Our faculty members are well-respected leaders in their fields and publish extensively. They also attract a significant amount of external grant support which allows them to pursue research projects that are at the forefront of modern biology. Students receive individual attention as they pursue their own research and work toward their master's degree.

The MS in Biology degree program focuses on the development of experimental and intellectual skills required for vigorous research. Our program is research/thesis-based and takes most students two to three years to complete.

Students are assigned an advisor to help them develop an individualized curriculum. Once a curriculum is selected, students join the labs of their thesis directors and begin their research.

Curriculum

The Master of Science in Biology requires 30 hours of coursework and a formal research thesis.

Course Requirements

To become an official candidate for the MS degree, students must earn 30 credit hours and show satisfactory performance in course work and thesis research.

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Required Courses
BIOL 470	Biostats & Exp Design Lec/Lab 1	4
BIOL 500	Scientific Logic 2	3
BIOL 510	Instructions in Teaching Biology	1
BIOL 511	Biology Teaching Practicum 3	2
BIOL 501	Seminar	1
BIOL 502	Department Seminar	1
BIOL 422	Research	1-6
Hours taken for Research vary per term. Students will earn 3-9 hours over the course of the program.
Graduate level BIOL electives		9-15
BIOL 402	Microbiology
BIOL 405	Advanced Development
BIOL 409	Advanced Genetics
BIOL 410	Advanced Cell Biology
BIOL 413	Advanced Immunology
BIOL 415	Advanced Parasitology
BIOL 416	Limnology Lec/Lab
BIOL 417	Wetland Ecology Lec/Lab
BIOL 418	Aquatic Insects Lecture & Laboratory
BIOL 426	Entomology Lec/Lab
BIOL 482	Advanced Molec Genetics
BIOL 483	Pop Genetics
BIOL 485	Prin Electron Microscopy Lec/Lab
BIOL 488	Bioinformatics
BIOL 493	Directed Reading
BIOL 495	Special Topics
BIOL 595	Thesis Supervision	0
Total Hours		30

¹

BIO 470 must be completed with a grade of B or higher to demonstrate proficiency in experimental design and analysis.

²

BIO 500 must be completed with a grade of B or higher to demonstrate proficiency in scientific writing and reading scientific literature.

³

University-funded students must take BIOL 511 Biology Teaching Practicum twice (4 credit hours). Grant-funded or externally-funded students take BIOL 511 Biology Teaching Practicum once (2 credit hours).

Responsible Conduct of Research

All PhD students and students in thesis-based Master's degree programs must successfully complete UNIV 370 Responsible Conduct in Research and Scholarship or other approved coursework in responsible conduct of research as part of the degree requirements. It is strongly recommended that students complete this two-day training before beginning the dissertation/thesis stage of the program.

Suggested Sequence of Courses

The below sequence of courses is meant to be used as a suggested path for completing coursework.  An individual student’s completion of requirements depends on course offerings in a given term as well as the start term for a major or graduate study.  Students should consult their advisor for assistance with course selection.

Plan of Study Grid

Year One
Fall		Hours
BIOL 500	Scientific Logic	3
BIOL 510	Instructions in Teaching Biology	1
Elective		0-5
	Hours	7
Spring
Electives or Research		0-6
BIOL 511	Biology Teaching Practicum 1	2
	Hours	8
Year Two
Fall
BIOL 470	Biostats & Exp Design Lec/Lab 2	4
BIOL 501	Seminar	1
BIOL 502	Department Seminar	1
Electives or Research		0-3
	Hours	9
Spring
Electives or Research		6-7
	Hours	6
	Total Hours	30

¹

Students on University Scholarships must take BIOL 511 Biology Teaching Practicum two times.  Unsupported students, students supported through an advisor's grant, and students supported by their own grants take BIOL 511 one time.

²

BIOL 470 Biostats & Exp Design Lec/Lab is offered every other year and alternates with BIOL 500 Scientific Logic.

Thesis Requirements

Research is the focus of the master's degree program at Loyola University Chicago. Faculty engage students in ongoing studies and students are well-supported when taking on new projects and challenges. Students work with their thesis advisors to develop and conduct a specialized research project. Based on this work, students write and defend a master's thesis. Students in the MS program must write and present a thesis outline to their faculty committee. The proposal outline must be approved by February 1 of the student's first year in the program. Following this approval, students will write and defend the master's thesis. The final thesis will be deposited in a publicly accessible database in accordance with Graduate School policy.

Graduate & Professional Standards and Regulations

Students in graduate and professional programs can find their Academic Policies in Graduate and Professional Academic Standards and Regulations under their school. Any additional University Policies supersede school policies.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the MS in Biology, students will be able to demonstrate:

• Proficiency in experimental design and analysis.
• Proficiency in scientific writing and reading scientific literature
• Communication skills in both teaching and presenting research
• The ability to critically think, analyze data and write scientifically
• The ability to interact as an independent researcher