The University of Iowa
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
The Department of Biology

Policy and Procedure Handbooks

Graduate Handbook

VI. M.S. DEGREE IN BIOLOGY, WITH THESIS - SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS AND PROCEDURES
A. Core Requirements
B. Thesis Sponsor and M.S. Thesis Committee
C. Plan of Study
D. Course Work
E. Laboratory Affiliation
F. Thesis
1. Evaluation and Approval of Thesis
2. Guidelines
G. Deadlines
H. The M.S. Final Examination
VI. M.S. DEGREE IN BIOLOGY, WITH THESIS - SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS AND PROCEDURES
A. Core Requirements
All requirements listed in Section I A, B, C (above) must be met.
B. Thesis Sponsor and M.S. Thesis Committee
A student admitted to M.S. candidacy must identify a thesis sponsor prior to admission and form an M.S. Thesis Committee no later than the second semester of residence. This committee consists of three members, one of whom is the thesis sponsor. Students who change their degree objective from the Ph.D. to the M.S. with thesis may be granted an extra semester in which to identify a thesis sponsor. Failure to do so by the end of the one-semester grace period will result in dismissal from the program.
C. Plan of Study

The student must submit to the Thesis Committee a complete plan of coursework for the M.S. degree. The committee must approve the plan, which will be placed in the student's file, with the signature of the chair of the committee. It is the responsibility of the sponsor to discuss changes in the plan with the committee and seek the committee's approval for the changes. The committee also should be consulted, at the sponsor's discretion, about progress of the student's thesis research.

D. Course Work
At least 30 sh (in Biology or cognate disciplines) at the 100-level or above must be taken, not including courses taken to make up deficiencies (under I.A. and I.B, above) . Specific courses, and areas in which courses are taken are to be determined by the thesis sponsor and/or M.S. Thesis Committee in consultation with the student as part of the plan of study (part 3). Credit for graduate research (2:301) pertaining to the thesis is limited to 9 sh. Among the courses included in the plan of study at least one must be a graduate level seminar course for 2 sh credit. This course should include a writing requirement.
E. Laboratory Affiliation
Entering students who elect to pursue the M.S. degree with thesis must identify an M.S. thesis sponsor prior to admission. Notification that the affiliation is agreeable to the adviser must be sent to the Graduate Recruitment and Admissions Committee who will review the student’s application and verify that all entry criteria have been met prior to admission. The student immediately affiliates with that faculty member’s laboratory. Such a student will be supported either by teaching assistantships or by research assistantships funded by their research sponsor’s grants.
F. Thesis
1. Evaluation and Approval of Thesis
The student must prepare a thesis with the aid and criticism of a faculty sponsor and the thesis committee. The completed thesis must first be approved by the student’s sponsor, and then by the student’s thesis committee.
2. Guidelines
  • Thesis Problem. The thesis problem is ordinarily identified by the research sponsor, but the problem, hypotheses, and experimental strategies should be sufficiently well understood by the candidate that the thesis describes them clearly.
  • Student’s Contribution. The thesis should contain intellectual input from the student, in addition to a significant amount of laboratory or field work. The thesis should include technically competent experimentation exhibiting a reasonable standard of sophistication.
  • Significance of Research. The research findings should be significant enough that there are plans to publish them, though not necessarily as a complete paper.
G. Deadlines
The Graduate College Plan of Study Form (approved by sponsor and Department chairperson) must be filed before mid-term (the Graduate College establishes deadlines each semester) in the semester or session in which the degree is expected. The student must also file for the Degree and for the Final Examination before deadlines established by the Graduate College in the semester in which the degree is expected. Forms for these purposes are available from the Graduate Program Coordinator.
H. The M.S. Final Examination

The thesis defense consists of an oral examination administered by the Thesis Committee. Should this be failed, the student may try again in the next semester or summer session. A second failure will make the student ineligible to continue as a graduate student in the Department of Biology.

The exam procedure is the same for all students, including entering M.S. candidates, Ph.D. candidates in good standing who choose to change their status to M.S. with thesis, and Ph.D. candidates who fail the Comprehensive Examination and change their status to M.S. [In accordance with the rules of the Graduate College, students who have failed the Comprehensive Examination twice will be ineligible under any circum-stances for readmission to the Department as a Ph.D. candidate.] The oral examination will mainly be a defense of the thesis. This oral examination is intended to indicate that the student both comprehends the nature of the research accomplished and is capable of analyzing and interpreting experimental data.