Master of Science Degree

Our graduate program offers a Master of Science Degree in Biology. The research interests of our faculty cover a wide range of specific disciplines, and a student may take graduate courses and perform his or her own research project in a variety of areas, including developmental biology, behavioral biology, ecology, forestry, genetics, immunology, microbiology, physiology, and toxicology. Both thesis and nonthesis options are available in all of these areas. Graduate students enrolled in any thesis option are eligible to receive teaching assistantships, which are awarded on a competitive basis.

Our program is designed to prepare an individual to work towards one or more of the following goals:

1. To become a research scientist in academia or industry
2. To obtain advanced training in a professional or graduate school
3. To obtain continuing education as a high school teacher

If you find that you would like to apply to our program after reading about it, you must apply electronically, making sure to indicate Fort Wayne as the selected campus.

Application and Admission

Applications for the Graduate Biology Program should be submitted online from the Purdue University website. When all the neccessary materials to complete your application file have been received by graduate admissions, the office will forward them to the biology department. The application will be reviewed and evaluated by the biology graduate committee. Each member of the committee will recommend acceptance or rejection of the candidate. The application will then be submitted to the graduate director for evaluation and recommendation to Purdue University for acceptance or rejection. Applicants are notified of the final outcome of their application by the Purdue University Graduate School.

In addition to the online application, you should arrange to have the following application materials sent to:

Graduate Admissions Office - Kettler Hall 112
Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne
2101 E. Coliseum Blvd.
Fort Wayne, IN 46805-1499

• One copy of Statement of Purpose.
• Official Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores for Quantitative, Analytical, and Verbal Aptitude Test.
• One copy of official transcript from all institutions attended.
• At least three letters of recommendation (PDF form is available from the Purdue University website).
• Application fee - paid online at time of submission.
• TOEFL scores for international students. Current minimum scores for TOEFL iBT test are: Reading 19, Listening 14, Speaking 18, Writing 18, with an overall required score of 77. The IELTS Academic Module minimum total score is 6.5.

A limited number of teaching assistantships (TAs) are available from the biology department. These are awarded on a competitive basis, thus acceptance into the program does not guarantee receipt of a TA position. Research assistantships (RAs) are also available as a result of external funding for faculty. The RA positions are awarded to accepted graduate students by individual faculty members rather than the department.

Deadlines

Application Deadlines:

For domestic students who are not applying for a teaching assistantship, completed applications must be received in the Department of Biology no later than April 15 for admission in the fall semester, or October 15 for admission in the spring semester.

For domestic students who wish to be considered for a teaching assistantship, completed applications must be received in the Department of Biology no later than February 15 for admission in the fall semester, or August 15 for admission in the spring semester.

For all international students applying from abroad, completed applications should be received no later than February 15 for admission in the fall semester and August 15 for admission in the spring semester.

Other Deadlines:

To facilitate course schedling, students who have accepted a teaching assistantship must submit their proposed course schedule to the graduate director by July 1 for the fall semester and November 1 for the spring semester. The graduate director will make teaching assignments based on the students' course schedules. No changes in teaching assignments will be accommodated after July 15 for the fall semester and November 15 for the spring semester.

Graduate students are expected to be aware of and follow deadlines that relate to progression though their program. Failure to demonstrate progress by meeting these deadlines is grounds for dismissal from the program or loss of one's teaching assistantship.