THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI, DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGY

Programs of Study

The Department of Biology offers programs of study leading to M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in biological sciences. The department's major areas of research emphasis are ecology, evolutionary biology, and conservation biology. The department has particular strengths in aquatic ecology, behavioral ecology, plant ecology, plant systematics, ecophysiology, environmental microbiology, ecotoxicology and, ecosystems ecology.

Research Facilities

The department occupies a five-story building on the main Oxford campus, and includes the Pullen Herbarium. Research is supported by the University Library, the computer center, which houses three supercomputers; and collaborating units including the Geoinformatics Center, National Center for Physical Acoustics, the Research Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Center for Development of Natural Products, the School of Pharmacy Environmental Toxicology Program, and the Center for Computational Hydrodynamics. Within 11 miles of campus, The University of Mississippi Field Station, and the Center for Water and Wetland Research, encompasses over 700 acres and over 200 experimental ponds, streams, and wetlands. The Holly Springs National Forest, and the Tallahatchee Experimental Forest are located within an easy drive of campus. The Department has on going collaboration with scientists at the National Sedimentation Laboratory; Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks; Gulf Coast Research Laboratory, and other universities.

Financial Support

Teaching assistantships are awarded on a competitive basis. Research assistantships are offered through individual faculty grants. Other fellowship opportunities are described on the Graduate School homepage.

All of our graduate students are supported by either a teaching assistantship, a research assistantship, or a fellowship. Graduate students receiving assistantships or fellowships generally receive a 90% tuition wavier. With this wavier, the current cost of tuition is $153 per semester (2001-2002). For international students there is an additional expense of $360 per semester.

Student Group

The department has between 25-45 graduate students in its master's and doctoral degree programs. The University has 11,000 students.

Location

The University of Mississippi is located in Oxford, a scenic town in northern Mississippi an hour and ten minutes from Memphis International Airport. Memphis, with a population of about 1 million residents, has shopping places, museums, gardens, theater, medical centers, the Liberty Bowl, and musical attractions. Both Oxford (the home of William Faulkner) and the University reflect their literary heritage through the Center for the Study of Southern Culture. Culture, literary, and athletic events are scheduled throughout the year. Oxford is cited as one of the top 15 small towns in the United States.

The University

The University of Mississippi is a state-funded comprehensive research university with a distinguished history of service to the nation. It has a strong liberal arts tradition and strength in all the sciences; The Oxford campus includes, in addition to the College of Liberal Arts, the School of Education, Engineering, Law, and Pharmacy. Medical and dental schools are at the University of Mississippi Center in Jackson.

Requests for application materials to the Biology Graduate Program can be made via the University of Mississippi Graduate School homepage, or by email (gschool@olemiss.edu).

The "target date" for applications for the fall semester is February 1. The target date for applications for the spring semester is November 1. Applications received after these dates will be considered but may be less likely to receive full consideration for financial aid.

For acceptance into the Biology Graduate Program, one of our faculty must agree to serve as your major advisor. Thus, prior to application it is important to contact individual faculty members to explore mutual research interests. Information on individual faculty research programs, and faculty email addresses, can be most easily obtained from the Department of Biology homepage.

The application process has two steps.

First, send the following to the Graduate School:

1. a completed application

3. official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate work

4. official TOEFL scores (if required).

Second, send directly to the Department of Biology:

1. photocopies of the GRE general test scores and TOEFL scores (if required).

2. a typewritten statement of your research interests and career goals

3. three letters of reference (these should be sent directly from the recommender)

4. a separate letter requesting a teaching assistantship

Successful candidates for a graduate program in biology should have a strong background in biological sciences including general biology, genetics, ecology, physiology, chemistry, mathematics, and physics. Students with deficiencies in one or more of these areas may be admitted in Conditional status, must remove deficiencies before enrolling for the third semester of residency, and must achieve a B (3.0) average on all course work attempted during the probationary period. Remedial courses may not be counted toward degree requirements.

II. MASTER OF SCIENCE IN BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES

Policies and Procedures

New graduate students are required to meet with the Department Chair during the first two weeks of enrollment. Each student is responsible for scheduling this meeting.

A Master of Science Degree Committee consists of three advisors. The Committee Director (Major Advisor) must be a member of the Oxford Campus Graduate Faculty of the Department of Biology and must have agreed to serve before a student is accepted for admission to the graduate program. It is the responsibility of the Committee Director and the student to form a Degree Committee. The committee should be formed and approved in the first semester of residency, or as soon thereafter as possible.

The Committee Director, after consultation with the student, will determine that prospective committee members are willing to serve and 'will recommend to the Chairman of the Department that they be appointed. The committee shall consist of at least three members of the Graduate Faculty, including two faculty members from the Department of Biology. The third advisor must be a faculty member of the University of Mississippi, or an adjunct member of the Department of Biology.

The Degree Committee will determine course and other requirements deemed necessary to satisfy the minimum requirements for the degree. The Committee Director may impose additional requirements considered necessary for proper training of the student. Changes in the committee shall be made by the Chairman of the Department only after each person involved in the change has been consulted. Changes in Committee Director may be made by the Chairman only after consultation with the Director and with the consent of the student. The Committee Director or any committee member may relinquish membership at will, but must so inform the student, the committee and the Department Chairman in writing prior to resigning.

Each student in the program must meet with the M.S. Degree Committee during the first semester of enrollment, or as soon thereafter as possible. The meeting shall be scheduled by the Committee Director. It shall be the student's responsibility to request the meeting. The Department Chairman and the Graduate Studies Committee must also be notified of the meeting.

The purposes of the meeting will be to ascertain if there are deficiencies in the educational background of the student that need to be addressed, to determine specific degree requirements, and to discuss a plan of study for the degree. A departmental Degree Requirement Form must be completed by the Committee Director soon after this meeting. Signed copies are given to the Department Chairman, committee members, and the student.

A minimum of 30 semester hours of graduate credit acceptable to the advisory committee are required, which must include 6 thesis hours and at least
18 hours of formalized course work, that is, courses that require regular attendance, study assignments, final exams, and letter grades. All students must take Bisc 691 during the semester in which they present a seminar. A cumulative average of not less than B (3.0) must be achieved in all graduate work taken.

All students pursuing a M.S. degree must satisfactorily complete a research prospectus, a thesis based on potentially publishable research, and one seminar on their research (which is part of the defense). Additional requirements may be stipulated by the advisory committee.

Other Academic Requirements: Thesis Advisory Committee—During the first two semesters, a master’s student should become familiar with the research programs in the department and establish an advisory committee. The thesis advisory committee’s initial role is to recommend courses and to approve a research topic. The committee is then responsible for evaluating the student’s course work, research productivity, knowledge of the research topic, and for approving the thesis.

Two academic-year semesters must be spent in residence on the Oxford campus. A minimum of 18 semester hours of graduate level, non-thesis courses selected by the student's degree committee must be taken and the departmental seminar requirements must be satisfied during this residence.

Prior to initiating thesis research, the student's research prospectus, endorsed by all members of the Degree Committee, must be available in the student's file in the University of Mississippi Department of Biology office. If a student changes the thesis topic or makes major modifications in the research plan, a new prospectus or a supplement must be endorsed by the degree committee and filed with the department.

A thesis representing original research is required. The content of the thesis will follow the approved research prospectus. The organization of the thesis must be agreed upon by the Thesis Committee.

The candidate must provide each committee member with a complete copy of the thesis at least two weeks before the oral examination. The thesis must be in final form and ready for signatures at the time of examination. At the conclusion of the oral examination, corrections in the thesis may be required.

Two unbound copies of the approved thesis are required by the Graduate School. The student should inquire with the Graduate School as to the final date for acceptance of an approved thesis.

Hardbound copies of the approved thesis are required for the departmental library and the Committee Director. The candidate should inquire in the departmental office for instructions on binding the department copy.

For completion of the MS degree, each student must present a research seminar to the Department of Biology. The research seminar describes the research conducted by the student while in the UM graduate program. Notification of the time and place of the research seminar should be made to the Department Chair no less than one week before the seminar. The research seminar is open to all interested parties, and will be advertised by the Department Chair to the Department of Biology.

Every MS candidate must successfully complete a final oral thesis defense. The examination, chaired by the Committee Director, shall be conducted on the Oxford campus by the Degree Committee and may encompass any aspect of the student's program. It shall be on a pass/fail basis determined by a majority vote and approval by the Committee Director. The examination shall be open to members of the Graduate Faculty of the Department of Biology, who are invited as observers.

The Degree Committee may require reports on the student's thesis research and progress toward the degree. The committee may recommend that the student not be allowed to continue in the program if the student fails to make satisfactory progress toward completion of the degree requirements.

Satisfactory progress toward the degree will also be evaluated annually by the Department Graduate Studies Committee (GSC) following a review of Progress Tracking Forms in the spring. A student who is deemed by the GSC not to be making satisfactory progress toward the degree may be denied a teaching assistantship for the next academic year, at the discretion of the department Chair.

All work applying to a MS degree must be completed within a six-year time period. Exceptions to this rule are explained in the Graduate School Catalog.

1. Meeting with Dept. Chair _____

2. Formation of MS Degree Committee _____

3. Preliminary meeting with Committee _____

4. Approved Research Prospectus _____

5. MS Thesis - Completed _____

New graduate students are required to meet with the Department Chair during the first two weeks of enrollment. Each student is responsible for scheduling this meeting.

2. Formation of Ph.D. Degree Committee

A Doctor of Philosophy Degree Committee consists of five advisors. The Committee Director (Major Advisor) must be a member of the Oxford Campus Graduate Faculty of the Department of Biology, and must have agreed to serve before a student is accepted for admission to the graduate program. It is the responsibility of the Committee Director and the student to form a Degree Committee. The committee should be formed and approved in the first semester of residency, or as soon thereafter as possible.

The Thesis Director, after consultation with the student, will determine that prospective committee members are willing to serve and 'will recommend to the Chairman of the Department that they be appointed. The committee shall consist of at least five members of the Graduate Faculty, including at least three faculty members from the Department of Biology. The fifth advisor must be from outside the Department, and may be a faculty member of the University of Mississippi, or an adjunct member of the Department of Biology.

The Degree Committee will determine course and other requirements deemed necessary to satisfy the minimum requirements for the degree. The Committee Director may impose additional requirements considered necessary for proper training of the student. Changes in the committee shall be made by the Chairman of the Department only after each person involved in the change has been consulted. Changes in Committee Director may be made by the Chairman only after consultation with the Director and with the consent of the student. The Committee Director or any committee member may relinquish membership at will, but must so inform the student, the committee and the Department Chairman in writing prior to resigning.

Each student in the program must meet with the Ph.D. Degree Committee during the first semester of enrollment, or as soon thereafter as possible. The meeting shall be scheduled by the Committee Director. It shall be the student's responsibility to request the meeting. The Department Chairman and the Graduate Studies Committee must also be notified of the meeting.

The purposes of the meeting will be to ascertain if there are deficiencies in the educational background of the student that need to be addressed, to determine specific degree requirements, and to discuss a plan of study for the degree. A departmental Degree Requirement Form must be completed by the Committee Director soon after this meeting. Signed copies are given to the Department Chairman, committee members, and the student.

All students pursuing a Ph.D. degree must satisfactorily complete a research prospectus, a dissertation based on potentially publishable research, two seminars on their research (one of which is part of the defense), and an oral examination. Additional requirements may be stipulated by the advisory committee.

A minimum of 54 semester hours of graduate credit acceptable to the advisory committee are required, which must include 18 dissertation hours and at least 24 hours of formalized course work. All students must take Bisc 691 during the semesters in which they present seminars. The M.S. degree is not a prerequisite for the Ph.D. degree.

Once course work and presentation of the research prospectus have been completed, a written and oral comprehensive examination will be administered by the committee. Upon satisfactory completion of the comprehensive examination, satisfactory progress toward publication of research results, and before the student begins the final 12 months, the advisory committee shall request the department chair to recommend admission to candidacy. Students must complete all requirements for the degree within five years from the date of the comprehensive examination.

Other Academic Requirements: Dissertation Advisory Committee—During the first two semesters, a Ph.D. student should become familiar with the research programs in the department and establish an advisory committee. The committee’s initial role is to recommend courses and approve a research topic. The committee is then responsible for evaluating the student’s course work, research productivity, and knowledge of the research topic, and for approving the dissertation.

A minimum of one calendar year of full time doctoral-level coursework must be taken in residence on the main campus in Oxford. Neither dissertation credit nor hours earned for other degrees may be counted toward fulfillment of minimum residence requirements. At least 24 hours of coursework with a grade average of B or better must be completed during this residence. No more than four of these hours may be in problems courses.

The student should be aware of general university requirements for the Ph.D. degree and plan residence activities along lines that will satisfy the Graduate School requirements as well as those of the Department of Biology.

After the student has been admitted to full standing and has completed coursework and other requirements, the comprehensive examination must be taken. This examination is conducted by all members of the student's doctoral committee and is administered in both the written and oral form. The doctoral student is expected to demonstrate fully his competence in the subject matter of biological science and in the tools and skills of biological research in his/her area. Two or more dissenting votes will constitute failure of the examination. The oral portion of the examination will be open to members of the Graduate Faculty of the Department of Biology, who are invited to attend as observers.

A student who has completed course requirements and the comprehensive examination may be recommended for candidacy to the Department Chairman and graduate school. This must be done before the beginning of the last semester prior to the semester in which the student is to graduate.

All Ph.D. students are required to give two research seminars to the Department of Biology. The second seminar is on research conducted for the Ph.D. degree and is given just prior to the dissertation defense (See below under Research Seminar II). The first research seminar may be on any research topic acceptable to the Committee Director, but should not duplicate what will later be presented as Research Seminar II.

Prior to initiating dissertation research, the student's research prospectus, endorsed by all members of the degree committee, must be available in the student's file in the University of Mississippi Department of Biology. If a student changes the dissertation topic or makes major modifications in the research plan, a new prospectus or a supplement must be endorsed and filed with the department.

A dissertation representing independent and original research of publishable quality is required of all doctoral students. The content of the dissertation will follow the approved research prospectus. The organization of the dissertation must be agreed upon by the Dissertation Committee.

The candidate must provide each committee member with a complete copy of the dissertation at least two weeks before the oral examination. The dissertation must be in final form and ready for signatures at the time of examination. At the conclusion of the oral examination, corrections in the dissertation may be required.

Two unbound copies of the approved dissertation are required by the Graduate School. The student should inquire with the Graduate School as to the final date for acceptance of an approved dissertation.

Hardbound copies of the approved dissertation are required for the departmental library and the Committee Director. The candidate should inquire in the departmental office for instructions on binding the department copy.

11. The Research Seminar II

For completion of the Ph.D. degree, each student must present a research seminar to the Department of Biology. The research seminar describes the research conducted by the student while in the UM graduate program. Notification of the time and place of the research seminar should be made to the Department Chair no less than one week before the seminar. The research seminar is open to all interested parties, and will be advertised by the Department Chair to the Department of Biology.

Every Ph.D. candidate must successfully complete a final oral dissertation defense. The examination, chaired by the Committee Director, shall be conducted on the Oxford campus by the Degree Committee and may encompass any aspect of the student's program. It shall be on a pass/fail basis determined by a majority vote and approval by the Committee Director. The examination shall be open to members of the Graduate Faculty of the Department of Biology, who are invited as observers.

The Degree Committee may require reports on the student's thesis research and progress toward the degree. The committee may recommend that the student not be allowed to continue in the program if the student fails to make satisfactory progress toward completion of the degree requirements.

Satisfactory progress toward the degree will also be evaluate annually by the Department Graduate Studies Committee (GSC) following a review of Progress Tracking Forms in the spring. A student who is deemed by the GSC not to be making satisfactory progress toward the degree may be denied a teaching assistantship for the next academic year, at the discretion of the department Chair.

All work applying to a Ph.D. degree must be completed within a seven-year time period. It is expected that students will have been admitted to candidacy, i.e. passed all parts of their comprehensive examinations, within four years. Exceptions to this rule are explained in the Graduate School Catalog.

1. Meeting with Dept. Chair _____

2. Formation of Ph.D. Degree Committee _____

3. Preliminary meeting with Committee _____

5. Approved Research Prospectus _____

6. First Seminar _____

7. Ph.D. Dissertation - Completed _____

8. Research Seminar and Defense _____

9. Submission of Approved Dissertation to Graduate School _____

Students having Graduate Unclassified or Provisional Admission status, in many cases, take courses which are applicable toward a degree and satisfaction of residency requirements. For this reason, persons admitted provisionally or as Graduate Unclassified students must comply with all Department of Biology regulations. Such students must meet with the Department Chairman during the first two weeks of enrollment, have a Thesis Director and a Degree Committee appointed during the first semester of enrollment, and have a formal preliminary meeting with the members of the Degree Committee prior to the last day of initial semester. It is also the responsibility of the student to make certain that the Department of Biology Degree Requirement Form has been filed with the Department Chairman prior to registration for the second semester of enrollment.

A student failing to meet minimum requirements for Full Admission by the end of the second semester of enrollment will be reclassified as Graduate Special. (Each summer session term counts as 0.5 semester.) An enrollee who fails to meet Department of Biology requirements for first semester student may be reclassified as Graduate Special.

Policy on AppealsThe Department of Biology has an appeal policy whereby graduate students may appeal for waivers of specific departmental admission and graduation requirements. Waivers of departmental requirements may be granted only under exceptional conditions. The appeal process begins with a letter from the student to the Graduate Studies Committee. The letter must state the appeal specifically and explain the exceptional conditions supporting the appeal. The student should also provide a letter from his/her thesis or dissertation director evaluating the appeal. The Graduate Studies Committee will evaluate the appeal, and give a recommendation to the faculty. The committee will make available the appeal package for all Regular Departmental Faculty, who will meet to discuss and vote on the appeal during a subsequent faculty meeting. Waivers of department requirements are granted by majority vote of all Regular Departmental Faculty

Approved: 23 February 1978

Amended: 9 March 1979, 10 May 1989, 26 February 1991, 1 September 1992, 11 January, 1993.