Biochemistry and Biotechnology MS Accelerated Master's Degree
The Biochemistry and Biotechnology (BCBT) Program offers an Accelerated MS degree program that allows students to simultaneously earn their BS and their MS in BCBT. Students accepted to the Accelerated MS degree program will be permitted to count up to 9 credits toward both degrees.
Students are encouraged to work closely with their BCBT undergraduate advisor, the Accelerated MS advisor, and the BCBT Program Director to ensure that courses are timed appropriately to maximize their benefits. It is strongly recommended that students meet with the Accelerated MS advisor as soon as possible, ideally before their junior year.
Students in the Accelerated MS program will complete the MS through the non-thesis coursework path. The thesis MS and Professional Science MS programs cannot be combined with this program.
Eligibility
Students need to have fulfilled the core curriculum requirements for the Bachelor of Science degree prior to applying for the Accelerated MS program.
| Biology Core Courses | ||
| BIOL 1831 | Introductory Biology: From Molecules to Organisms (MOTR BIOL 150L) | 5 |
| BIOL 2012 | Genetics | 3 |
| BIOL 2013 | Genetics Laboratory | 2 |
| BIOL 2482 | Microbiology | 3 |
| BIOL 2483 | Microbiology Laboratory | 2 |
| BIOL 3622 | Cell Biology | 3 |
| Chemistry Core Course | ||
| CHEM 1111 | Introductory Chemistry I (MOTR CHEM 150L) | 5 |
| CHEM 1121 | Introductory Chemistry II | 5 |
| CHEM 2223 | Quantitative Analysis in Chemistry | 4 |
| CHEM 2612 | Organic Chemistry I | 3 |
| CHEM 2622 | Organic Chemistry II | 3 |
| CHEM 2633 | Organic Chemistry Laboratory | 2 |
| CHEM 3302 | Physical Chemistry for The Life Sciences | 3 |
| Math and Physics Core Courses | ||
| MATH 1030 | College Algebra (MOTR MATH 130) | 3 |
| MATH 1035 | Trigonometry | 2 |
| MATH 1100 | Basic Calculus | 3 |
| or MATH 1800 | Analytic Geometry and Calculus I | |
| PHYSICS 1011 | Basic Physics I | 3 |
| PHYSICS 1012 | Basic Physics II | 3 |
Admission Requirements
Provisional Admission
Applicants are considered for provisional admission if they meet the following criteria.
- Earned 60 hours as an undergraduate
- Have a minimum GPA of 3.0 with a B or better in all core courses listed above
- Have approval from both their BCBT undergraduate advisor and BCBT Program Director
It is recommended to apply for provisional status as a junior, preferably in the first semester of junior year.
Graduate course options for Provisional students are listed below. Courses completed by undergraduate students who have been provisionally admitted to the Accelerated MS program can count towards both their BS and MS degrees. Courses in this phase will be charged at the undergraduate tuition rate; however, these courses will count toward the master’s degree. Courses must be approved before the semester starts. Any 4000-level course taken before admission to the Accelerated MS program will apply to the undergraduate requirements only.
Seniors who have earned more than 105 credit hours cannot be considered for the Accelerated MS degree program.
Graduate Admission
Applicants are considered for graduate admission with the following criteria.
- Are in their final semester in undergraduate status
- Have a minimum GPA of 3.0 since being granted provisional status
- Submitted at least one positive recommendation letter from an UMSL BCBT faculty member
- Submitted to the BCBT Program Director a statement of purpose explaining why an advanced degree in BCBT is of interest and why the applicant merits consideration
- Have met with the BCBT Accelerated MS advisor
Based on the above information, the BCBT undergraduate advisor, Accelerated MS advisor and Program Director will determine whether the student can apply for graduate admission. The final decision concerning graduate admission is made by the BCBT Program Director and the Graduate School. Students admitted to the graduate program must take graduate courses until the completion of the MS degree.
Completing the BS and MS Degrees
To finish the BCBT BS degree, a student must also complete the following requirements.
