Hone your research skills and make new discoveries about the natural world

The Biological Sciences MS is a versatile degree that’s ideal for those who plan to teach, research or pursue a PhD. Become a well-rounded biologist through a combination of lecture, laboratory and seminar courses. Work on cutting-edge research in labs alongside your peers and professors—and develop your own concentration of studies under the mentorship of your faculty advisor.

Students that are admitted to the MS program are hired as teaching assistants, and provided tuition waivers and stipends. External funding opportunities through programs like the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program?, Gem Fellowship? ?(underrepresente??d students in STEM),? or Fulbright Fellowship (international students) ?are also possible.? 

Classes take place on the Lincoln Park Campus and are typically held in the daytime.

For international students: this is a STEM-designated program, which can qualify you to extend your post-graduation stay in the United States.

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Study biology in one of the Midwest’s most diverse ecosystems

With urban and natural spaces that exist in harmony, Chicago is one of the most biodiverse areas in the Midwest: ideal for fieldwork, exploration and study. As one of the largest cities in the country, it’s also home to world-famous institutions such as the Museum of Science and Industry, Field Museum and Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum.

Application Deadlines

Completed applications are reviewed beginning February 1.

Admission Requirements

Submit an online application, official transcripts, letters of recommendation and a personal statement.

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Required Courses

You’ll take two years of coursework, including eight core courses. You’ll also complete first-year and final examinations, and a thesis.

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100%

of Biological Sciences graduates were employed, continuing their education or pursuing other goals within six months of graduation.

Faculty with a passion for the natural world

Study with Jalene LaMontagne, a population ecologist who has worked in terrestrial and aquatic systems as well as forests from the Arctic to urban Chicago. Jalene and her students study tree reproduction in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan and the impacts of urbanization on habitat availability and use here in Chicago. She is also an Adjunct Scientist with the Lincoln Park Zoo’s Urban Wildlife Institute.

“My program helped me become an independent and organized scientist, teacher, and student. I was constantly given the opportunity to showcase my ideas to a wide variety of audiences. One of the hardest parts of science is crafting an accurate and interesting story from your research and showing the world why it’s important. Professors and other graduate students are always ready to meet you where you are and help you tell the most genuine story possible.”

Sara (MS ’19)

PhD Student, Virginia Tech 

Scholarships

MS students are hired as teaching assistants for the duration of the program, for which they are provided a tuition waiver and stipend.

??Applying to the Biology (MS) Program

Completed applications will be reviewed beginning February 1.

The graduate program in biology provides an inviting, inclusive and integrative experience for students. We encourage applications from students with diverse interests and backgrounds and provide an environment in which this type of diversity can flourish. 

To be eligible for the Master of Science in Biological Sciences program, applicants must have a bachelor’s degree in a science-related field from a regionally accredited institution or be in the process of completing the bachelor's degree. Additionally, applicants should have the following:

• One year of General Biology (required)
• One course in statistics (preferred)
• One year of General Chemistry (preferred)

Although not required, we suggest that applicants contact individual faculty members in their area(s) of interest to learn more about their research. Students whose application is supported by a faculty member tend to have a greater chance of being admitted.

There is no GRE requirement.

To apply, please submit the following:

• A completed online application
• Official transcripts from all previous college course work (minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale). Unofficial transcripts can be submitted for the application review. Official transcripts will be required upon admission.?
• Three letters of recommendation from science professors, preferably biology
• A personal statement that explains your interest in the biological sciences graduate program at DePaul. The statement should specify your career goals, previous experience, and any specific area of interest. It is also helpful to indicate faculty with whom you would be interested in working.

Students educated outside the United States must present proof of English proficiency. The program requires a minimum TOEFL score of 96 on the TOEFL iBT, or a minimum IELTS score of 7.0 or a minimum Duolingo score of 125.

For additional information for international students please visit our International Student Admission Process page.

