Department of Biological Sciences

M.S. Degree Requirements

Last Amended - March 15, 2023

Progress Checklist was added - December 2023

Students accepted into the Master of Science (M.S.) Degree Program in the Department of Biological Sciences are expected to complete either the Track A or B as shown below.

Track A – Thesis M.S. Degree

Students admitted into the thesis degree track must:

1. Choose a major professor and Graduate Advisory Committee prior to the completion of the first semester in the program. The major professor must be a full member of the Graduate Faculty at the University of Toledo. The major professor will chair the student’s Advisory Committee and has primary responsibility for advising the student and directing the student’s research. The student’s Advisory Committee will consist of at least four members, including the major professor, all of which must be members of the Graduate Faculty at UToledo. At least three of the members of the Advisory Committee must be from UToledo. An advisor from outside UToledo must apply for adjunct or special status in UToledo Graduate Faculty. The Graduate Affairs Chair and Departmental Chair must approve M.S. committee compositions. [Full member requirement: do you all agree to keep it this strict? The definition of Graduate Faculty Member categories: https://www.utoledo.edu/graduate/forms/Graduate%20Faculty%20Membership%20Categories_Summer202030.pdf

2. Complete an individualized plan of study set forth by the student’s Advisory Committee. The Graduate School requires a minimum of 30 credit hours of approved graduate course work. The College further mandates that 18 hours of this requirement be earned in the major subject area and that at least 6 hours exclusive of those completed for thesis credit be in courses numbered 6000 or above. In addition, each plan of study must include BIOL6030 (Introduction to Graduate Studies), BIOL6040 (Introduction to Graduate Cell and Molecular Biology and Methods), BIOL 6000 (Introduction to Scientific Thought and Expression), BIOL 6010 (Advanced Molecular Biology), BIOL 6090 (Advanced Cell Biology), BIOL 6100 (Research Methodologies), 2 credit hours of BIOL 6930 (Seminar in Biological Sciences), BIOL 6200 (Advanced Signal Transduction), and a minimum of six credits in BIOL 6960 (Master’s Thesis Research). A copy of the student’s Plan of Study must be approved by the Department Chair, College Dean, and submitted to the Graduate School (prior to the end of their first year).

3. Maintain a 3.0 Grade Point Average (GPA). Students may not have earned a grade less than C in any of their required courses (see #2 above). In accordance with Graduate School regulations, if a student’s overall GPA falls below 3.0 at any point during their degree program, they will have a probationary period of one semester to raise their GPA to 3.0 or higher. If after that semester the student’s GPA is still below 3.0, then one of two courses of action will be followed:

1). If the student’s GPA is between 2.75 and 3.0, then a sub-committee of the Graduate Affairs Committee (GAC) will administer an oral exam to the student within one month from the end of the semester. Based on the student’s performance during that exam, the committee may recommend one of two options:

A). If the student’s performance is clearly below expected graduate student standards, then the student may be dismissed from the program.

B). If the student performs well in the oral exam, they may be given an additional probationary semester to bring their GPA up to 3.0. If the student fails to raise their GPA during that additional semester, then the student will be dismissed from the program.

2). If the student’s cumulative GPA is below 2.75 after two semesters, then the student automatically will be dismissed from the program. Students removed from the program under this mechanism may appeal to the Biological Sciences Graduate Affairs Committee for special consideration, but retention in the program will require compelling and documented reasons for the poor academic performance (serious illness, family emergency, etc.).

4. Write and defend a Master’s Thesis that consists of a written report of original independent research conducted by the student under the supervision of their major professor and Advisory Committee. The thesis should be prepared in accordance with the format determined by the Advisory Committee and consistent with the guidelines presented in the “Thesis Manual” issued by the Graduate School at the University of Toledo. Approved “Notice of Thesis” and “Assurances of Compliance with Applicable Federal and State Regulations Governing Research” forms must be filed with the Graduate School at the time the student determines the nature of the research project.

5. Pass an oral examination defending the thesis. A component of this oral exam is an exit seminar prior to departure from the department. If possible, this seminar should be one of the departmental seminar series and attended by the entire department (students and faculty). An official announcement of the time and place of the examination must be posted in the Biological Sciences office and distributed electronically to faculty and students at least one week prior to the examination. A closed meeting follows the exit seminar with committee members, during which time the student will answer specific questions posed by committee members. Committee members will signify approval by signing a signature page that will be included in the student’s final thesis.

6. Apply for graduation by the published deadline.

The Graduate School requires an electronic submission of the dissertation no later than one (1) day prior to the commencement date. 

Track B – Non-Thesis M.S. Degree

Students completing the non-thesis degree track must complete steps 1-3 as outlined for Track A above. However, instead of BIOL 6960 course requirement in step 2, they may take BIOL6920/8920, Special Projects in Biology. They must then:

1. Write a review paper based on library research that meets the approval of the student’s major professor and Advisory Committee. The Advisory Committee will determine the format of the paper.

