The Master of Science in Biology is offered in the Department of Biology.
The M.S. in Biology is intended for students wanting to do research in the areas of development, cell biology, ecology, biology teaching methods, forensic biology, stem cell biology, regeneration, neurobiology, renal physiology, DNA repair, and plant biology. You’ll work closely with a faculty mentor, and our faculty frequently collaborates with other departments in the School of Science and with the IU School of Medicine.
This Master of Science program requires 30 credit hours of study beyond the baccalaureate level and completion of a thesis. This degree option is available primarily to full-time students and can be completed in two years.
The M.S. Thesis program immerses the student in rigorous research experiences that lead to a formal thesis. You’ll take a minimum of 9 credit hours of graduate level course work. (You may be required to take more than 9 credit hours of course work if you do not meet the requirements in either undergraduate research or undergraduate course work.) The remainder of the 30 credit hours are taken in Thesis Research (BIOL 698) and Seminar (BIOL 696). During the seminar, you’ll present the results of the research prior to your thesis defense.
Students graduating with M.S. degrees find jobs in academia or in local industry. Indianapolis is the major population center of Indiana and is home to several large pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, including Eli Lilly, Roche Diagnostics, and Dow AgroSciences. Many of our graduates are offered jobs at these companies upon graduation.