Degree Requirements

Course Requirements

50 hours of graduate credit including:

Course	Title	Quarter Hours
BIO 402	INTRODUCTION TO GRADUATE STUDIES	2
BIO 403	DEVELOPMENT OF TOPICS FOR RESEARCH	4
BIO 494	COMMUNICATING SCIENCE	4
BIO 499	THESIS RESEARCH (16 -20 quarter hours) 1	16 - 20
Select at least one course from the Ecology, Evolution, and Population biology core area		4
Select at least one course from the Genetics, Cell and Molecular biology core area		4
Select at least one course from the Physiology and Neurobiology core area		4
Select two to three additional courses from any of the core areas		8 - 12

Graduate students are also required to attend all of the seminars presented in the department’s Seminar Series.

1	Graduate students may take between 16 and 20 hours of research credits.  Students electing to take 16 hours of research can fulfill the degree credit hour requirement by taking an additional course from any of the core areas, or the elective course BIO 406

Core Areas of Study

Ecology, Evolution, and Population Biology

Course	Title	Quarter Hours
BIO 415	TOPICS IN ECOLOGY
BIO 417	AQUATIC BIOLOGY
BIO 419	TOPICS IN BEHAVIORAL PARASITOLOGY
BIO 421	MOLECULAR METHODS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
BIO 432	POPULATION ECOLOGY
BIO 435	CONCEPTS IN EVOLUTION
BIO 445	TOPICS IN PALEOBIOLOGY
BIO 489	RESEARCH IN FIELD BIOLOGY
BIO 447	TOPICS IN MEDICAL BACTERIOLOGY

Genetics, Cell and Molecular Biology

Course	Title	Quarter Hours
BIO 409	PLANT PHYSIOLOGY
BIO 420	ADVANCED MICROBIOLOGY
BIO 421	MOLECULAR METHODS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
BIO 425	CELLULAR EVENTS IN THE IMMUNE RESPONSE
BIO 430	DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
BIO 439	CELLULAR NEUROBIOLOGY
BIO 447	TOPICS IN MEDICAL BACTERIOLOGY
BIO 448	THE BIOLOGY OF INFECTION
BIO 449	TOPICS IN MICROBIOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
BIO 455	GENETIC TOXICOLOGY
BIO 460	MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
BIO 461	TOPICS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
BIO 462	BIOINFORMATICS FOR BENCH SCIENTISTS
BIO 471	IMMUNOBIOLOGY
BIO 475	INTRODUCTION TO PHARMACOLOGY
BIO 480	CANCER BIOLOGY
BIO 481	TOPICS IN CANCER
BIO 486	INTRODUCTION TO ENDOCRINOLOGY

Physiology and Neurobiology

Course	Title	Quarter Hours
BIO 409	PLANT PHYSIOLOGY
BIO 412	TOPICS IN EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGY
BIO 439	CELLULAR NEUROBIOLOGY
BIO 440	BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE
BIO 441	TOPICS IN NEUROBIOLOGY
BIO 442	COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE
BIO 452	ADVANCED COMPARATIVE PHYSIOLOGY
BIO 465	PRINCIPLES OF TOXICOLOGY
BIO 475	INTRODUCTION TO PHARMACOLOGY
BIO 485	MAMMALIAN REPRODUCTION
BIO 486	INTRODUCTION TO ENDOCRINOLOGY
BIO 489	RESEARCH IN FIELD BIOLOGY

BIO 490, as appropriate, may also be approved in one of the three core areas.

BIO 406 can be taken as an elective.

Advancement to Candidacy

Based upon the results of a qualifying examination taken near the end of the third quarter of the student’s first full year and earning grades of B or better on graduate courses taken during the first year. Participation in undergraduate laboratory instruction is strongly encouraged.

Thesis Requirement

Results based upon an independent laboratory investigation.

Final Examination Requirement

An oral examination, including presentation of a seminar based on the MS thesis research, and a period of questioning on the thesis, the area of research which the thesis addresses, and basic biology as it relates to the thesis area.