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M.A. Program

In response to an increasing demand for a non-research-based graduate degree in the biological sciences the Department of Biological Sciences at the University at Buffalo is proud to offer a new Master of Arts degree.

The new Master of Arts in Biological Sciences provides an alternative path to advanced graduate training in biology for students whose principal interests lie outside the realm of the typical laboratory research- focussed graduate degree in biology. With its broad-based curriculum, the new Master of Arts in Biological Sciences is designed for those who are working or considering careers in the professional fields (MD, DDS, JD, MBA, etc.), in teaching, in governmental and non-governmental policy organizations, and in a variety of regulatory organizations whose tasks include oversight of biological resource issues. The new Master of Arts in Biological Sciences incorporates the flexibility to allow interdisciplinary training in fields such as law, management, engineering and education.

A hallmark of the new M.A. program is its structural flexibility. The unique combination of flexible course selection and required courses in Biological Sciences ensures both the extent of specialization appropriate to a graduate degree while establishing the broad contextual framework in which to place the newly gained scientific expertise.

General Requirements for Program Completion:

Requirements for the new Master of Arts in Biological Sciences requires completion of both formal coursework and a project OR an oral examination.

Coursework

Students will be required to complete at least 30 hours of graduate study. The student must maintain a QPA of 3.0 in order to graduate. Failure to achieve a QPA of 3.0 in one semester will result in probation for one semester to enable the student to bring the QPA up to 3.0. If it is mathematically impossible for the student to bring the QPA up to 3.0 in one semester, the student may be dismissed from the program after the first semester. The 30 hours of graduate study must include:

• a minimum of 18 formal graduate course credits, that is, lecture- or laboratory-based courses conferring a letter grade. At least 8 hours will be in the Department of Biological Sciences, but courses can be taken in other departments upon the advisement of a faculty member from the Department of Biological Sciences. In addition to the overall QPA of 3.0, the student must maintain a QPA of 3.0 in formal course credits, with consequences of falling below similar to those described above for overall QPA.

• two semesters of attendance in the Graduate Student Seminar (BIO 610), with a requirement to present one seminar for a letter grade of B or better.

• enrollment in the Departmental Seminar (BIO 614) every semester in residence.

• a minimum of 6 credits of study with a faculty member in preparation for the project or oral exam.

• satisfactory completion of a project or oral examination.

• Students must also complete a project or oral examination:

Project

The project will involve some scholarly activity, which may have a practical component as well, and will result in a written paper describing the outcome of the activity. The nature of the project will be tailored to the student's interests. A student could do a library research project on a topic of mutual interest to the faculty advisor and student. A student with an interest in primary or secondary teaching could assist a faculty member in a course, for instance, preparing lectures, assembling background information for a case study approach, testing and administering laboratory exercises, generating a bibliography or a list of pertinent web sites, studying student reactions to a particular approach, etc. A student with an interest in environmental law could undertake a case study of a particular action; one interested in biotech management could study a particular company or company-wide concern, one interested in computer science could look at molecular modeling, etc. The activity of the student will be supervised by one member of our department, under whom the student must register in BIO 611, Directed Readings Tutorial. In studies of an interdisciplinary nature, the student may also work closely with a faculty member from another department. The final report must be read and found acceptable by the research advisor. In addition, one other faculty member, from the biological sciences or from another area of the student's interests, must also read and approve the report. This faculty must be selected after one semester in the program.he report, and be informed at the time of selection of the topic of the report. Selection of faculty members for supervision and for reading the report must be approved by the Graduate Affairs Committee.

Oral Exam

Students choosing degree by examination should select a committee of three faculty members, with at least one from Biological Sciences, to prepare for an oral examination. The committee must be selected and approved by the Graduate Affairs Committee, and the topic chosen 1 semester before the exam. The student will register for BIO 611 under one faculty member from Biological Sciences. The three faculty members will guide the student's study, generating a reading list and meeting with the student as needed to answer questions. At the end of the term of study, the student will meet with the committee in an oral examination lasting no more than 3 hours to answer questions based on the course of study, including both general knowledge and specific problem questions. The biology faculty member and at least one other faculty member on the committee must judge the student's performance as acceptable in order for the student to receive the M.A. degree. If the student fails the exam on the first attempt, a second attempt must be made within 6 weeks.

Advisement:

On entering the program, the student will be assigned an advisor from the Graduate Affairs Committee of the Department, who will advise on the first semester of course work, and consult with the student to arrange a program of interest. After one semester, a student may request any faculty member from the Department of Biological Sciences to act as the advisor. If this is acceptable to the faculty member and to the Graduate Affairs Committee, that faculty member will then be responsible for supervising the selection of courses, and in setting up the project or the oral examination committee.

Typical timetables to degree:

The typical timetable for completion of degree is given as three semesters. The four semester timetable allows flexibility to accommodate special problems, as well as the extra time to degree needed if a student is employed as a TA. A determined student with a clearly articulated area of interest may complete it in two semesters. Some typical time-tables are given below.

Typical Schedule

Schedule for TA Supported Student


Accelerated Schedule

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