The Biology department faculty all have doctorate degrees, and most are actively involved in the graduate program of the department. The Master of Science in Biology program must include a minimum of 32 credit hours of graduate courses, of which at least 16 credit hours must be at the 500 level. A minimum of 16 credit hours must be 500 level courses in Biology. A minimum of 20 credit hours are required in biology courses. In addition to course work, the Department requires master's degree students do a research thesis as a part of the graduate program.
Most theses report the results of original research.
However, a thesis may consist of a thorough review and integration of the scientific literature on some topic, subject to approval of the thesis committee. The geographical setting of Northern Michigan University provides many opportunities for research projects in the area of field ecology. The department has particular strengths in wildlife and fisheries biology, parasitology, animal behavior, community ecology, and physiological ecology. Equal emphasis is given to laboratory-oriented research in microbiology, molecular biology, genetics, physiology, embryology, electron microscopy, biochemistry, and developmental biology. Faculty work with a broad range of organims including various vertebrate, invertebrate, plant, and microbial taxa.