Graduate Programs > Master's program

Admission

• Graduate School Application, plus application fee
• Departmental questionnaire
• TOEFL scores for international students from non-English speaking countries
• GRE scores are required. Subject test in biology or related field is recommended.
• Official transcript of grades from all schools attended after high school
• Three letters of recommendation

Course Work (in addition to thesis research)

• University requirements - 30 credits beyond the B.S. level, a minimum of 16 credits at the 800-900 level. Required courses (to be taken for credit, not as a visitor):
  

  Course	Credits
  PSL 827: Physiology/Pharmacology of Excitable Cells	4
  PSL 828: Cellular/Integrative Physiology	4
  BCH 801: Molecular Biology and Protein Structure	3
  BCH 802: Metabolic Regulation and Molecular Endocrinology	3
  PSL 910: Cell and Molecular Physiology	4
  PSL 950: Topics in Physiology (4 semesters; 1 cr/sem)	4
  PSL 899: Master's Thesis Research	9
  	Total: 30

• A student entering the PSL Master's program who has already successfully completed any of these required courses must select additional, advanced courses, with the approval of the Guidance Committee (see below) and the Director of Research and Graduate Studies.
  • The Guidance Committee will require the student to demonstrate computer competencies pertinent to the student's area of research. Successful completion of PSL 410: Computational Problem Solving in Physiology (with a minimum grade of 3.0) is one way to fulfill this requirement.
  • A statistics course may be required by the Guidance Committee.
  • Additional courses the student might choose to take: for more information about other courses, consult the university's Description of Courses and check with the department offering the course.
  • A student must maintain a 3.00 cumulative grade-point average for all courses counting toward the Master's degree (university regulation). In addition, a student must not accumulate more than 2 grades below 3.0 in courses earning credit toward the Master's degree (department regulation). If either of these criteria is not met, the student will be dis-enrolled.

Selecting a Thesis Adviser and Conducting Thesis Research

• It is the student's responsibility to secure a commitment from a member of the regular faculty to serve as the Thesis Adviser. The prospective student is strongly encouraged to identify a Thesis Adviser prior to entering the program, if possible. Students failing to identify a Thesis Adviser within one semester after beginning the program will be dis-enrolled.
• Students who begin the program without having identified a Thesis Adviser will have a temporary Academic Adviser assigned to them by the department.
• After identifying a Thesis Adviser, the student must complete a minimum of 4 credits of PSL 899: Master's Thesis Research (university requirement). Although only four hours of research credit are required, students will typically complete about 9 credits of PSL 899. A maximum of 10 credits of Master's thesis research may be applied toward the 30 credits required for an M.S. program.
• hesis research can be laboratory-based (Thesis Option I) or library-based (Thesis Option II).
• The thesis research must be based on work done by the student after entering the Master's program.
• Thesis is to be written under the guidance of the Thesis Adviser, in consultation with the Guidance Committee, and in accordance with: The Graduate School Guide to the Preparation of Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations.

Guidance Committee

• It is the student's responsibility to secure a commitment from a faculty member to serve as their major adviser by the end of the first semester.
• The Guidance Committee consists of the Thesis Adviser and at least two other regular faculty from the Physiology Department. Additional faculty from other university departments may be included on the Guidance Committee, at the discretion of the student and Thesis Adviser. The student and major adviser will arrange for the selection and first meeting of the student's Guidance Committee whose central role is to guide the conception, completion, and reporting of the student's research. The Guidance Committee and the student shall jointly design the student's course of academic study. The Guidance Committee shall administer the Certifying Examination after the completion of the research. The committee will outline at their first meeting at least a tentative program and establish target dates for each phase of training. Any member of the committee or any other member of the faculty in the department is available to any student for counsel or guidance throughout his/her graduate career. It is strongly suggested that the Guidance Committee be formed by the end of the second semester of the second year.

  Following the first meeting and filing of the Guidance Committee Report, each student's Guidance Committee is expected to meet and file a report annually, on the progress of the student. The student will need to provide the thesis guidance committee with a written progress report of their research. The progress report should have the following format:

  • Brief introduction; include in this section the specific aims in the original thesis proposal.
  • Results and discussion: This section should include an update on all progress toward the completion of the specific aims. If there has been a change in the aims or direction of investigation, this change should be well described. This section should also include a statement of the percentage of progress on the aims (original/revised).
  • Future studies/timetable. This section should briefly indicate the studies that are left to be done and the anticipated timetable for their completion.
  • List all manuscripts submitted, papers in press/published; abstracts submitted/presented.
  • Have this written progress report to the thesis guidance committee seven days before the annual committee meeting.
  • At the meeting, the student should plan to give a brief (~30 mins) oral summation of their written report. The major advisor is required to provide a written summary of the yearly meeting using the form in Appendix E-1. The written summary is to be signed by the committee members and the student. Copies are to be distributed to the student, mentor, committee members and the student's file.
  • The Guidance Committee administers the certifying examination at the completion of writing the Master's thesis.

Certifying Examination

• The certifying exam consists of an oral examination in defense of the student's written thesis.
• Passing this exam will require approval of the written thesis, in addition to the satisfactory, oral defense of the thesis.
• A student who fails the exam will be given one opportunity to retake the exam. If the student fails the second exam, the student will be dis-enrolled.

Duration of the Program

• The nominal duration of the program is four semesters (2yrs):

  1st semester(Fall)
  PSL 827, BCH 801, PSL 980, PASL 950 or PSL 899

  2nd semester (Spring)
  PSL 828, BCH 802, PSL 950, PSL 899

  3rd semester (Fall)
  PSL 910, PSL 950, PSL 899

  4th semester (Spring)
  PSL 950, PSL 899

• The actual time needed to complete all program requirements will vary from one student to another, however, the M.S. degree can be completed in two years under Thesis Option II.

Additional University Requirements and Time Limit

• 30 credits beyond the Bachelor's degree.
• 16 credits minimul at the 800-900 level.
• Time limit: 6 years from the date of enrollment in first course in the Master's Degree program

Financial Support

• The deparment will not provide graduate assistantships or other stipends for students in the Master's program. This does not preclude a student from obtaining support from the Thesis Adviser or other sources

Master's Program Timetable

Fall Semester - Yr. 1

Spring Semester - Yr. 1*

* - Times/location based on Spring 2003 information

** - PSL 950 is not required first semester in Program

Fall Semester - Yr. 2

Spring Semester - Yr. 2*

* - Times/location based on Spring 2003 information