Biology and microbiology are exceedingly broad disciplines, and the graduate program exploits this exciting diversity. Therefore the graduate faculty members of the Division of Biology strongly believe that research is the preeminent feature of our training responsibilities. Our faculty is a coalition of scientists who focus a wide diversity of experimental expertise on graduate education--ranging from the study of virus assembly and the biology of a cancer cell, to the interaction of grazing bison with plant growth on our expansive tall grass prairie.

 Graduate opportunities are available, in all areas of biology, including developmental biology, ecology, wildlife biology, cancer biology, virology, physiology, immunology, parasitology, and molecular genetics.

In partnership with a major advisor and a supervisory committee, each graduate student formulates a mixture of course work and research to comprise an individualized program of study. This partnership tailors the program to the needs of each student, and selects from a set of available courses those which present recent and exciting developments in the student's area of interest.

 A minimum of 30 hours past the bachelor's degree is required for a master of science; a minimum of 90 hours for a doctor of philosophy. We require that each student write a thesis or dissertation based on original research, of sufficient quality and importance to merit publication in a refereed journal.