Students admitted to the Quantitative and Systems Biology graduate program that are working towards a Masters Degree (M.S.) will work to possess knowledge of a broad field of learning that extends well beyond that attained at the undergraduate level. They will not necessarily be expected to have made a significant original contribution to knowledge in that field. Additionally, a Ph.D. student who has been in residence for at least two semesters, is in good academic standing, and has completed at least three of the core courses may petition the Admissions Committee to pursue a terminal M.S. degree.
Masters - Thesis Track
The thesis track has the following requirements:
- Complete at least two semesters of full-time academic residence (12 units minimum) at UC Merced;
- Complete at least two of the group’s graduate courses with an S or a letter grade of at least B–; one Quantitative Biology (QB) and one Systems Biology (SB) course. The acceptible courses can be found here under the "Quantitative and Systems Biology" drop down menu. Do be aware that not all QSB courses are offered in a consistent basis.
- Complete at least 24 units of upper-division and graduate coursework with a cumulative gradepoint average of at least 3.0, and a semester GPA not below 3.0 for two consecutive semesters. At least 18 units must be graduate-level coursework.
- Prepare an acceptable thesis describing original research in the field and successfully defend thesis to thesis committee.
The infographic for the QSB Masters Thesis Track can be acessed here.
Masters - Course Track
The course track has the following requirements:
- Complete at least two semesters of full-time academic residence (12 units minimum) at UC Merced
- Complete at least three of the group’s graduate courses with an S or a letter grade of at least B–; one Quantitative Biology (QB), one Systems Biology (SB) course, and one QSB elective. The acceptible courses can be found here under the "Quantitative and Systems Biology" drop down menu. Do be aware that not all QSB courses are offered in a consistent basis.
- Complete at least 32 units of upper-division and graduate course work with a cumulative gradepoint average of at least 3.0, and a semester GPA not below 3.0 for two consecutive semesters. At least 24 units must be graduate level and no more than 4 units may be Graduate Research QSB 295 or equivalent.
- Pass a comprehensive qualifying examination with both a written and oral component administered by the faculty committee. This examination will test the student’s understanding of the main concepts in the field at the graduate level.
The infographic for the QSB Masters Course Track can be acessed here.
