credit Hours32

Non-Thesis students must pass a Comprehensive Written Examination administered by a committee of three faculty (two of whom must be Microbiology faculty) in the last year of study.

Notes

  • No more than 6 hours of Independent Research may be completed with the same instructor. No more than 12 total hours of Independent Research may be applied to the degree.
  • With department approval, up to 8 hours of transfer credit may be applied to the degree. Courses must have grades of A, B, or S; be less than 5 years old at the time of admission to the program; and not previously applied to a completed degree.

General Requirements for all Master's Degrees

The master’s degree requires the equivalent of at least two semesters of satisfactory graduate work and additional work as may be prescribed for the degree.

All coursework applied to the master’s degree must carry graduate credit.

Master’s degree programs which require a thesis consist of at least 30 credit hours. All non-thesis master’s degree programs require at least 30 credit hours.

Credit transferred from other institutions must meet specific criteria and is subject to certain limitations.

Courses completed through correspondence study may not be applied to the master’s degree.

To qualify for a graduate degree, students must achieve an overall grade point average of 3.0 or higher in the degree program coursework and in all resident graduate coursework attempted. A student must also have at least a 3.0 in all coursework (including undergraduate coursework if any).

Additional information for master's degree students may be found in the Graduate College Bulletin.