Admission Requirements

Students seeking admission into the Master of Science degree program in Biology must meet the admission requirements of the Graduate School and the specific program requirements.

In addition, applicants for the M.S. program in Biology will be evaluated by the depart­ment for academic qualification based upon their undergraduate academic record, score on the Graduate Record Examination, and letters of reference. Specific requirements include:

• A minimum of 18 undergraduate hours in the biological sciences and an undergraduate grade point of 2.75 or greater (on a 4.0 scale). Students judged to be deficient in some areas of undergraduate preparation may be assigned certain undergraduate prerequisite courses.
• A official GRE test score with recommended combined verbal and quantitative score of 295.
• Three letters of reference.
• A statement of educational objectives and career goals.

Applicants not meeting all of the above departmental criteria may be admitted on a conditional basis if they meet the Graduate School admission requirements. A candidate for the Master of Science degree in Biology must fulfill a research tool requirement in addition to completing the 30 hours required for the degree.

Admission Process

The Admission process begins with the Online Graduate Application, then applicants follow that up with official transcripts from all colleges/universities attended, a copy of their MMR immunization record, and the documents listed below.  These documents need to be sent to:

Arkansas State University
Graduate School Admissions
P O Box 1570
State University, AR 72467

If you have any questions regarding the graduate application process, email gradadmissions@astate.edu.

Courses required of all candidates

• BIOL 6003 in addition to courses from any three of the prefixes of BIOL, BOT, ENT, ENVR, and ZOOL, and two 6000 level courses (a single course may meet both prefix and number criteria), exclusive of Independent study, Seminar, and Thesis.
• Thesis, six hours;
• Electives in Biology or an approved related area as needed to complete 30 hours.
• Tool 3-4 hours, as approved by graduate thesis committee.

The MS Biology Program prepares students for a variety of careers in government, academia and research.  Recent graduates have gone to successful careers as educators, researchers, analysts, system administrators and as a special agent with the FBI.

• The Arkansas Biosciences Institute is located on the A-State campus
• Our researchers take advantage of numerous field stations across the region, country, and the world
• A-State has well-equipped research laboratories and teaching laboratories where scientific activities focus on highly interactive research clusters
• The Ecotoxicology Research Facility is a multi-user US EPA certified test laboratory facilitating intercollegiate research and collaboration with other universities, state and federal agencies, industries and various interest groups.

Relevant student forms can be found at http://www.astate.edu/college/sciences-and-mathematics/departments/biology/documents/.