Biology is a broad field that offers an assortment of specialties, for example, human, evolutionary, molecular, marine, microbiology, biochemistry, genetics, botany, and more. Many learning institutions accept applicants who have not majored in biology at the baccalaureate level. Some require a related science, like chemistry. As articulated in other DegreeQuery articles, your major is one of several requirements to submit to college or university admissions. Transcripts, letters of recommendation, personal statement, and curriculum vitae are the standard submissions. Applicants with English as a second language may need to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).
In this piece, we will provide random examples of schools offering Master’s biology programs along with their admission requirements. Some schools do not specify on their website if applicants need an undergraduate degree in biology. The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, is silent on this issue. The admission requirements adhere to the standards mentioned above.
Texas A&M University in College Station alludes to the requirement that graduate program applicants have prior knowledge of their selected major. Your academic records should demonstrate at least two full years of study in the same discipline as your graduate degree. Failure to meet this requirement or your grades are unsatisfactory could result in the rejection of your application. Faculty may also ask a student to pass an examination to prove his or her comprehension of the subject. Those whose undergraduate classes did not include biology would be disadvantaged.
Another Texas university is the University of Texas-San Antonio (UTSA), with a Master of Science in Biology. It does specify that applicants must have completed an undergraduate major in the sciences equivalent to the core courses for its Bachelor of Science in Biology. The B.S. in Biology at UTSA requires 20 credit hours of mandatory classes in biosciences, genetics, chemistry, physics, and calculus. Also, graduate applicants must have completed and obtained a “B” grade in upper-division undergrad lectures and lab work in genetics, biochemistry, and cell biology. This policy provides insight into what a student needs when considering UTSA’s graduate degree in biology. Therefore, those without extensive biology courses need not apply to this institution.
Boston University (BU) requires applicants to the M.S. in biology have a degree in the major or have completed biology, chemistry, and statistics classes. When you look at BU’s B.S. in biology, it seems that students would soon struggle if they omitted science classes from their curriculum. You become immersed in biology, chemistry, physiology, neurobiology, molecular biology, and laboratory courses. This study plan prepares undergraduates to be successful in a graduate program in biology. Therefore, the journey begins in high school for individuals who aspire to earn a master’s in biology or a related specialty. BU has specializations in Behavioral Biology, Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, & Genetics (CMG), Ecology &Conservation Biology (ECB), and Neurobiology.
California State University in Northbridge (CSUN) emphasizes that M.S. Biology applicants demonstrate proficiency in biology at the undergrad level. You must have a 3.0 average GPA or higher in all biology-related courses. As with most if not all graduate programs, admission will scrutinize the submitted documents. The goal of colleges and universities is to choose students that academic advisors and faculty recognize as most likely to excel in the respective program.
Aptitude
Parents talk of their child having an aptitude for specific subjects. Some children display a propensity for mathematics, whereas others do well in languages. Others are more creative and artistic than their classmates. Most of us have an aptitude for a particular subject, which may become evident at an early age. Elementary school students may take the Modern Language Aptitude Test (MLAT) for foreign language talent or the Stanford Education Program for Gifted Youth (EPGY) Mathematics Aptitude Test (SEMAT). There is little doubt that psychologists support the principle that students of all ages have a distinct ability to grasp some subjects better than others. Your aptitudes extend from elementary school to the selection of a career. This premise is one reason the U.S. Military administers the Armed Forces Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB). The purpose of the series of tests is to measure mental aptitude to enlist and determine which job would best suit your talents.
Logically, one’s skills and talents developed over the years provide either the disposition to pursue the sciences in college or choose another major. It appears inconceivable that a student who labored with mathematics, biology, chemistry, and physics would decide to major in biology at the undergraduate or graduate level.
Additional Resources:
Highest Paying Jobs With a Biology Degree – Degrees in Biology – Majors & Careers
Top 50 Highest Paying Master’s Degrees
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