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Plymouth State University
MSC 11
17 High Street
Plymouth, NH 03264-1595
Program of Study & Degree Requirements
Coordinator: Dr. Len Reitsma, e-mail: leonr@plymouth.eduDepartment Chair, Biological Sciences and Professor of Zoology
B.S., William Paterson College; Ph.D., Dartmouth College
Degree Requirements
The program requires a minimum of 30 credits with the following framework for thesis and non-thesis options:
- Thesis: 24 credits of coursework and six credits of thesis research
- Non-thesis: 28 credits of coursework and two credits of independent study
Non-thesis students will still need to complete a shorter library-research paper through a two-credit independent study course. All students are required to maintain a 3.0 cumulative graduate GPA. The only required courses for all students are the one-credit Graduate Seminar that must be taken each full semester (and may cover up to two credits of the graduate credit requirements) and the one-credit University Biology Teaching course.
Program of Study
Students, along with their faculty advisor, will design their program of study in one or more of the following general areas:
- Animal Behavior
- Biological Rhythms
- Biotechnology
- Botany and Plant Physiology
- Conservation Biology
- Ecology
- Electron Microscopy
Students will be required to complete courses in a variety of the above listed areas, but they have flexible options on selecting those courses. Students, along with their faculty advisor and graduate committee, will determine the best course selections for their program of study. Some of the current upper division undergraduate courses will be colisted as graduate courses (see the list below). Graduate students can enroll at the graduate 5000 level for these co-listed courses, which will require a grade of "B" or better to pass, along with the additional graduate level assigned paper(s)/project(s).
Biology Courses
BI 5790 Biological Rhythms - 3 credits
BI 5900 Graduate Seminar in Biology - 3 credits
BI 5910 Independent Study - 3 credits
BI 5360 Community Ecology - 3 credits
BI 5210 Predator/Prey Ecology - 3 credits
BI 5560 Special Topics in Biological Science - 3 credits
BI 5950 Thesis Research - 6 credits
BI 5370 Behavioral Ecology - 3 credits
BI 5570 Current Topics in Cell Biology - 3 credits
BI 5400 Paleoecology - 3 credits
BI 5230 Landscape Ecology - 3 credits
BI 5100 Biology Colloquium - 1 credits
BI 5810 University Biology Teaching - 1 credit
Undergraduate and Graduate Co-listed Biology Courses
BI 4090/BI 5090 Cell Structure and Function - 4 credits
BI 4180/BI 5180 Biotechnology - 4 credits
BI 4300/BI 5390 Ecology - 4 credits
BI 4440/BI 5440 Electron Microscopy Techniques - 4 credits
BI 4760/BI 5760 Animal Behavior - 4 credits
BI 4770/BI 5770 Animal Physiology - 4 credits
BI 4780/BI 5780 Neurobiology - 4 credits
Environmental Science and Biology Co-listed Courses
EV 5240/BI 5240 Terrestrial Ecology - 3 credits
EV 5350/BI 5350 Conservation Biology - 3 credits
EV 5380/BI 5380 Avian Ecology - 3 credits
Total for M.S. in Biology - 30 credits
Plymouth State University senior undergraduate students will be allowed to double-count up to six credits of the above listed courses towards their graduate total as long as they receive an "A" in the course as an undergraduate. Students entering into the program without a B.S. in biology or sufficient biology course background will need to meet with a program advisor to discuss the possible need to take undergraduate courses in certain subdisciplines of biology as prerequisites for the program.
