Biology - Graduate Program

Virginia Freire
Room 302, Trainer Natural Resources Building
Phone : 715-346-4252
Email : vfreire@uwsp.edu

UW-Stevens Point offers a Master of Science in Teaching (MST) in Biology. The Department of Biology administers the program through the department chair and department graduate coordinator. The primary purpose of this program is to meet the educational needs of teachers who have already completed the teacher certification process. As a secondary school teacher, the MST-Biology program will give you the opportunity for advanced study, experimentation, research, and involvement in professional activities.

If you are interested in a Master of Science (MS) degree, examine the Master of Science in Natural Resources . Most biology faculty have joint appointments in the College of Natural Resources and can serve as major advisers for that degree. You may also consider the Master of Science in Education. A science education faculty member may serve as your adviser.

Admission to the Program - Biology Graduate

The Graduate Study section of this catalog describes admissions requirements and procedures for graduate study at UW-Stevens Point. To pursue a graduate program in biology, you must:

Submit an application to the UW-Stevens Point Admissions Office, which will forward the application to the biology graduate coordinator;
Have an undergraduate major or minor in biology;
Have a 2.75 overall undergraduate GPA;
Have a 3.00 undergraduate GPA in the biology major or minor; and
Submit an unofficial copy of your teaching license.

If you don’t meet these criteria, you may appeal to the graduate coordinator and chair for acceptance on probation. Probation requires a minimum 3.0 average based on the first 9 graduate credits completed at UW-Stevens Point. You may have to complete additional coursework.

On formal notification of acceptance into a graduate program, you will be assigned a departmental adviser who will work with you to complete a Program of Study form in the first semester of your graduate program.

The planned course of study is provisional based on course availability.

Policies for Biology Graduate Program

The Graduate Study section of this catalog describes all graduate requirements, but the following provisions are particularly important:

UW-Stevens Point does not automatically accept transfer graduate credits. You must submit a formal application to the Department of Biology for approval of up to 9 credits from another accredited graduate institution; only 6 of these credits may be Extension credits.
The Department of Biology determines whether graduate credits taken before admission to a graduate degree program will apply toward the fulfillment of requirements of the UW-Stevens Point degree program. Graduate courses taken as a special student at UW-Stevens Point also fall under this provision. You may not use more than 9 graduate credits earned before graduate admission to satisfy requirements for the degree program.
You must complete all degree requirements, including transfer credits, within a seven-year period that is counted from the end of the term when the first degree course was taken. You may apply for an extension which necessitates the approval of the biology graduate coordinator, the dean of the college, and the Graduate Council. Time extensions are granted only for unusual health conditions, fulfillment of military obligations, or other extenuating circumstances.
A maximum of 6 credits earned in BIOL 796 (Independent Study) may apply to a master’s degree, unless there are programmatic factors beyond the department’s or your control. The biology graduate coordinator may grant approval for exceptions.
With the exception of thesis credit, a grade of incomplete automatically becomes an F unless it is removed before the end of the next semester or summer session in which you are registered. For an incomplete to be granted, you and the instructor must agree on the specific requirements, including a firm date for the completion of the work and removal of the incomplete.
No credits with pass/fail grades will be accepted toward the degree.
To receive a graduate degree, you must apply for graduation online through myPoint at the beginning of the term in which you expect to receive the degree and not later than the end of the third week of a semester or first week of a summer session. Graduate degrees are conferred only in May and December. If you apply for graduation and do not complete the degree requirements, you must reapply for graduation.
Except for those courses in which you are currently enrolled, you must complete all degree requirements at least 20 days before the degree conferral date. If you have incomplete coursework or lack an approved thesis or other culminating experience in the Department of Biology, you will not be eligible for graduation.
If writing a master’s thesis, you must file two unbound copies of your thesis in the library at least 10 days before graduation. One copy of the thesis is for the library; the second is for the Department of Biology. The library will charge you a nominal fee for binding.
You must meet at least once per year with your graduate coordinator and/or your graduate committee.

Programs

Graduate

Biology, M.S.T.