Degree Requirements

1. Course Work

Courses	Units
BIO 680 Seminar in Biology - usually taken three times for 1 unit each	3
BIO 693 Presentation of Research Proposal	1
BIO 694 Thesis Research in the Biological Sciences	6
BIO 696 Master’s Degree Thesis	3
Program courses - determined by the student with the approval of the Thesis Advisor and thesis committee. At least 11 units must be from 500 and 600-level courses	32
TOTAL	45

If you have a Thesis Advisor, this professor will help you determine courses to take. If you do not have a Thesis Advisor, you should consult the faculty member who sponsored your admission for advising. By the end of your first year in the program, you should have reached an agreement with a faculty member to serve as your Thesis Advisor (see 3a below).

An overall grade point average of 3.0 (B) or better must be maintained. A grade point average (Program GPA) of 3.0 (B) is also required for all courses listed on your degree program (see 3b below). Courses with a grade lower than "C" will not count toward the degree requirements.

2. Graduate Writing Test. The Graduate Writing Test must be taken during the first quarter of enrollment if you graduated from an institution which did not require a writing proficiency test for graduation. The GWT is administered by the Test Center.

3. Advancement to Candidacy.

a. Formation of Thesis Committee. By the end of your first year in the program, you should select a Thesis Advisor ("Major Professor") who will serve as Chair of your Thesis Committee. In order to select a Thesis Advisor, you should take courses and/or talk with professors doing research in your areas of interest. Your Thesis Advisor will help you select the other Committee members, and you will then ask them to serve on your Thesis Committee. (A Graduate Thesis Committee consists of a minimum of 3 members including the Chair.)

b. Degree Program -- "Program for the Master of Science Degree in Biological Sciences." In consultation with your Thesis Committee, complete the Program form, which lists courses you must complete, your thesis topic, and other requirements for graduation. The form must be signed by the Thesis Advisor and members of your Thesis Committee, the Graduate Coordinator, Department Chair, College Dean, and submitted to the Academic Programs office (1-229). You must submit this form by the end of your fourth quarter. Note: this form is sometimes referred to as the “GS-101”, or as the "contract."

c. BIO 693. "Presentation of Research Proposal." In consultation with your Thesis Advisor, you will select a thesis research topic, do the necessary background reading, perhaps do some preliminary studies, and prepare an oral presentation of the proposed thesis research. The presentation should include:

the relevant scientific background
the hypotheses to be tested (objectives of your project)
the procedures to be used for testing your hypotheses (including a timetable for completion and an estimation of required resources)
the possible outcomes/preliminary data

At least one week prior to your presentation, you must distribute written notices to the Faculty of the Biological Sciences Department, and post notices in public places.

The format of the research proposal will be a public oral presentation, followed by a closed session which includes the student, members of the Thesis Committee, and interested Graduate Faculty. Following the oral presentation, members of the audience may ask questions or make suggestions. During the closed session, additional questions will be asked and suggestions made. The program of courses (see part b above) may be discussed during the closed session.

This course is a prerequisite for BIO 694, "Thesis Research." The courses may be taken concurrently but you should not take BIO 694 before BIO 693.

4. Thesis Research. Upon completion of the Advancement to Candidacy, you will continue your thesis research, and completion of courses. The 6 units of BIO 694 provide academic credit for this work.

5. Written Thesis. The written thesis will include a literature review, objectives of your project, materials and methods, results, discussion of the results, and conclusions. Your Thesis Advisor and members of your Thesis Committee will review your thesis and help you revise the thesis. The 3 units of BIO 696 provide academic credit for this work.

The University Library will require two bound copies of your thesis for the collection. The Library has rules concerning the thesis format which may be found at: http://www.csupomona.edu/~library/html/masters_thesis.html

You should be familiar with the CSE style manual:
Council of Science Editors (CSE) Manual, "Scientific Style and Format" , 7th edition, June 2006.
The manual is a helpful reference while preparing your thesis, and the thesis editor at the Library may ask you about the style manual you used for your thesis.

6. Defense of Thesis. The thesis defense is a public oral presentation of your thesis research, followed by questions from the audience, and examination by your Thesis Committee in a closed session. In this closed session, you should expect questions about your thesis, and there may be questions in the area of basic biology.

Important Information Concerning BIO 694, BIO 696 and other 600-level courses

While your research and thesis work are in progress, you will normally be assigned a grade of RP (report in progress) for any units of research (BIO 694) or thesis (BIO 696) in which you are enrolled. These RP grades must be changed to actual letter grades on 6 units of BIO 694 and 3 units of BIO 696 before you graduate (grade changes are done by the Thesis Advisor, but you must request that the changes be made). Be advised that BIO 694 units must be changed to a grade within one year; and BIO 696 must be changed within two years. If the changes are not made, the grades stay as RP forever (RP grades do not affect your GPA). You will have to enroll in any additional units in order to obtain grades before you graduate. This may delay your graduation. The one-year policy also applies to RP grades in any other 600-level courses (e.g. BIO 693, BIO 691, BIO 692).