Biological Sciences, B.S./Biological Sciences, M.S.
Contact
Carrie J Byron, Ph.D.
Chair, Graduate Program Committee, School of Biological Sciences cbyron@une.edu
Steven Travis, Ph.D.
Academic Director, School of Biological Sciences
stravis@une.edu
Mission
The mission of the School of Biological Sciences at the University of New England is to enable students to understand the real-world relevance of the biological sciences, foster scientific literacy and critical thinking skills, and lay the foundation for lifelong learning and meaningful, productive contributions to society.
The mission of the Master of Science in Biological Sciences program is to prepare outstanding graduate students for careers or further training in science, technology, and education by providing an advanced knowledge base and a working knowledge of research methods in the biological sciences.
Program Description
The Accelerated BS/MS in Biological Science offers advanced classroom training and research experience to students interested in a wide variety of biological topics, including ecology, molecular biology, microbiology, and physiology. Students are responsible for completing both the BS in Biological Science and the MS in Biological Science, as detailed in both of those academic catalog programs.
A maximum of 12 course credits at the 500-graduate level can double count towards both the undergraduate and graduate degree requirements.
Program Goals
- Provide a knowledge base in the biological sciences that is deeper than the typical undergraduate experience
- Instill outstanding research skills and a working knowledge of the scientific method by participating in high-quality research
- Develop scientific communication skills through writing and oral presentations
Transfer Credit
Students may not transfer credits from other graduate programs. However, if the student has already taken a similar required class at the graduate level, they may substitute another class, including thesis and research credits, in consultation with their major professor, and must receive a grade of B- or P or better for it to count toward their graduate degree.
Admissions
See Undergraduate Admissions for more information.
Financial Information
Tuition and fees for subsequent years may vary. Other expenses include books and housing. For more tuition and fee information, please consult this catalog’s Financial Information section.
Curricular Requirements
Students are responsible for completing both the BS in Biological Science and the MS in Biological Science, as detailed in both of those academic catalog programs.
A maximum of 12 course credits at the 500-graduate level can double count towards both the undergraduate and graduate degree requirements.
Biological Sciences, B.S. Requirements
Curricular Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Nor'easter Core Requirements | 40 | |
| Nor'easter Core Requirements | 40 | |
| Program Required Courses | ||
| BIO 105 & 105L | Biology I: Ecology/Evolution and Bio I: Ecology/Evolution Lab | 4 |
| BIO 106 & 106L | Biology II: Cellular/Molecular and Bio II:Cellular/Molecular Lab | 4 |
| BIO 214 & 214L | Genetics and Genetics Lab | 4 |
| BIO 400-level capstone 1 | 3-4 | |
| CHE 110 & 110L | General Chemistry I and General Chemistry I Lab | 4 |
| or CHE 150 | University General Chemistry I | |
| CHE 111 & 111L | General Chemistry II and General Chemistry II Lab | 4 |
| or CHE 151 | University General Chemistry II | |
| CHE 201 & 201L | Organic Chemistry I and Organic Chemistry I Lab | 4-5 |
| or CHE 250 & 250L & 250S | University Organic Chemistry I and University Organic Chemistry I Lab and University Organic Chemistry I Lab Lecture | |
| CHE 202 & 202L | Organic Chemistry II and Organic Chemistry II Lab | 4-5 |
| or CHE 251 & 251L & 251S | University Organic Chemistry II and University Organic Chemistry II Lab and University Organic Chemistry II Lab Lecture | |
| or CHE 310 & 310L | Fundamentals of Biochemistry and Biochemistry Lab | |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Statistics for Life Sciences (Biological Sciences Core Program and Cellular and Molecular Biology concentration) | ||
| Statistics for Environmental Sciences (Ecology and Evolutionary Biology concentration) | ||
| MAT 190 | Calculus I | 4 |
| PHY 110 | General Physics I w/Lab | 4 |
| or PHY 210 | University Physics I | |
| PHY 111 | General Physics II w/Lab | 4 |
| or PHY 211 | University Physics II | |
| Select one course from each topic area below: 2 | ||
Cellular & Molecular Area Courses | ||
BIO 203 & BIO 203L | and (Histology w/Lab) | |
| Immunology | ||
| Cell & Molecular Biology | ||
Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Area Courses | ||
| Conservation Genetics | ||
| Human Evolution | ||
| Disease Ecology | ||
| Evolution | ||
| Ecology and Ecology Lab | ||
| Animal Behavior and Behavioral Ecology and Animal Behav/Behav Ecology Lab | ||
Organismal Biology Area Courses 2 | ||
| Parasitology and Parasitology Lab | ||
| Microbiology and Microbiology Lab | ||
| Environmental Microbiology and Environmental Microbiology Lab | ||
| Winter Natural History and Winter Natural History Lab | ||
| Medicinal Plant Biology | ||
| Mammalogy and Mammalogy Lab | ||
| Virology | ||
| Herpetology and Herpetology Lab | ||
| Ornithology and Ornithology Lab | ||
| Invertebrate Zoology and Invertebrate Zoology Lab | ||
| Biology of Fishes and Biology of Fishes Lab | ||
| Open Elective Courses (Students complete open elective credits as necessary to meet the University’s 120-credit minimum for graduation. The total number of elective credits required will depend on the student’s completed program, core, and other degree requirements.) | ||
| Total Hours | 126-129 | |
- 1
Course is to be selected in consultation with your faculty advisor. Not satisfied by BIO 410 Biological Sciences Research, BIO 495 Adv Biological Sci Internship or Internship/Research Courses.
- 2
Topic Area courses are to be selected in consultation with your faculty advisor.
Please note: While some courses can fulfill both core and program requirements, the credits earned do not count twice towards the minimum total required credits for the degree.
BIO 290 Biological Topics may fulfill biology area requirements depending on the subject matter and advisor permission.
Additional Guidelines
Students wishing to pursue teacher certification in Life Science can complete a double major with Biological Sciences and Middle and Secondary Education or a major in Middle and Secondary Education and a concentration in Biological Sciences. For more information, see the Middle and Secondary Education catalog page.
Concentrations
Biological Sciences students who wish to narrow their focus beyond the core program can elect a concentration in either Cellular and Molecular Biology or Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Please see the Curricular Requirements section for details.
Concentration Options
Optional Concentration in Cellular and Molecular Biology Required Courses
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| BIO 105 & 105L | Biology I: Ecology/Evolution and Bio I: Ecology/Evolution Lab | 4 |
| BIO 106 & 106L | Biology II: Cellular/Molecular and Bio II:Cellular/Molecular Lab | 4 |
| BIO 214 & 214L | Genetics and Genetics Lab | 4 |
| BIO 370 | Cell & Molecular Biology | 3 |
| BIO 407 | Developmental Biology | 3 |
| BIO 400-level capstone course 1 | 3-4 | |
| Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Area Course 2 | 3-4 | |
| Organismal Biology Area Course 2 | 3-4 | |
| Cognate Chemistry, Physics, and Math Courses (same as above program requirements) | 31-33 | |
| Total Hours | 58-63 | |
- 1
Course is to be selected in consultation with your faculty advisor. Not satisfied by BIO 410 Biological Sciences Research, BIO 495 Adv Biological Sci Internship or Internship/Research Courses.
- 2
Topic Area courses are to be selected in consultation with your faculty advisor and can be found in the Curricular Requirements section.
Optional Concentration in Ecology and Evalutionary Biology Required Courses
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| BIO 105 & 105L | Biology I: Ecology/Evolution and Bio I: Ecology/Evolution Lab | 4 |
| BIO 106 & 106L | Biology II: Cellular/Molecular and Bio II:Cellular/Molecular Lab | 4 |
| BIO 214 & 214L | Genetics and Genetics Lab | 3-4 |
| or BIO 322 | Comparative Animal Physiology | |
| BIO 333 | Evolution | 3 |
| BIO 350 & 350L | Ecology and Ecology Lab | 4 |
| BIO 400-level capstone course 1 | 3-4 | |
| Organismal Biology Topic Area 2 | 3-4 | |
| Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Area Course or a second Organismal Biology Area Course 2 | 3-4 | |
| Cognate Chemistry, Physics, and Math Courses (same as above program requirements) | 31-33 | |
| Total Hours | 58-64 | |
- 1
Course is to be selected in consultation with your faculty advisor. Not satisfied by BIO 410 Biological Sciences Research, BIO 495 Adv Biological Sci Internship or Internship/Research Courses.
- 2
Topic Area courses are to be selected in consultation with your faculty advisor and can be found in the Curricular Requirements section.
Please note: While some courses can fulfill both core and program requirements, the credits earned do not count twice towards the minimum total required credits for the degree.
You can find more details about the Biological Sciences, B.S. program here.
Biological Sciences, M.S. Requirements
Curricular Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Program Required Courses | ||
| BIO 503 | Research Methods | 3 |
| BIO 516 | Responsible Conduct Research | 1 |
| BIO 519 | Scientific Literacy and Literature Review | 3 |
| BIO 590 | Research & Thesis (repeated for additional credit) | 26 |
| Three credits of 500-level course(s) with the BIO prefix 1 | ||
| Total Hours | 33 | |
- 1
Biological Sciences M.S. students may request to substitute research credits for elective coursework with approval from their thesis advisor. A formal written request must be submitted to the Graduate Program Committee (GPC), including a justification for the request. If approved by the GPC, students will submit a Course Substitution Form (available on the Office of the Registrar's webpage), which requires approval by the School of Biological Sciences Academic Director and by the CAS Dean, to the Registrar in preparation for graduation.
You can find more details about the Biological Sciences, M.S. program here.
Academic and Technical Standards
Satisfactory Academic Progress
Accelerated BS/MS in Biological Science, a student’s cumulative graduate GPA must be a minimum of 3.0. A student whose GPA falls below 3.0 or who receives a grade below B- in any course taken for graduate credit will be placed on academic probation.
Program Completion Timeline
Students have a maximum of five years to complete the graduation requirements for both the undergraduate and M.S. degrees. After two academic years (fall and spring terms), students who have completed their coursework but are still completing their theses are required to enroll in a minimum of one Thesis Writing/Data Analysis credit hour (BIO 595) per semester to remain in the program and the student needs to demonstrate satisfactory progress towards their degree completion. In such a case, the student should contact Student Financial Services to determine whether this change from full-time status affects their financial aid.
Probation/Dismissal
A student engaged in graduate (500-level) coursework whose GPA for any semester falls below 3.0, or whose cumulative GPA is below 3.0, or who receives a class grade below a B- for any class taken for graduate credit is automatically placed on probation. A student placed on academic probation will be granted one fall or spring semester to raise their cumulative GPA to 3.0 or above, will be required to achieve a minimum GPA of 3.0 for the semester, and cannot receive a second-course grade below B-. Any student who fails to meet these criteria will be considered for dismissal by the School of Biological Sciences and the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.
Learning Outcomes
- Students will demonstrate expertise in their thesis research field
- Students will demonstrate publication-level proficiency in written professional oral communication skills
- Students will demonstrate mastery of the concepts and principles of the Biological Sciences
- Students will demonstrate an understanding of research design and have the ability to carry out a research project