The Master's Program in Biology is designed primarily to accommodate the individual who wishes to pursue a research based Master of Science degree. This program provides for a broad range of student needs and interests. Such a program will serve those who wish to pursue a Ph.D., prepare for teaching positions at the college level, or for careers as technical personnel in research diagnostic laboratories, in hospitals, universities, government or industry.

1. The student must meet all requirements for graduate admission as described in the Alcorn State University General Catalog. This program requires the completion of a major body of course work of at least 30 semester hours; 9 hours will be from generally required courses (see below), 15 hours will be graduate courses from biology or related areas, and 6 hours will be thesis and research (BI-600, 601).

2. The elective courses will be approved by the student's faculty advisor and will be selected from graduate courses in biology as may be offered during the time the student is in residence.
   By the end of a student's first semester, the student should indicate his/her preference for a faculty advisor. The advisor must be a member of the Graduate Faculty and possess a terminal degree, and shall have the option to accept or reject the student.

   After the faculty advisor has been selected, the faculty advisor (in consultation with the student) will determine the course work for that student and select the members of the advisory committee.

   The membership of the student's advisory committee will consist of the following: a major professor (the student's faculty advisor) and two other faculty members. Two members of the advisory committee must be full members of the graduate faculty.

3. A written statement of planned research (i.e. research proposal) must be given to the advisory committee. The document should be carefully prepared in consultation with the student's faculty advisor. It should set forth in a concise and literate manner, the student's summary of the state of existing knowledge on the problem the individual proposes to investigate. Key references should be cited to indicate a knowledge of the pertinent literature. The problem to be attached and the methods to be employed should be clearly but concisely stated. The written statement should be one or two, but no more than five pages, typewritten and double spaced, including references which may be single-spaced.

The student will be required to prepare a Master's thesis based on original laboratory research. The thesis should develop competencies in conceptualizing research, designing experiments, selecting appropriate methodology, processing and analyzing the data, interpreting results and arriving at conclusions. It is expected that this research will lead to publication in a nationally recognized scientific journal although such publication will not be a requirement for completion of the degree.

Prior to thesis approval, the student must defend his/her thesis via oral presentation before the advisory committee. The advisory committee may invite other faculty members to attend the defense at their option.

4. There is no required competency in foreign languages.