The Master of Science degree with a major in Biomedical Sciences is a program primarily designed to fill the needs of technology-based companies, governmental agencies, private industries, including non-profit organizations. It provides an interdisciplinary curriculum with internships with local businesses and hands-on experience.

1. General Admission Requirements. Admission to Graduate Studies (see Graduate Admissions ).
2. Program Admission. In addition to meeting university admissions requirements for a graduate degree students must submit their official GRE or MCAT scores. Admission to the M.S. program is based on an evaluation by the program’s admission committee of the following information:
    
   • A one-page essay that states the student’s reasons for applying to the program and his or her career goals and research and scholarly interests, if any.
   • Cumulative GPA >/=3.0 (on a 4.0 scale)
   • Admissions index >/= 1100 (see calculation below)
   • BIOL 2320 Elementary Microbiology   and BIOL 2120 Elementary Microbiology Lab    
   • BIOL 4413 (Genetics w/Lab)
   • 8 hours of Organic Chemistry w/Lab
   • 8 hours of College Physics w/Lab
   • 3 hours of Statistics (MATH 3391  or equivalent)

(Applicants not meeting the above criteria will be placed on a waiting list and notified of acceptance once initial offers have been made.)

Admissions index calculation:   GPA*200+(15*(GRE_v+GRE_q-260)) OR GPA*200+(10*(MCAT_tot-447)

3.  Degree Plan.  All students meeting the minimum program requirements wil be admitted to the general track.  Following the first year of studies, with a faculty agreement and approval from the director, some students may enter internship or thesis tracks.

     a.  General Track:  Coursework only (Victoria or Katy)
     b.  Internship Track:  Coursework plus Internships (Director Approval; Victoria or Katy)
     c.  Research Thesis Track:  Coursework plus Research and Thesis (Director Approval; Victoria only)

Degree Requirements:

Students must complete a 36 credit hour program with a cumulative final minimum of a ‘B’ in each course, consisting of:

1. Twenty-four (24) credit hours of core courses in the first year.
    
2. Twelve (12) credit hours of elective courses in the second year.

• Twelve (12) credit hours of elective courses; or
• Six (6) credit hours of electives, six (6) hours of internship (*see below); or
• Six (6) credit hours of electives, six (6) credit hours of research/thesis (*see below)

  C.  Internships will consist of 280 total hours of internship work in an approved facility.  Students will write a summary of the internship experience and present that summary as an oral presentation for graduation.

  D.  Research/Thesis will be accomplished with a faculty mentory.  Students will be required to complete research, prepare a written thesis manuscript, and present the thesis in an oral defense.

CORE Courses:

All students enrolled in the program are required to complete 24 hours of core courses listed below before moving on to the second year curriculum.