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In order to be admitted to the graduate program, you must have a sponsor. There is no minimum GPA or GRE score which will guarantee admission. You must have a sponsor.
Why do I need a sponsor?
The MS in Biological Sciences degree requires both course work and research. The research culminates in a written thesis. In order to conduct this research, you must work very closely with and under the supervision of a faculty member. This faculty member fills the role "Chair of the Thesis Committee", but is commonly referred to as the "adviser" or "major professor."
It is important to realize that your major professor is not like your faculty adviser from your undergraduate days. As an undergraduate, you may have rarely (or perhaps even never) consulted your faculty adviser. As a graduate student, you will be continually working with your major professor. Your major professor controls all aspects of your academic life; that is, what courses you take, and more importantly, what you're doing in your research project. Your thesis is written under the close supervision of the major professor, and must be approved by the major professor with the agreement of the rest of the thesis committee. If you do not have a major professor, it is absolutely impossible for you to finish your MS degree - you'll never graduate.
Being a major professor is a huge commitment on the part of the faculty member. Supervising the course work, research, and thesis requires an enormous amount of time and effort. In addition, laboratory or field supplies may be paid from grant money obtained by the professor. The Biological Sciences Department provides little formal recognition of the time required for faculty to supervise graduate students. In many cases, there is no reduction in teaching load for faculty acting as major professors. When a reduction is granted, it is very minimal, and does not nearly equal the time commitment.
Therefore, faculty members supervise grad students (i.e. act as major professors) as additional work. They take on grad students because they know how important the MS degree is to the student, and because the graduate research is an integral part of their own research program. Furthermore, faculty know that having an active research program with graduate students enhances the undergraduate program, because there is the opportunity for undergrads to gain research experience.
Because of the commitment of time and resources, there is a limit on how many grad students a faculty member can supervise. That limit varies; it depends on resources (grants, contracts) and time available. Only the individual faculty member can determine what their limit is. As an average, faculty who supervise students usually have about three students. The number of faculty supervising students is around 32, so the program can accommodate around 96 students. The program currently has about 100 students.
Thus, there are two major concerns:
1. You must have a major professor to graduate.
2. Faculty can only supervise a limited number of students.
The way to meet these concerns is by sponsored admission. When seeking a sponsor, you want to find someone who will be willing to be your major professor. The faculty need to limit their number of grad students. The sponsored admission method protects both you and the faculty. You are protected because you have the opportunity to find a faculty member to supervise your graduate work. The faculty are protected, because they can control how many grad students they have; and who those people are.
Is the agreement to sponsor also an agreement to be the major professor?
In a word, "no." The department does not want to "lock in" either students or faculty at the admissions stage. This allows both the faculty and the student to change their mind. However, in the vast majority of cases, the sponsor does become the major professor. When seeking a sponsor, you should be seeking someone who will be your major professor. In a few cases, the sponsor will not act as major professor - for example, students entering the CIty of Hope program will have their research supervised by City of Hope faculty. A Cal Poly faculty member will act as Chair of the Thesis Committee, but the actual work of being a major professor is done primarily by City of Hope faculty.
How do I find a sponsor?
Examine the list of the graduate faculty, and find people doing research in an area that interests you. Many of the faculty have web pages that provide additional detail on their research. Contact that person (email is recommended). Provide a brief introduction to your background and interests. Ask whether they are accepting new grad students for the quarter in which you wish to apply. If you receive a reply, you can then begin a dialogue that may lead to sponsorship.
When I email a potential sponsor, what should be included?
Discuss your research experience and interests. Indicate what undergrad GPA; it can also be helpful to provide your GPA for upper-division Biology and related courses (Microbiology, Zoology, Botany, Biochemistry). Attach your curriculum vitae.
Which do I do first - find a sponsor, or apply to the university?
It doesn't matter which you do first. If the end of the priority filing period (see application deadlines) or the deadline to apply is approaching, then go ahead and apply to the university. If you have time, it would be nice to have a potential sponsor before you apply. That way, if you can't find a sponsor, you can save yourself the application fee.
Can my sponsor be from another department or university?
No! Absolutely not! The whole purpose of the sponsor procedure is to develop a professional association with a member of the Biological Sciences Department graduate faculty.
Can the graduate coordinator, or someone else, find me a sponsor?
No. That is not possible. The graduate coordinator (or anybody else) cannot possibly keep track of the individual status of 30+ graduate faculty. Individual faculty members use the sponsor process to determine how many grad students they have, and who those students are. No one else can make these decisions for them.
Is there anything I shouldn't do?
You are strongly advised against contacting large numbers of faculty, and pleading with them to be your sponsor. It will become very apparent that you are "shopping" for a sponsor, and this projects a poor image of you. It indicates you are not taking grad school seriously - that you fail to recognize the importance of the research and the student-major professor relationship. It makes you seem insincere, and academically immature. And besides, the worst thing that could happen to you is that someone sponsors you without having any idea who will be your major professor. You would be admitted to the program, but would have no prospect of ever graduating.
