Biology

Chair of the Department: David T. Kuhn
Graduate Program Coordinator: John F. Weishampel
BIO 140, (407) 823-6634.
E-mail: jweisham@mail.ucf.edu

Faculty

Professors Emeritus: L. L. Ellis, Ph.D.; J. L. Koevenig, Ph.D.
Professors: L. M. Ehrhart, Ph.D.; D. T. Kuhn, Ph.D.; J. A. Osborne, Ph.D.; F. F. Snelson, Jr., Ph.D.; I. J. Stout, Ph.D.; H. C. Sweet, Ph.D.; W. K. Taylor, Ph.D.; H. O. Whittier, Ph.D.
Associate Professors: D. H. Vickers, Ph.D.; J. F. Weishampel, Ph.D.
Assistant Professors: C. A. Bayer, Ph.D., Research; L. D. Rea, Ph.D.; L. H. von Kalm, Ph.D.; L. J. Walters, Ph.D.
Instructor: R. Vajravelu, Ph.D.

Master of Science in Biology

Application Deadlines

Fall admission March 1*
Fall admission July 15
Spring admission October 15
Summer admission April 15

* Students applying for fellowships or assistantships must apply for the fall semester by this date. For those not requiring financial assistance, the application deadline is July 15.

Admission

The deadline for application material for fall semester is March 1st with notification in April. The application deadline for spring semester is October 15th.

The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is required of all graduate students. Minimal requirements for consideration for graduate status in either of the M.S. options in Biology are a grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.0 for the last 60 attempted semester hours of undergraduate study and a score of at least 1000 on the combined quantitative-verbal sections of the GRE. In addition, the department requires three letters of recommendation and a written statement of past experience and research, area of interest, and immediate and long-range goals. Personal interviews are strongly encouraged but not required. The department requires international students and students whose native language is not English to have a minimum score of 230 (computer-based test; or equivalent score on the paper-based test) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).

Applicants who fail to meet either the minimum program GPA or GRE requirement may occasionally be accepted if there is other convincing evidence of potential for high achievement and success. Applicants failing to satisfy minimum program criteria should submit a GRE Subject (Advanced) Biology Test score at or above the 50th percentile. In no case will GRE scores (verbal, quantitative, or advanced) older than five years be accepted.

Applicants need not have an undergraduate degree in a biological science but are expected to have 18 hours of biological sciences, including ecology and genetics; organic chemistry with laboratory; and a course in calculus and statistics. After acceptance, minor deficiencies must be remedied by enrollment in the appropriate course at the first opportunity. Students receiving assistantships are required to maintain full-time graduate status in approved graduate courses every term for departmental support.

Examinations

A comprehensive examination is required of all students in the program. The comprehensive exam must be taken no later than the semester preceding that of thesis defense. If a student fails the comprehensive examination, a minimum of four weeks must elapse before reexamination. The comprehensive exam may be taken a maximum of two times. In addition, an oral thesis defense is required in the thesis option. A minimum of four weeks must elapse between the comprehensive and thesis defense examinations.

Programs in Biology

The Master of Science degree in Biology is offered with the following areas of specialization: biology, botany, cell biology, development, genetics, limnology, conservation biology, and zoology. There are two options available: (1) a thesis option which includes a minimum of 30 semester hours of courses; and (2) a non-thesis option which includes a minimum of 40 semester hours of courses. A graduate certificate in Conservation Biology is also offered. Qualified post-baccalaureate Conservation Biology students may apply to and be accepted into the Biology M.S. program.

Degree Requirements

Thesis Option
A student selecting the biology thesis option will take the following courses:

Group A—12-14 Semester Hours
(one course in three of the five areas)

  1. PCB 6046C Advanced Ecology (5 hours)
  2. PCB 6675C Evolutionary Biology (4 hours)
  3. PCB 6585C Advanced Genetics (5 hours)
  4. PCB 6721 Comparative Animal Physiology (3 hours) OR
    PCB 6365 Environmental Physiology (3 hours)
  5. PCB 5107C Advanced Cell Biology (4 hours) OR
    PCB 5256C Advanced Developmental Biology (4 hours)
Group B—8 Semester Hours
(both courses)
BSC 6938 Biology Seminar (2 hours)
BSC 6971 Thesis (6 hours)

Group C—8-10 Semester Hours
Restricted electives acceptable to the student’s graduate advisory committee. Completion of a graduate certificate in Conservation Biology will satisfy electives in this category.

Minimum Hours Required for M.S.—30 Semester Hours

Non-Thesis Option
A student selecting the biology non-thesis option will take the following courses:

Group A—12-14 Semester Hours
(one course in three of the five areas)

  1. PCB 6046C Advanced Ecology (5 hours)
  2. PCB 6675C Evolutionary Biology (4 hours)
  3. PCB 6585C Advanced Genetics (5 hours)
  4. PCB 6721 Comparative Animal Physiology (3 hours) OR
    PCB 6365 Environmental Physiology (3 hours)
  5. PCB 5107C Advanced Cell Biology (4 hours) OR
    PCB 5256C Advanced Developmental Biology (4 hours)
Group B—4 Semester Hours
(both courses)
BSC 6909 Research Report (2 hours)
BSC 6938 Biology Seminar (2 hours)

Group C—22-24 Semester Hours
Restricted electives acceptable to the student’s graduate advisory committee.

Minimum Hours Required for Non-Thesis M.S.—40 Semester Hours

Graduate Certificate in Conservation Biology

Graduate Program Coordinator: Dr. J. F. Weishampel
BIO 140, (407) 823-6634.
E-mail: jweisham@mail.ucf.edu

Application Deadlines

Fall admission July 15
Spring admission December 1
Summer admission April 15

Students who wish to enroll in the Certificate Program should complete the Nondegree Application available at http://www.graduate.ucf.edu.

Applicants must also have strong Biology backgrounds, including course work in ecology and genetics. This fourteen-hour program, which can be completed in four semesters, emphasizes basic and applied Conservation Biology. The Department of Biology provides basic courses on campus, while scientists at Disney’s Animal Kingdom offer applied courses on Disney property. This program provides an excellent opportunity for cross discipline training involving conservation theory in a classroom setting, with valuable field work provided in the laboratory portions of the Biology courses. Practical experience dealing with small animal populations is provided within Disney’s unique zoological setting.

Students will be required to take all three courses in Group A, and at least one course each from Group B and Group C, for a total of fourteen hours.

Group A
EVR 5930 Seminar in Conservation Issues (1 hour)
PCB 5045 Conservation Biology (4 hours)
PCB 5XXX Conservation Genetics (4 hours)

Group B
ZOO 5463 Herpetology (4 hours)
ZOO 5475 Ornithology (4 hours)
ZOO 5486 Mammalogy (4 hours)
ZOO 5456 Ichthyology (4 hours)

Group C
ZOO 5XXX Research Methods for Animal Behavior (1 hour)
ZOO 5XXX Applied Conservation Biology (1 hour)
ZOO 5XXX Reproductive Management in Zoological Environments (1 hour)




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