Chair: Marta L. Wayne
Graduate Coordinator: John (Gordon) Burleigh

The Department of Biology offers two graduate programs: Botany and Zoology. Both programs offer graduate work leading to the degrees of Master of Science, Master of Science in Teaching, and Doctor of Philosophy. Requirements for these degrees are available in the Graduate Degrees section of this catalog. More information regarding these programs is available by following the links below and by visiting our departmental website: http://www.biology.ufl.edu.

Combined Bachelor’s/master’s program: the Department of Biology in collaboration with the College of Medicine offer a combined Bachelor of Science with a major in Biology and Master of Science with a major in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology degree program. Eligible students may substitute up to 12 semester hours of graduate courses for undergraduate electives. These letter-graded, graduate level courses earned with a grade of B or better are double-counted toward the 30 credits required for the Master of Science (with thesis) in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology.

The combined degree program allows students to complete the M.S. degree with a research thesis in as little as one year after receiving the B.S. degree. The program is intended for students who want to complete a mentored research project while taking additional graduate coursework to gain more experience and be more competitive for applications to Ph.D. programs or professional programs (for example, Medical, Dental, or Veterinary school).

Eligibility Requirements for the admission to the undergraduate portion of the combined degree program:

1. Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.2 and minimum upper division GPA of 3.3
2. Completion of all critical-tracking requirements in the Biology B.S.
3. Completion of at least three semester hours of mentored research (e.g., through BSC 4910 Individual Mentored Research in Biology (0-3 cr.) and BSC 4912 Advanced Mentored Research in Biology (0-4 cr.)) or equivalent research experience

Eligibility Requirements for the graduate portion of the combined degree program:

1. Satisfactory completion of the undergraduate portion of the combined degree program
2. Meet the requirements for admission, including minimum GRE score, as established by the Graduate School and the Biochemistry & Molecular Biology graduate program in the College of Medicine.
3. A member of the Biochemistry & Molecular Biology graduate faculty has agreed to serve as the student’s advisor.

Interested students must apply to the combined degree program by the end of the junior year. Upon acceptance, the Biology Major Undergraduate Coordinator and the Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Graduate Coordinator will identify up to 12 credits of 5000+ level courses that the student may take in the senior year. The GRE should be taken by the summer before the senior year. In the fall of the senior year, the student will apply to the M.S. Program. Upon acceptance to the M.S. program, the eligible combined degree graduate coursework will be transferred to count toward the M.S. degree during the first semester following award of the B.S. degree.

Students should note the following regarding tuition and fees in this program:

1. the tuition for graduate courses is higher than for undergraduate courses, regardless of whether the courses are taken as an undergraduate or graduate student, and
2. there is no guarantee of a stipend or tuition waiver for graduate students in the MS program.