| Biochemistry and Biotechnology Core Courses | ||
| Choose one of the following: | 3 | |
| Molecular Biology (upper level Molecular Biology or equivalent course required for MS) | ||
| Synthetic Biology | ||
| Nucleic Acid Structure and Function | ||
| Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology | ||
| BIOL 4614 | Biotechnology Laboratory I | 4 |
| CHEM 4712 | Biochemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 4733 | Biochemistry Laboratory | 2 |
| CHEM 4722 | Advanced Biochemistry (Chem 5722 required for MS) | 3 |
| or CHEM 5722 | Advanced Graduate Biochemistry | |
| BIOL 4797 | Biochemistry and Biotechnology Seminar | 1 |
| or CHEM 4797 | Biochemistry and Biotechnology Seminar | |
| Biochemistry and Biotechnology Elective Courses | ||
| Choose two of the following courses: | 6 | |
| Physical Biochemistry | ||
or CHEM 5772 | Advanced Physical Biochemistry | |
| Introduction to Bioinformatics | ||
or CHEM 5774 | Bioinformatics | |
| Foundations of Physical Chemistry | ||
| Advanced Organic Chemistry I - Physical Organic | ||
| Special Topics in Organic Chemistry | ||
| Special Topics in Biochemistry | ||
| Problem Seminar in Biochemistry | ||
| Developmental Biology | ||
or BIOL 6442 | Advanced Developmental Biology | |
| Bacterial Pathogenesis | ||
or BIOL 6550 | Advanced Bacterial Pathogenesis | |
| Molecular Biology | ||
or BIOL 6602 | Advanced Molecular Biology | |
| Synthetic Biology | ||
or BIOL 6608 | Advanced Synthetic Biology | |
| Biotechnology Laboratory II (BIOL 6615 required for MS) | ||
or BIOL 6615 | Advanced Biotechnology Laboratory II | |
| Cellular Basis of Disease | ||
or BIOL 6622 | Advanced Cellular Basis of Disease | |
| Nucleic Acid Structure and Function | ||
or BIOL 6632 | Advanced Nucleic Acid Structure and Function | |
| Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology | ||
or BIOL 6642 | Advanced Plant Biology and Biotechnology | |
| Immunobiology | ||
| Research ((must be supervised by BCBT faculty)) | ||
| Selected Topics in Biology (when relevant) | ||
or BIOL 6920 | Advanced Topics in Biology | |
| Chemical Research (must be supervised by BCBT faculty) | ||
| Advanced Organic Chemistry Laboratory | ||
| Advanced Genetics | ||
| Total Hours | 22 | |
Courses for both BS and MS Credit
The following Biology or Chemistry courses can count toward both the BCBT BS and BCBT MS degree, up to a maximum of 9 credit hours.
| CHEM 4733 | Biochemistry Laboratory | 2 |
| CHEM 5302 | Foundations of Physical Chemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 5602 | Advanced Organic Chemistry I - Physical Organic | 3 |
| CHEM 5694 | Special Topics in Organic Chemistry | 1 |
| CHEM 5722 | Advanced Graduate Biochemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 5772 | Advanced Physical Biochemistry (CHEM 5722 required for MS) | 3 |
| CHEM 5774 | Bioinformatics 1 | 3 |
| CHEM 5794 | Special Topics in Biochemistry | 1 |
| CHEM 6787 | Problem Seminar in Biochemistry | 1 |
| BIOL 4842 | Immunobiology | 3 |
| BIOL 5012 | Advanced Genetics | 3 |
| BIOL 5436 | Advanced Applied Bioinformatics 1 | 3 |
| BIOL 6442 | Advanced Developmental Biology | 3 |
| BIOL 6550 | Advanced Bacterial Pathogenesis | 3 |
| BIOL 6602 | Advanced Molecular Biology | 3 |
| BIOL 6608 | Advanced Synthetic Biology | 3 |
| BIOL 6615 | Advanced Biotechnology Laboratory II | 4 |
| BIOL 6622 | Advanced Cellular Basis of Disease | 3 |
| BIOL 6632 | Advanced Nucleic Acid Structure and Function | 3 |
| BIOL 6642 | Advanced Plant Biology and Biotechnology | 3 |
| BIOL 6652 | Advanced Virology | 3 |
| BIOL 6920 | Advanced Topics in Biology | 1 |
- 1
One Bioinformatics course is required for the MS.
Other courses may be allowed upon approval of the Graduate Program Director.
Awarding of Degrees
The undergraduate degree will be awarded when the student meets the requirements for the BS degree, including at least 120 total credit hours, completion of the BCBT core, electives, and laboratory requirements, and completion of the associated requirements. The student must work with the undergraduate advisor and/or the Accelerated MS advisor to apply to graduate. In their final semester in undergraduate status, the student must apply and be admitted to the graduate program to begin the following semester.
The graduate degree will be awarded when the student meets the requirements for the MS degree, including at least 30 credit hours of coursework at the graduate level. The student must work with the Accelerated MS advisor and Program Director to apply to graduate.
If the student fails to enroll for more than one year after receiving the bachelor's degree, the student can still earn the master’s degree, but the graduate-level credits earned as an undergraduate cannot be used for the graduate degree.