Academic Programs

Undergraduate Program

The biological sciences comprise a number of subdisciplines, ranging from molecular and cellular biology to biological evolution and ecology. To meet that educational diversity, biology majors at JSU are required to complete the following:

1. A basic core curriculum in biology (includes: Ecology, Genetics, Cell Biology, Introduction to Research in Biology and Senior Seminar)

2. A concentration in ONE of following programs currently available:

Biology Minor

Graduate Program

Biology (MS)

The Department of Biology offers a broad interdisciplinary graduate education in the biological sciences that leads to the Master of Science (M.S.) degree. The program is designed for those students that desire a broad-based curriculum with a diversity of course work.

The following information is a summary and guide designed for graduate biology majors. The Graduate Catalog includes official policies and procedures concerning such topics as admission, curriculum, and graduation.

Admission to M.S. Program

All applicants must complete an application to JSU Graduate Studies.

A completed application includes:

  • Application form, including residency certification
  • Application fee (non-refundable)
  • Official transcripts of all previous college credit

The applicant must also meet one of four formula requirements based on GPA in combination with GRE or MAT scores for unconditional admission; applicants not meeting one of these requirements may be conditionally admitted:

  1. Hold an undergraduate BS or BA degree in biology (or the equivalent) from an accredited institution.
  2. Applicants with majors in other natural sciences or mathematics will be considered, but may be required to complete additional undergraduate courses.
  3. Have completed the following JSU undergraduate lecture/laboratory courses (or their equivalent):
    Introductory Biology I and II (BY 101, 102, 103, 104)
    Genetics (BY 322)
    Ecology (BY 332)
    Cell Biology (BY 373)
  4. Completed a year of chemistry with laboratory. Depending on the applicant's graduate degree program, additional undergraduate chemistry, physics and/or mathematics (statistics) may be required.

Once admitted to the graduate program in biology, the applicant must consult with the Biology Graduate Coordinator or the Department Head. The student's application will be reviewed by the Biology Department's Graduate Coordinator (See Student Info - Advisors) and, if necessary, the Graduate Studies Committee. Deficiencies in the applicant's undergraduate program will be determined. Applicants deficient in any of the above areas will be admitted provided they meet the requirements of JSU Graduate Studies. Deficiencies should be removed by the end of the first year of graduate school.

All graduate work must:

  • Have one half of all graduate courses at the 500 level; the remainder may be at the 400G level
  • Maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale)