Master of Science in Zoology and Physiology

We rock at research. At our department you will interact with scientists with international reputations. The rate and quality of departmental publications are among the very highest in the nation. Our faculty regular publish in the top international publications. We offer both Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees in Zoology and Physiology. Our faculty also participate in Ph.D. programs offered through the Program in Ecology (PiE), and the Neuroscience Program. Our graduate students are supported by a variety of teaching or research assistantships. Our research is supported by state-of-the-art microscopy, macromolecular, and nucleic acid sequencing facilities. Our university is the only one in a large state that has the world's first National Park (Yellowstone) and a huge diversity of natural resources. We are one of the very few universities in the nation with a field station inside the boundaries of a National Park. Student collects samples in Polecat Creek We care about your learning experience. Our faculty often receive teaching awards from the university. At our department you will find a group of scientists committed to providing you the best possible education in the biological sciences. We are a small department, with a strong commitment to individual attention to graduate student mentoring. We are also a very diverse department - ranging from a Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit to evolutionary biologists, ecologists, cell biologists and neurophysiologists. That span from molecular to ecosystem levels of organization provides an opportunity for unparalleled breadth of expertise. Plan A (thesis) Includes 26 hours of coursework and 4 hours of thesis research. Applicants should have at least 20 semester hours of undergraduate work in zoology, physiology, or other areas of the biosciences and have completed introductory courses in mathematics, chemistry, and in at least one other natural or physical science. Early in the second semester the student must file a program of study with the university and have a graduate committee appointed. Plan A candidates shall orally defend the thesis before the graduate committee. All M.S. candidates will be required to complete credit in two graduate seminars. A student may enroll in more than one of these required seminars during one semester or academic year. After two semesters in the department, a Plan A master's candidate may request permission from the department's graduate advisory board to proceed directly to the Ph.D. degree; however, such a bypass is granted only by the department head after considering recommendations from the graduate advisory board. Zoology and physiology may be used as a field by a candidate working for the interdisciplinary master of science in natural science in the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Education. Plan B (non-thesis) Includes 30 hours of coursework. The program for the Plan B is established by the student and a faculty adviser and must be approved by the department head during the student's second semester or summer session. The graduate committee will require the candidate to take a written examination. An oral examination may also be required. The final examination is comprehensive, covering all areas of zoology, but emphasizing one major area.