Guidelines for Applying to the BS/MS Program in Physiology

Students should be interested in pursuing a dual degree within Departments in the College of Natural Science (CNS).

The B.S. and the M.S. do not have to be from the same Department although in most cases they are.

Students who are being considered for a dual degree program should have approval for admission from the department to the respective graduate program and a minimum GPA (overall and in CNS courses) of 3.0 (Students must have completed a minimum of 60 undergraduate credits.).  The following information must be submitted to the Office of the Associate Dean for Student and Academic Affairs:

• A Plan of Study from the Department indicating that it is willing to accept the student into the dual degree program
• The online Graduate School Application
• The application fee
• A completed and signed Student Information Form for the BS/MS Program.

Upon approval of the packet, the Assoc. Dean’s office will enter the BS/MS tracking code and forward the completed application packet to the Office of Admissions.  This will authorize Admissions to process the application even if the student is only entering his/her junior year.

Students must submit their M.S. Plan of Study, prepared by the Department, to the Registrar’s Office and the Dean’s office for Student and Academic Affairs by the first semester in which they enroll for graduate applicable credits.  The Registrar keeps a separate record of the student’s B.S. and M.S. Programs.  The purpose of this is based on the fact that students are held to different academic standards for their B.S. and M.S. Programs.

Credits cannot be used to count toward both degrees.

For financial purposes, students in the BS/MS program are considered undergraduates and therefore pay undergraduate tuition rates even for graduate credits up to, and including, the first 120 credits. 

Following the semester in which the student completes the 120th credit, the primary level is changed from UN to GR to allow the student to be eligible for a Graduate Assistantship.  During a semester in which a student has a "mixed" enrollment of credits (some below 120 and some above) for the bachelor's degree and the master's degree, the student will be coded as an undergraduate. 

This coding arrangement is for purposes of qualification for federal financial aid and qualification for a graduate assistantship.  Students will be billed for the difference between undergraduate and graduate credits in the "mixed" semester.

For students receiving graduate assistantships, the tuition waiver will only apply to credits greater than 120.

Students in the BS/MS program cannot receive a graduate assistantship until the semester in which they are coded GR.

Students enrolled for two undergraduate degrees are considered undergraduate until they have reached 150 credits.  They will need an additional 30 credits for the MS and courses cannot be double counted.  Students pursuing a second major are considered undergraduate until they reach 120 credits plus additional credits, if any, that would reasonable be required for them to complete the second major.  Documentation of the additional credits should be on file in the Dean’s office.

Students may not receive their M.S. until all requirements for the B.S. have been completed.

BACHELOR’S/MASTER’S PROGRAM

A.   Application and Admission Process

1. Complete the online Graduate School Application       (program code: 3860)
2. Complete the Department Questionnaire
3. Provide 3 Letters of Recommendation
4. Complete the BS/MS Student Information Form
5. Provide an official transcript of grades from all schools attended after high school
6. NOTE: The GRE is not required for acceptance to the BS/MS program

Mail Letters of Reference, Department Questionnaire, and Transcripts to:

Graduate Affairs Committee
Department of Physiology
2201 BPS
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48824

B. Prerequisites and Credits

The required graduate courses can begin after the student successfully completes PSL 431/432 and BMB 461/462. The applicant must:

• have a GPA of 3.0 or higher in all undergraduate course work
• have a GPA of 3.0 or higher in all courses in the College of Natural Science

Overall, the student will complete a total of 150 credits; 120 credits for the B.S. degree and 30 credits for the
M.S. degree (see below). Courses cannot be double-counted. A minimum GPA of 3.0 is required to remain in the program.

The student pays undergraduate tuition for all credits (graduate or undergraduate) until the semester in
which they reach their 121st credit.  At that point the student will begin to pay graduate tuition. Students are not eligible for graduate assistantships until the semester in which they enroll for their 121st credit. However, students involved in research in their mentor’s laboratory can negotiate an hourly wage.

 C.       Master’s Program Curriculum 

   *  PSL 950 is not required during the first semester in the Master’s Program