2. Pass an oral examination which consists of a presentation of the review paper. The student’s Advisory Committee will administer the oral examination, which will be open to the public. An official announcement of the time and place of the examination must be posted in the Biological Sciences office at least one week prior to the examination.

3. Apply for graduation by the published deadline.

4. The Graduate School requires an electronic submission of the review paper no later than one (1) day prior to the commencement date.

General Notes:

In general, work for the M.S. will require a minimum of two years of full-time study beyond the bachelor’s degree, but no more than three years of full-time study. The GAC will evaluate progress toward graduation each year during the Spring Semester, at which time each student will be required to submit a detailed progress report.

Faculty from outside UToledo may still serve on the student’s advisory committee if they are granted adjunct or special status as a member of the UToledo Graduate Faculty.

Students can change either the Track or major professor within the same Track by requesting permission from GAC. Assuming permission is granted by the GAC, the student will need to notify COGS and submit a new plan of study. Change from Track A to Track B, or vice versa, is only allowed during the first year of a student’s MS studies. In rare and exceptional circumstances, a later time change may be allowed, but it may extend the studies.

Students in the M.S. program that wish to change to the Ph.D. program must submit a formal application prior to the deadline for outside applications. In addition to the information required of all applicants, the student must state clearly his/her reasons for requesting the degree program change, and must provide a supporting statement from their major professor.

Students are required to regularly attend the lab and perform the research necessary for completion of their thesis, as deemed appropriate by the student’s advisor.

Students pursuing either M.S. option in the Department of Biological Sciences may be provided an opportunity to gain teaching experience by performing an internship with teaching assistants (TAs) or faculty.

Any changes in the above requirements must be approved by a majority vote of the Biological Sciences faculty.  

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Progress Checklist for MS Students

Student name: ______________________________________

Year admitted into MS program:_________

Semester 1: 1 credit hour

Course Work Completed in Semester 1, with grades:

 

Total Credit Hrs: ______
Overall GPA after Semester 1: ______
Met GPA requirement (Y/N): ______
By end of Semester 1, Student has had all necessary laboratory safety training: ______
By end of Semester 1, Student has chosen a major professor: ______
By end of Semester 1, Student has completed a Plan of Study for the Master’s Degree: ______
By end of Semester 1, Student has completed a Graduate Research Advisory (GRAD) Committee Approval and Assurances: ______
By end of Semester 1, Student has Hypothesis: ______
PI signature: ______
By end of Semester 1, Student has learned the necessary experimental approach to test the Hypothesis: ______
PI signature: ______

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Semester 2: 3 credit hours

Course Work Completed in Year 2, with grades:

 

Total Credit Hrs: ______
Overall GPA after Semester 2: ______
Met GPA requirement (Y/N): ______
By end of Semester 2, Student has given a Monday noon seminar: ______
By end of Semester 2, Seminar abstract on file: ______
By end of Semester 2, Student has presented a poster at the Departmental Graduate Symposium: ______
By end of Semester 2, Student has revised the Hypothesis if necessary: ______
PI signature: ______
By end of Semester 2, Student has preliminary data to test the Hypothesis: ______
PI signature: ______

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Summer Semester 1: 1 credit hour

Course Work Completed in Year 2, with grades:

 

Total Credit Hrs: ______
Overall GPA after Semester 3: ______
Met GPA requirement (Y/N): ______
By end of Semester 3, Student has revised the Hypothesis if necessary: ______
PI signature: ______
By end of Semester 3, Student has data to test the Hypothesis: ______
PI signature: ______
By end of Semester 3, Student has prepared the tentative title and subheading of the thesis: ______
PI signature: ______  

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Semester 4: 3 credit hours

Course Work Completed in Year 2, with grades:

 

Total Credit Hrs: ______
Overall GPA after Semester 4: ______
Met GPA requirement: ______
By end of Semester 4, Student has presented a seminar on the Master’s thesis: ______
PI signature: ______
By end of Semester 4, Student has written the Master’s thesis: ______
PI signature: ______
By end of Semester 4, Student has written a micropaper https://www.micropublication.org/journals/biology: ______
PI signature: ______  

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Thesis Committee Meeting Report

A Thesis Committee meeting will be held by the end of the 4th semester, the Thesis Committee members will evaluate student work for each milestone, and assign a score of “Satisfactory”, “Needs Improvement”, or “Not Satisfactory”, reflecting the consensus of the Committee. Student and Committee Members.

If the student’s progress is deemed “Satisfactory” on all milestones, no further action is required.

If the student’s progress is deemed “Needs Improvement” or “Not Satisfactory” on any milestone, the student will write a summary of the comments made during the Committee meeting, addressing all Committee concerns, and summarizing correction steps. It must be submitted to all Dissertation Committee members for review within one month of the meeting. If this summary is satisfactory, all committee members will sign and return a copy to the student and mentor, and all copies will be added to the student’s permanent file. The Thesis Committee will meet again with the student in one semester.

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Thesis Committee Meeting Report

Comments:

Date:
Student name and signature:
Thesis Committee member name and signature:
Thesis Committee member name and signature:
Thesis Committee member name and signature:
Thesis Committee member name and signature: