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As a state-funded institution of higher education, the ³ÉÈËAVÊÓƵ requires graduate students to have a baccalaureate degree from an institution accredited by an acceptable institutional accreditor and a minimum of a 3.0 grade point average for the final 60 hours of their undergraduate degree. Applicants that do not have an undergraduate degree in biology can still apply to the graduate program in biology but will need to have a minimum of 12 credit hours of upper-level undergraduate biology courses before they can be considered for admission.

Admission to either MS program (thesis or non-thesis track) requires a student to have identified and communicated with a graduate faculty member in the Department of Biology (or partnering institutions for the non-thesis MS in biomedical sciences) that has agreed to act as their research advisor. Since the MA program does not include a research component a research advisor is not required for admission.

In addition to their GPA, applicants will be judged on their personal statement, and a minimum of three letters of recommendation from previous faculty or employers that can speak to the applicant’s ability to succeed in graduate coursework and research in biology. The personal statement should include information on the applicant’s research interests and goals, previous research, teaching or work experience in biology or other scientific field, identification of the graduate faculty member they hope to work with, and whether they are interested in obtaining funding through a teaching assistantship. While submission of GRE scores is not required, inclusion may strengthen applications of those that have borderline undergraduate GPA and little or no research experience.

Admission to both the MS and MA programs is offered to eligible students in both the fall and spring semesters. Those students without the necessary prerequisite coursework may enroll at ³ÉÈËAVÊÓƵ as a non-degree seeking post-baccalaureate student to complete the foundational courses. Students who wish to enroll as a non-degree seeking post-baccalaureate student may apply for any semester. The program coordinator may allow non-degree seeking post-baccalaureate students to enroll in select graduate courses on a case-by-case basis, but permission to take graduate level courses does not guarantee admission to the program, nor does it guarantee inclusion of those courses into an official program of study.

Application Requirements

The following forms are for Biology graduate students and graduate faculty mentors. If you have any questions about these forms please contact Dr. Matt Gilg, Graduate Coordinator for the Biology Graduate Program.

Forms for Graduate Students

•  Graduate Student Checklist 
•  Graduate Course Matrix 

Forms for Graduate Faculty

•  Lead Professor GTA Evaluation Form (DOC) 
•  Lab Coordinator GTA Evaluation (DOC)  
•  Thesis Proposal Scoring Rubric (DOC) 
•  Oral Thesis Defense Scoring Rubric (DOC) 
•  Written Defense Scoring Rubric (DOC) 
•  Graduate Student Committee Meeting Report  

The Department of Biology has several different potential avenues of financial support for graduate students in the thesis-based MS program. These fall into two broad categories, including assistantships and fellowships.  In general assistantships are awarded from the Department itself while fellowships are awarded from entities outside the university.

Assistantships

Teaching Assistantships: Many of our graduate students each year are supported by teaching assistantships. In this situation students will typically teach two laboratory sections of an undergraduate course each fall and spring semester. In return the student receives a tuition waiver and a competitive stipend. Applicants interested in being considered for a teaching assistantship should state this within their personal statement.

Research Assistantships: Graduate students can also potentially be supported on a research assistantship. In this situation, students will be paid directly from their faculty mentor to do research related to a grant or contract the mentor has been awarded. The amount of the stipend, whether it includes a tuition waiver, and the length of the employment period are all decided by the faculty mentor.

Fellowships

Van Vleck Fellowship in Coastal Biology

Friends of GTM Fellowship

The Friends of GTM fellowship provides two years of funding to a graduate student at a rate of $20,000 per year. This is approximately equivalent to our teaching assistantships that award students a $12,500 stipend and a 75% tuition waiver, so it is a nice award. The student must be doing their thesis work within the GTMNERR and it needs to be aligned with the management objectives of the NERR listed in the attached.

If you are interested in this fellowship, please contact your faculty mentor to find out if your research would be a good fit for the program. For more information and to apply for the fellowship click on the link above.

Jacksonville Zoo Fellowship

Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens (in partnership with ³ÉÈËAVÊÓƵ) offers a two-year, graduate student fellowship in zoological research approximately each fall to a student accepted into the biology or psychology master's program.  Funding is awarded each fall and spring semester ($10,000 per semester totaling $40,000).  Through the fellowship, the student will work directly with the Animal Wellness and Research team and gain experience working with the Zoo's highly diverse animal collection.  In addition to applying to one of the master's program, interested students should send a resume or CV, a letter of interest, and contact information for three references to fellowship@jacksonvillezoo.org.  If you have questions or would like more information please email fellowship@jacksonvillezoo.org.

The combined B.S.-M.S. degree program allows students to complete both degrees within five years.  Undergraduate students apply during their junior year and complete 12 credits of graduate coursework in their senior year. Those credits are used to satisfy both degrees. Students must secure a research mentor from the list of faculty researchers in the Biomedical Sciences Program prior to acceptance to the program. If the research is done outside the Biology Department, the student must identify a Biology faculty member as a co-advisor. Speak with an academic advisor for more information about the program.

LINK to COAS-BIOLOGY, Accelerated BS-MS in Biology