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2024-2025 Graduate Catalog [Current Academic Year]
Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology [M.S.]
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The Master of Science in Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology program prepares students for research and teaching careers in aquatic, terrestrial, evolutionary, behavioral, and physiological ecology. It provides background for students entering doctoral programs in diverse plant, animal, and microbial ecology areas. It also prepares research personnel for careers with government agencies or private companies concerned with protecting or managing aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. The program stresses developing research skills, taxonomic expertise, field and laboratory methods, and their application to theoretical and applied ecology. This is a STEM-designated program (see OPT Extension).
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Program Admission
Admit Terms and Deadlines
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis; students may start the program in the Summer, Fall, or Winter. See Application Deadlines.
Minimum Graduate School Requirements
For full admission, applicants must have 1) Earned a four-year baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or an equivalent degree from a non-U.S. institution, 2) a minimum cumulative undergraduate grade point average of 2.7 on a 4.0 scale, or 3.0 in the last half of the undergraduate program. Conditional admission may be available to applicants not meeting minimum admission requirements.
Program Requirements
Applicants must also meet the following program requirements. Requirements may be more stringent than the minimum graduate school requirements.
- At least 20 hours in biology, with a course in genetics and a course in ecology
- One year of general chemistry
- One semester of calculus or statistics
- An academic record of B (3.0) or better during the junior and senior years
- Two letters of recommendation
- Submit a personal statement introducing the applicant and reasons for applying to the program.
Application
Your application will be submitted using GradCAS, a Centralized Application Service (CAS) hosted by Liaison. After reviewing the admission requirements, please review the application instructions and select the appropriate application.
- Go to 2023-2024 GradCAS to apply to a program beginning in Summer 2024, Fall 2024, or Winter 2025.
- Go to 2024-2025 GradCAS to apply to a program beginning in Summer 2025, Fall 2025, or Winter 2026.
Domestic Applicants Domestic applicants are required to submit only the transcript from the institution granting their bachelor’s degree if either of the following criteria is met: 1) Lists 30 or more credit hours with an overall GPA of 3.0 or over OR 2) Lists 60 or more credit hours with an overall GPA between 2.7 and 2.99. Within the application, follow the instructions to submit an official transcript. The University may ask applicants to submit additional transcripts after applying.
International Applicants Before applying, applicants must review the international application/process deadlines at emich.edu/international as they may differ from general program requirements.
For additional information regarding the application process, please see Graduate Admissions or International Admissions.
Degree Requirements: 30-34 hours
At least 30 hours of approved graduate-level work is required, including a minimum of 24 hours within the Biology Department. To ensure the scheduling of appropriate research experiences, internships, and specialized coursework, students must, before the start of their first semester, formulate a specific program of study in consultation with their faculty guidance committee. In addition to the common requirements, students must opt for one of two alternative degree plans: thesis or non-thesis. Students can switch between these options at any time during their program.
Required Courses: 10 hours
Thesis or Non-Thesis: 20-24 hours
In addition to completing the required courses above, students must satisfy one of the following options.
Non-thesis Option: 24 hours
This plan is most appropriate for students intending on a professional career that does not emphasize research or for those interested in obtaining a broader understanding of biological theory.
Students will complete an additional 24 credit hours of coursework, as follows.
- Select a minimum of three courses from the list of Ecology Process Courses.
- Select a minimum of one animal course and one plant course from the list of Organismal Biology and Classification Courses.
The additional electives can be selected from the Ecology Process, Organismal Biology and Classification, or Additional Biology Electives lists. Up to six credit hours can be taken outside of the department as cognates (see Cognate classes).
All candidates are encouraged to include research or practical experiences by enrolling in three to six credit hours of the following:
Thesis Option: 20 hours
This plan is most appropriate for students intending on a research career in biology.
A candidate completes an original investigation under the supervision of a guidance (thesis) committee. This research must be suitable for publication, written in a form acceptable to the Graduate School, and defended in an oral examination.
Critical Graduation Information
Each graduate student is responsible for fulfilling the requirements or equivalents of the Eastern Michigan University catalog in force at the time of their initial registration or a subsequent catalog, including the one in effect at the time of their graduation.
Master’s degree requirements must be completed within six (6) years of first enrollment in the master’s degree program.
In the event a student does not complete the master’s degree requirements within six years of the date of their original registration, the student may be required to have their credits re-evaluated by the academic department(s) of their degree in keeping with catalog requirements in force during the year of their graduation.
The following are minimum requirements for all master’s degrees awarded by Eastern Michigan University. Some programs require more than the minimum in one or more areas below.
- A master’s degree must require a minimum of 30 credit hours.
- No more than six credits of independent study courses and no more than 12 credit hours of special topics and independent study courses combined may be applied to a graduate degree.
- Residency Requirement:
- For students admitted to master’s degree programs of 36 or fewer required hours, at least 24 new graduate hours beginning the semester of acceptance and enrollment into the degree program must be earned at EMU. The remaining program requirement hours may be met through transfer or prior degree credit (EMU or elsewhere).
- For students admitted to master’s degree programs of 37 or more required hours, at least 30 new graduate hours beginning the semester of acceptance and enrollment into the degree program must be earned at EMU. Minimum degree hours must still be met for graduation. The remaining program requirement hours may be met through transfer or prior degree credit (EMU or elsewhere).
- Residency and enrollment in multiple programs: Students enrolled in multiple master’s/specialist degree programs must have 24 unique credit hours in each degree program.
- Only credits from one completed graduate certificate may be applied to a master’s or specialist degree in a relevant field of study, as determined by the Graduate School and with the approval of the degree-granting academic department, and be included in the residency hours above.
- Students must maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA in all graduate-level courses taken at EMU and in their program of study to remain in good academic standing and be eligible for graduation. Students do not need to be registered for classes during the semester of graduation.
- The Graduate School does not permit the use of undergraduate courses (499 and below) to meet degree requirements on graduate programs of study.
- Some master’s programs require a thesis; others require a special project or internship; others require students to pass a final exam. See the Graduate School website for Thesis and Dissertation Manuals, all forms, and information about research and human subject approval. Every completed thesis or dissertation must be submitted to Digital Commons. Any form of graduate student work submitted to Digital Commons must first be approved by a faculty advisor and the Graduate School.
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