Master’s Degree and Post-baccalaureate Certificate

Prerequisites: A substantial body of relevant undergraduate work and considerable background knowledge are essential for graduate study. Therefore, students whose undergraduate knowledge and skills are considered deficient in breadth may be required to complete additional preparatory work without degree credit. Such undergraduate “leveling” courses must be completed with a grade of B or better.

Master’s Program: The master’s program is a 2 year program comprised of 36 semester credit hours of graduate work.

  1. Core Curriculum: Core curriculum courses are taken in both semesters of the first year. The curriculum is designed to give all GSBS master students a unified and coordinated foundation that serves as a basis for further study in individual disciplines within the biomedical sciences.
  2. Students may not drop a core course for academic reasons.
  3. Core curriculum coursework includes:
    1. Biochemistry
    2. Cell Biology
    3. Genetics
    4. Laboratory Methods in Biomedical Sciences
    5. Introduction to Biomedical Research
    6. Research in Biomedical Sciences
  4. Students who receive a grade of C or below in core course are required to repeat the courses and pay the associated fees.
  5. Students must maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA or better per semester in order to maintain their scholarship.
  6. Students who receive a grade of C or below in core courses already retaken will be subject to academic probation.
  7. Final written report: While master students are not required to present a research thesis, the master program does require submission of a final written report on the outcome of the student’s research project.
    1. Only applies to the master’s degree program.

Degree Plan: Before graduation, master students assisted by the GSBS main office should submit a degree plan. Delay in submission of the degree plan may result in postponement of graduation eligibility. Approval of the degree plan does not, however, constitute admission to candidacy for a master’s degree. It merely signifies that the proposed plan is acceptable if the student satisfies all of the regulations of the GSBS and all of the requirements tied to the degree plan.

Post-Baccalaureate Certificate Program: The post-baccalaureate certificate program is a 1year program comprised of 18 semester credit hours of graduate work.

  1. Post-Baccalaureate students take the same course as the first-year master students.
  2. Students may not drop a course for academic reasons.
  3. Students must maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA or better to receive the certificate of completion.

Certificate Plan: Before graduation, post-baccalaureate students assisted by the GSBS main office should submit a certificate plan. Delay in submission of the certificate plan may result in postponement of attaining the certificate of completion. Approval of the certificate plan does not, however, constitute admission to attaining a certificate of completion. It merely signifies that the proposed plan is acceptable if the student satisfies all of the regulations of the GSBS and all of the requirements tied to the certificate plan.

Time Limit: Students seeking advanced degrees are expected to graduate within a specified period of time. GSBS students whose graduate study is interrupted by military service are granted an extension for the period of their military duty (not to exceed 5 years). Per reporting guidelines established by the  Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB).