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M.S. Program will:

• Provide quality graduate instruction that teaches the practical and theoretical basics of biological research, including experimental design and field-specific content.

• Provide training in skills required for careers in science, including critical thinking, scientific writing, grantsmanship, classroom teaching, and others that in combination will promote success in academia, applied research or other scientific careers.

• Provide support and mentorship for graduate student research and creative activities.

• Provide well-equipped laboratories or other facilities essential to productive student research.

The Biological Sciences Department at UAA offers one in-house degree, a Master’s of Science in Biological Sciences, and the guidelines provided here deal primarily with students in the M.S program. Additionally, we participate in a cooperative Ph.D. program with various departments at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Students in this program are officially UAF students, and must follow the guidance provided by the department at UAF with which they are affiliated. However, as a cooperative Ph.D. student housed at UAA, we recognize you as our students, and require that you keep our program abreast of your progress as well.

As you make your way through your degree, your first and most important advocate will be your graduate advisor. Your advisor is here to provide assistance and guidance on your research, coursework, and paperwork. However, as a graduate student you are making the transition from student to trained professional, and as part of this progression you should recognize that ultimately you are responsible for meeting all requirements and completing all paperwork. Should you have questions that your advisor can not answer, or questions/issues that you do not want to discus with your advisor, there are several routes open to you. If the issues revolve around departmental graduate policies, your next advocate is either the Chair of the Graduate Affairs Committee and/or the Director of the Biological Sciences. Beyond them or if the concerns center on graduate policies set by the University or Graduate School, you can also discuss concerns with the staff in the Graduate School.

The Department of Biological Sciences does not have any formal Advancement to Candidacy requirements as prerequisites to graduation with a M.S. degree. Note that many UAF Ph.D. degrees require that a student must Advance to Candidacy prior to the semester in which the student proposes to complete the degree. Students in the cooperative Ph.D. program should discuss the requirements and expectations for Advancement to Candidacy with their committee early in their degree process. Typically, this occurs after the student has passed their comprehensive exams and completed all required coursework.

Students may elect to graduate under the requirements of the catalog in effect at the time of formal acceptance to a graduate degree program, or the catalog in effect at the time of graduation. If the requirements for a master’s degree as specified in the entry-year catalog are not met within seven years after formal acceptance into the program, or if the requirements for a doctoral degree as specified in the entry-year catalog are not met within 10 years after formal acceptance into the program, admission expires and the student must reapply for admission and meet the current admission and graduation requirements in effect at the time of readmission or graduation. All credits counted toward a master’s degree, including transfer credit, must be earned within the consecutive seven-year period prior to graduation. All credits counted toward a doctoral degree, including transfer credit, must be earned within the consecutive 10-year period prior to graduation.

Current UAA Catalog

Past UAA Catalogs

Currently, the graduate students in the thesis option of the Biological Sciences M.S. program are not required to take or pass comprehensive exams. Students in the non-thesis option of the Biological Sciences M.S. program are required to take and pass a comprehensive, written exam.

Also, many UAF programs require that their Ph.D. students pass comprehensive exams prior to advancing to candidacy. Students in the cooperative Ph.D. program should discuss the requirements and expectations for comprehensives with their committee early in their degree process.

Continuous registration is expected every semester as appropriate for the program, from admission through graduation, until all requirements for the degree are completed. To make continuous progress in a graduate program, students have the following options:

• Registering for at least 1 graduate-level credit applicable to their graduate degree, or

• Registering for the continuous registration course (EXTC) to remain active in the graduate program although not registered in any courses.

Students are also expected to register or pay the continuous registration fee for the summer if they use university facilities or consult with faculty during the summer and are not registered for the upcoming fall semester. The continuous registration deadline is the same as the deadline for registration for thesis research, independent research and independent study courses, i.e., the end of the ninth week of the semester.

Failure to undertake continuous registration may result in previously deferred (DF) grades taken for thesis research becoming permanent grades. Students not making continuous progress or not on an approved leave of absence may be placed on academic probation or, in some cases, removed from graduate degreeseeking status.

Students are presumed to be in good standing during their first semester at UAA.

Following their first semester, to be considered in good standing, graduate students must have:

1. A UAA cumulative GPA of 3.00 or higher

2. A GPA of 3.00 or higher for the most recently completed semester. A grade of P is considered equivalent to a grade of B (3.00) in graduate courses.

3. Completed any remedial/conditional admission requirements within their first year in the program.

4. Completed the Research Compliance Form (RCIP).

5. Assemble a Graduate Study Committee (GSC) and submit the Thesis Committee Form - New Committee.

6. Work with your advisor to ensure that a Graduate Study Plan has been submitted into DegreeWorks.

Each subsequent semester, to be considered in good standing, graduate students must have:

1. Write your Thesis Proposal to include a cover page.

2. Complete the Annual Progress Report form.

3. Maintained adequate progress toward completion of their thesis research, as indicated by the progress report.

Students not receiving a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher during a semester will be placed on probation for the next semester by the University and the Department. If a GPA of 3.0 or higher is not attained during the probationary semester, the student will be dismissed from the Graduate Program. The academic obligation (i.e., course work) required to satisfy release from probation must be of sufficient rigor to demonstrate a student's ability to continue graduate study and must be approved by the student's Graduate Study Committee (GSC). Withdrawing from a course is not an acceptable mechanism for circumventing the requirements of probation.

Only graduate students in good standing are academically eligible to re-enroll at UAA, and to apply for graduate student fellowships and/or teaching or research assistantships. Only students in good standing can be awarded tuition waivers from the department, college, or graduate school.

Pursuit of a doctoral degree is possible in selected areas of biological sciences through a cooperative program with the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF). UAF is the grantor of the degree, it is their policies that must be satisfied in order to graduate. Students enrolled in a Ph.D. program through UAF should pay particular attention to the requirements for comprehensive exams, advancement to candidacy, and the number of UAF credits required in each semester/year in order to maintain good standing at UAF. Additional guidance for Ph.D. students can be obtained through the UAF Graduate School.

The graduate program in biological sciences offers a research program of study leading to a Master of Science (MS). The MS program has both a thesis and non-thesis option. The thesis option requires completion of a written thesis and public and private thesis defense resulting from research performed under the supervision of a UAA faculty member. The non-thesis option requires completion of a capstone project under the supervision of a UAA faculty member and that the student pass a comprehensive written exam.