Graduate Catalog: 2012-2013 - Alabama A&M University

judgment in developing a problem from primarysources.Master of Science (Non-Thesis), Plan IIStudents completing the non-thesis degree option arerequired to write a Master’s report. The focus of thereport is determined jointly by the student and thestudent’s academic advisory committee. The natureof the report can be a library search, survey, orexperimentation as determined by the student'sadvisory committee. For the Master of Sciencedegree, a student must complete a minimum of 33semester hours of course work.Master of Education in Secondary Education,Plan III Students interested in Plan III are requiredto consult their major advisor for more details aboutthe program.The Biology Master of Science (MS) degree is a30/36 semester hour program, organized into fourmajor components.1. A core of required courses (9credit hours).2. An area of specialization (15 – 18credit hours).3. A master's thesis (6 credit hours) or a terminalresearch report component and credit hour ofelective courses.4. A comprehensive examination (non-thesisoption) or thesis and oral defense without thecomprehensive examination.Core Course RequirementsThe Biology graduate program aims to providestudents with the concepts and skills needed to enterPhD programs or professional programs and functioneffectively as biologists. All students enrolled in theBiology program must complete the Biology core.The core requirements consist of 9 credit hours ingeneral Biology. These courses focus on the basicconcepts of biological research, instrumentation andethics. Listed below are the core courses of theBiology program:Sem.Core CoursesHoursBIO 512 Instrumentation in the3Biological SciencesBIO 513 Research Ethics and1Professional IntegrityBIO 500 Current Concepts in Biology 3BIO 690 Seminar 1BIO 692 Research 1Comprehensive ExaminationA written comprehensive examination composedjointly by the faculties of both institutions will beadministered to each non-thesis student. Thisexamination will normally be taken after the studenthas completed the required course work.DEGREE REQUIREMENTSProgram Requirements with the Thesis Option*Sem.Required ProgramHoursBIO 512 Instrumentation in the3Biological SciencesBIO 513 Research Ethics and1Professional IntegrityBIO 500 Current Concepts in Biology 3BIO 690 Seminar 1BIO 692 Research 1Specialty/Concentration 15BIO 699 Thesis 6Total 30Program Requirements with the Non-ThesisOption Sem.Required ProgramHoursBIO 512 Instrumentation in the3Biological SciencesBIO 513 Research Ethics and1Professional IntegrityBIO 500 Current Concepts in Biology 3BIO 690 Seminar 1BIO 692 Research 1Specialty/Concentration 18Other Electives 9Total 36CONCENTRATIONSMicrobiology ConcentrationSem.HoursBIO 522 Microbial Physiology 3BIO 523 Principles of Virology 3BIO 524 Mycology 3 Students must select 15- 18 credits of courses from a specificconcentration area to qualify for an MS degree. Concentrationscurrently offered include: Microbiology, Physiology, Geneticsand Molecular Biology, Ecology and Systematics, andEntomology. Must choose at least 3 credits from each specialization area.35