Program in Integrative Biology College of Science and Mathematics Kennesaw State University

About the Master of Science in Integrative Biology

The Master of Science in Integrative Biology offered by the Department of Biology and Physics combines traditional research-based graduate training in the field of biology with a strong emphasis on the rapidly emerging paradigm of integrative biology. While students center their research within particular areas of biology based on faculty expertise, the program incorporates through course work and collaboration an integrative approach that spans scales (e.g. molecules, cells, populations, ecosystems) and disciplines (e.g. genetics, physiology, and physics) within biology and outside of biology. It is expected that a student's thesis research will be influenced and enhanced by this approach, so that graduates will be more versatile than conventionally-trained individuals because they can provide connectivity in interdisciplinary teams and adaptability to changing workplace needs in industry, research, and education.

The Master of Science in Integrative Biology program is designed to allow students to complete course work and their thesis research within two academic years. In addition to a thesis generated by original research, the degree will require 36 credit hours total: 11 credit hours Thesis Research, 12 credit hours of required graduate courses (including two Graduate Seminar experiences), and another 13 credit hours of graduate-level electives. Teaching assistantships with tuition remission are available on a competitive basis.

Individuals applying to the program should have a background in biology. Successful candidates will typically have completed requirements for the bachelor degree and demonstrate core competency as reflected by the record of undergraduate coursework in biology, chemistry, physics and mathematics, with a degree focus in one of these areas; have scores on the Quantitative Reasoning and Verbal Reasoning sections on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) above the 50% rank; have a grade point average of at least 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale); and will have conversed with (via email, telephone, or in person) at least one faculty member in the Department of Biology and Physics concerning potential thesis research projects.

About Kennesaw State University

Kennesaw State University (KSU) is a dynamic and growing institution, now the third largest university in the University System of Georgia, and is located approximately 20 miles north of Atlanta, with easy access to other universities, industries, and natural areas. Facilities include a 104,000 square-foot science building with teaching and research labs, a new 73,500 square foot laboratory addition housing labs dedicated to research and office space for graduate students, a greenhouse, and designated off-campus sites for field research.

Faculty members in the Department of Biology and Physics are strongly committed to student research and to excellence in scholarship, publishing regularly in national and international peer-reviewed journals, and receiving grants and contracts from agencies such as the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health, as well as state and local agencies and private foundations. KSU's Biology and Physics Department currently contains collaborative research efforts that integrate subdisciplines and biological scale including genetic-ecological interactions, microbiology host-pathogen interactions, and cell signaling protein interactions. A diverse portion of the permanent full-time faculty members in KSU's Biology and Physics Department are eligible to supervise graduate student research in areas that range across biological scales from biochemistry, cell biology, and microbiology, through genetics, physiology, evolution and development, to ecology, behavior, systematics and environmental science.

For More Information

More information on applying and on the graduate programs at KSU is available.

• Degrees Offered
• Major Degree Levels Offered
• Master of Science (MS)

• Degrees Awarded
• Master's Degrees Not reported
• Doctoral Degrees Not reported
• First Professional Degrees Not reported
• Other Advanced Degrees Not reported
• * Shows the number of degrees awarded for the last academic year that data was reported.

• Earning Your Degree
• Part-time study available? Not reported
• Evening/weekend programs available? Not reported
• Distance learning programs available? Not reported
• Terminal master's degree available? Not reported

• Degree Requirements
• Master's Degrees Not reported
• Doctoral Degrees Not reported
• First Professional Degrees Not reported
• Other Advanced Degrees Not reported

• Acceptance Rate
• AppliedNot Reported
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• EnrolledNot Reported
• Applying
• Application Fee - Domestic Not Reported
• Application Fee - International Not Reported
• Electronic applications accepted? Yes
• Applications processed on a rolling basis? Not Reported
• Application Deadlines
• Type Domestic International Priority Date
• Fall deadline Not Reported Not Reported Not Reported
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• Entrance Requirements
• Master's DegreesGRE, two letters of recommendation, and official transcript, statement of interest
• Doctoral's DegreesNot Reported
• First-Professional's DegreesNot Reported
• Other Advanced DegreesNot Reported
• International DegreesNot Reported

• Tuition & Fees
• In-state tuition *$3,000
• Out-of-state tuition *$10,836
• International student tuitionNot Reported
• * Tuition for full-time graduate student per academic year
• Fees
• Per-academic year feesNot Reported
• Per-term feesNot Reported
• One-time feeNot Reported
• * Fees for full-time graduate students
• Financial Support
• Financial award applicants must submitNot Reported
• Application deadlines for financial awardsNot Reported
• Types of financial support availableNot Reported