In addition to Wolf Hall, the Department occupies much of the McKinly Laboratory Building. Applicants must meet the graduate admission requirements of the department, including a scholastic index of 2.8 overall and 3.0 in the sciences. Graduate Record Examination Aptitude and Advanced Biology Test scores are required. Application is made to the University's Office of Graduate Studies. In addition, three letters of recommendation from persons able to judge the applicant's ability to pursue graduate study should be sent to the Chair, Department of Biological Sciences.
Primary emphasis is on research that culminates in the thesis.
A written research-based thesis and the oral defense of it are required. For the Ph.D. degree, successful completion of the preliminary and qualifying examinations as well as the presentation and defense of a written research proposal and dissertation are required. The Ph.D. requires 30 credit hours including 9 hours of dissertation. The preliminary examination is administered after two semesters of study and is designed to identify the student's strengths and weaknesses and suitability for further graduate study. The qualifying examination is an in-depth examination of the student's research specialty and is administered after six semesters.