Program Requirements

To earn a Master of Science degree in Applied Biotechnology & Molecular Biology, students must complete a minimum 31 credit hours of graduate courses including core courses, graduate seminar courses, restricted electives, graduate presentation, and thesis research or comprehensive exam. 

Non-thesis Master’s Degree: Non-thesis requirements include 19 credits of core graduate courses and 12 graduate elective courses. Students must complete an industry internship or conduct research with a department faculty during the summer months. Additionally, students must pass an oral or written examination based on the understanding of the basic concepts in the field by early fall of their second year. Students will get three attempts to pass their exam. Upon completion of this program, graduates will be prepared to work in biotechnology companies as well as other government and private research labs.

Thesis Master’s Degree: Students must complete 24 credits of core and supporting courses and 12 credits of graduate electives for the thesis option. Thesis students will receive specialized training and conduct research in a specific discipline. As a result, students who complete this degree program will be better prepared to enter doctoral programs in the fields of biochemistry, molecular biology, microbiology, drug discovery, biotechnology, metabolomics, bioinformatics, botany, chemistry, cell biology, cancer biology as well as other related fields.

Accelerated Master’s Degree: Undergraduate students in the Natural Sciences Department can pursue an accelerated master’s degree in ABMB by taking 12 eligible graduate electives during their junior/senior year and also by pursuing mentored research for a minimum period of one year.

View Applied Biotechnology & Molecular Biology Course Progression