Current MS Students
- Requirements for the M.S. Degree
- Course Options
- Masters Thesis Standards
- Final Quarter Milestones
- Professional Development & Support Services
Qualified students can earn the MS degree within 3-5 quarters following receipt of the BS degree. Students enrolled in this program receive an advanced research experience by completing at least six contiguous quarters of biological research in one of the excellent research labs at UC San Diego. In addition, BS/MS students complete 12 units of graduate-level courses in Biology, Medicine, or other disciplines related to their thesis project. Students complete their degree requirements by writing and defending a Master's thesis.
Biology MS students should not rely on the graduate degree audit to track degree progress. Students may review the information below to confirm research and coursework requirements for the BS/MS program.
BS/MS students complete 6 consecutive quarters of research between the undergraduate and graduate programs.
MS students must complete at least 36 units of course work as a graduate student. Many students choose to complete more than the minimum required 36 units to help them achieve their goals.
Students need to be enrolled in 12 units each quarter (this includes both academic coursework and research units). There is no maximum unit load for a quarter.
Students should enroll in both BGGN 271 and BGRD 200, with their thesis advisor as the instructor, for each quarter during the MS portion of this program. BGGN 271 is the graduate equivalent of BISP 19x. BGRD 200 accounts for the time spent discussing thesis research in the lab with a student's thesis advisor and lab colleagues. BGRD 200 is taken for 1 unit, while BGGN 271 can be taken for 4 to 12 units per quarter, reflecting the amount of time spent in the lab.
A total of 24 units of research coursework are needed between BISP 19x and BGGN 271, though BISP 19x research units do not apply toward 36 total Master's level units.
BGGN 299 and 297 are reserved for PhD students cannot be used to satisfy any of the 36 MS unit requirements.
Of the 36 graduate level units, at least 12 units must be in courses other than research (BGGN 271 and BGRD 200). Course selection should be determined in consultation with the MS thesis advisor, and all MS coursework must be approved by the thesis advisor when the student advances to candidacy in their final graduate quarter.
Students pursuing the Specialization in Biology Education Research are required to complete 12 units of academic coursework, which must include BGGN 272: Learning Theories (4 units), completed with a letter grade. Of the remaining 8 units of academic coursework:
Recommended courses for students in this specialization include:
Course selection should be determined in consultation with the MS thesis advisor, and all MS coursework must be approved by the thesis advisor when the student advances to candidacy in their final graduate quarter.
For an overview of graduate courses offered in the current academic year, visit Tentative Course Offerings. For a list of courses open to MS students, visit Course Options for MS Students.
To meet the minimum requirements for a MS degree at UC San Diego, BS/MS students must complete at least 3 quarters of residency as a MS student. Summer cannot be used as a quarter of residency for MS students.
Additionally, BS/MS students must maintain a grade-point average of at least 3.000, both cumulatively and for each quarter of enrollment in the graduate program. If GPA falls below 3.000, the student may be dropped from the program.
Students should pay relevant fees during any quarter in which the student is using university resources (ex. working in lab or taking courses).
Any deviation from this plan, such as a break in enrollment for one or more quarters, may cause the student to be dropped from the program.
The MS thesis project completed by BS/MS students is evaluated by a MS Thesis Committee. MS students are responsible for establishing their MS Thesis Committee in consultation with their thesis advisor, and are expected to maintain communication with their committee throughout their MS program. Students officially nominate their MS committee when they advance to candidacy in their final quarter in the MS program.
The MS Thesis Committee:
Students are encouraged to form their Thesis Committee by the end of their first graduate quarter. Students are also encouraged to communicate regularly with their committee throughout the master's program to discuss the research project.
The MS Thesis Committee is responsible for approving a student's thesis and confirming that the student passed their thesis defense.
Master's thesis committees need at least three members, including the Chair (the student's thesis advisor/PI). Students are encouraged to create a committee that helps span the intellectual and technical breadth of their thesis project.
Committee member roles and eligible titles include:
General campus guidelines for appointing a Master's committee can be found on the Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs (GEPA) website. Note, all MS committees must meet the UC San Diego minimum requirements for a thesis committee as well as the School of Biological Sciences requirement that a thesis committee have at least 2 tenure-track Biology faculty.
Questions?
Current UCSD students: Please submit your questions via the VAC. An advisor will respond in 1-3 business days.
Drop-in Advising times are posted on the Advising Calendar.