Biology, M.A.

The Master of Arts in Biology is a non-thesis graduate program that emphasizes coursework for students to gain an advanced understanding within the field of modern biology. Students are prepared for careers in fields related to the biological sciences or provided additional preparation in biology for those interested in pursuing professional studies in the health sciences. The Biology M.A. is a part-time or full-time graduate program, and it is tailored for students seeking graduate studies in the biological sciences without a thesis-based research requirement. Compared to the Biology M.S., the Biology M.A. program focuses primarily on coursework with research experiences through lab courses, and helps students to form expertise in one or more areas of biology, such as cell and molecular biology, ecology and evolution, and environmental science, among others.

Admission Requirements

• The equivalent of a Bachelor of Science with a major in Biology as offered at John Carroll University. Completion of related majors (Environmental Science, Cell and Molecular Biology, etc.) will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

• A statement of purpose, curriculum vitae, completed application form, official undergraduate transcripts, and at least two letters of academic evaluation from former professors. See below for additional admissions information.

• Students may be granted provisional or full admission to the program. The minimum requirements for full acceptance are a 3.0 GPA in biology courses and a 3.0 overall GPA. In some cases, provisional acceptance may be granted to students with a GPA as low as 2.5 in their biology courses and an overall GPA as low as 2.5. Students granted provisional acceptance must obtain a 3.0 GPA in their first two JCU biology courses (6 credits minimum). In addition to normal admission requirements, all international applicants whose native language is not English must demonstrate the necessary level of proficiency in English language by taking the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). A student from abroad whose native language is English, who has completed his or her work in a foreign university where English is the language of instruction, or who has studied at or graduated from an American institution, is exempt from this testing requirement.

Application Process And Graduate Education Funding

Students accepted to the Biology M.A. program pay tuition as self-funding students. Students in the M.A. program do not conduct thesis research, but degree requirements will include coursework and passing a comprehensive exam. Biology M.A. students are required to have an academic advisor (typically the Graduate Program Director for the Biology Department) who will help the student to define a course sequence that meets the needs and objectives of the student. This advisor will also help the Biology M.A. student to determine which other faculty will comprise the examination committee. Biology M.A. students generally are not eligible for G.A. positions.

Timeline for Decisions about Acceptance to Biology M.A. Program

There is no deadline for submission of application materials for this program, and students can begin matriculating in any semester. Decisions about admission will be made within 30 days of application.

Course Descriptions

Many courses offered by the Biology Department include laboratory and/or field work as an integral part of the course. These are listed separately below, immediately following the corresponding lecture course descriptions.

Program Learning Goals in the Biology M.A. Program

Students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate a deep knowledge of biology and develop advanced competency in specific areas of interest consistent with the primary focus of the program that the student develops with their faculty-based committee.

2. Demonstrate a deep knowledge of how to use an empirical approach (with appropriate methods, experimental design, and data analysis) to evaluate biological phenomena in new ways.

3. Application of critical thinking to design, collect, interpret, and present the student’s own original scientific data in a laboratory/field course.

4. Accurately evaluate biological information (data, concepts, phenomena) from primary literature that is relevant to the student’s original research.

5. Communicate new biological knowledge (typically obtained during the thesis research) effectively in written, oral, and visual formats.

6. Communicating original thesis research effectively in written format.

7. Communicating original thesis research effectively in oral format.

8. Communicating original thesis research effectively in visual format.

9. Demonstrate the ability to conceive, design, and conduct original scientific research (for MS students only).

10. Conceive and design original research.

11. Implement and complete original research.

Degree Requirements

The Biology M.A. program consists of:

1. 30 hours of formal class credit, at least half of which must be from courses numbered above 4990.

2. A Comprehensive Exam.

The Biology M.A. does not require thesis research. Biology M.A. students may petition to take up to 8 credit hours of biology-related courses from other John Carroll departments or from other institutions.

Note: For any Biology course that is cross-listed at both the 4000 and 5000 level, graduate students must take the 5000-level course. The 5000-level courses typically require an additional oral presentation, project, or paper beyond the requirements for the corresponding 4000-level course.

Notes on the Comprehensive Exam

Students in the Biology M.A. program are required to pass a comprehensive examination upon completion of the other requirements (typically during the last semester). Only two opportunities are granted to take this exam. If a student fails the first exam, a second comprehensive exam must be taken no sooner than 30 days after the first exam. Failure to pass this exam on both attempts will result in dismissal from the program, and no graduate degree will be granted. The format of the exam will be determined by the student’s committee as follows:

Oral and/or written examination is required. The format of the examination is decided by the student’s examination committee. In some cases, a student and the committee may feel that an alternative examination would be appropriate. In this case, the associate dean may be petitioned via the chair of the Department of Biology.

Program Faculty