The Graduate Catalog lays out in great detail the general requirements, guidelines, and timetables for the MS degrees. It is your responsibility to be familiar with these rules and comply with them. Below are the specific expectations of the Cell and Developmental Biology program.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
Required courses plus other courses for a total of 30 credits.
Before finishing 18 credits of coursework you must form an Advisory Committee of 3 faculty and submit a Plan of Study to the Graduate School
Thesis Master/Plan A – 21 content course credits on a Plan A Master’s plan of study and a minimum of 9 credits of GRAD 5950 and a thesis. Students who wish to get a Plan A Masters are not required to take the written exam. An oral presentation and defense of the thesis will be administered by a committee of 3 including the major advisor. The thesis must be submitted to the committee at least one month prior to the end of the semester in which the student intends to graduate.
Coursework Master/Plan B – minimum of 30 content course credits and a final examination. A laboratory course or research credit is highly recommended. For the Plan B Masters, the core courses plus other courses from the approved list are required. The course list must be approved by your committee, so do not wait until after taking courses to get approval. Students seeking a Plan B (coursework) Master’s in Cellular and Developmental Biology may take the written exam offered in the Spring semester to fulfill the University’s requirements for the exit exam. A student and his/her committee may choose an alternate examination format. If an alternate examination format is selected, the student should have his/her Major and Associate Advisors sign the Alternate Exit Examination form indicating this prior to the date scheduled for the exam. If a student’s performance on any part of the written exam is judged deficient, the student should contact the faculty member(s) who contributed the question(s) to arrange remediation.