Department of Biology

Supple Building Room 384
T: 512.245.2178 F: 512.245.8713
http://www.bio.txstate.edu/

Master’s Programs

The Department of Biology offers several degree options for students wishing to pursue graduate study at the master’s level, including Aquatic Resources, Biology, Population and Conservation Biology, and Wildlife Ecology. Thesis-based degrees are usually chosen as preparation for professional careers or advanced graduate work (Ph.D., D.V.M., or M.D.) and by students seeking advanced training for technology-related industries. Non-thesis degrees may be chosen by students preferring broad training in biology without a formal research experience; this plan is often chosen by secondary science teachers wishing to broaden their content training without taking additional education courses.

Thesis Students

Students pursuing a master’s degree with thesis should have a thesis committee approved by the end of their first long term of enrollment in the graduate program. The thesis committee comprises three or more individuals and is chaired by the thesis advisor. Committee members should be selected by the student in consultation with the thesis advisor and should be chosen on the basis of what they can contribute to the student’s research and/or graduate studies. Committee members expect to be consulted about the research project and should contribute guidance and expertise to the project. A “Thesis Committee Form” can be downloaded from the Biology Department website and must be approved by the chair of the department’s Graduate Committee and the department chair prior to the submission of a thesis proposal.

Students working on a thesis are expected to enroll in a thesis course (BIO 5399A or BIO 5399B) each term that they are actively involved in research. Students should enroll in BIO 5399A for their first term of thesis research and in a Thesis B course (BIO 5199B, BIO 5299B, BIO 5399B, BIO 5599B, or BIO 5999B) for all subsequent terms. While enrolled in BIO 5399A the student should prepare a detailed thesis proposal that introduces the project to be investigated, summarizes the relevant background literature, and explains the methodology to be used in carrying out the research and should complete a “Thesis Proposal Form" which can be downloaded from The Graduate College website. Submission of an approved thesis proposal to The Graduate College is expected before the end of the student’s second term of enrollment in a thesis course. Students pursuing a thesis-based degree must be enrolled in at least one hour of thesis credit during the term in which they graduate.

All students completing a thesis are required to present the results of their research in an open seminar attended by the thesis committee members and other interested individuals. Following the public presentation of the thesis, the student must pass a comprehensive examination administered by the thesis committee.

Non-thesis Students

Students pursuing a non-thesis degree are expected to have a supervising professor by the end of their first long term of enrollment in the graduate program. The supervising professor will normally be a faculty member specializing in an area of particular interest to the student and is often the individual who oversees the required independent study project. Prior to the final term of enrollment the non-thesis student must, in consultation with the supervising professor, select a committee that will administer the final comprehensive examination. A “Non-Thesis Committee form” can be downloaded from the Biology Department website and must be approved by the chair of the department’s graduate committee and the department chair.

Students pursuing a non-thesis degree must be enrolled in at least one hour of coursework during the term in which they graduate.

Comprehensive Examination

All candidates for master’s degrees in the Department of Biology must pass a comprehensive final examination administered by the student’s committee. The examination may be oral or written and must cover, at a minimum, the student’s field of concentration and the thesis, if one was written. The results of this exam should be reported on the “Master's Comprehensive Examination Report form," which can be downloaded from The Graduate College website which must be filed with The Graduate College at least 10 days prior to the date of expected graduation.

Financial Assistance

Assistantships and scholarships are available to qualified applicants on a competitive basis. In order to be considered for scholarships, applicants must have their application completed for review before the priority application deadline. The Department of Biology offers a number of graduate instructional assistantships to full-time students enrolled in the master’s program, and information on the availability of these positions will be provided following acceptance into the graduate program. These assistantships are renewable based upon an annual review of each student’s progress and performance. Faculty members may also have funds available to support students as research assistants. Support is normally limited to two years.

The Graduate College can provide information concerning the availability of graduate scholarships.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Master of Arts (M.A.)

Major in Biology

Master of Science (M.S.)

Minors

Doctoral Faculty

Aspbury, Andrea, Senior Lecturer, Biology, Ph.D., Univ of Nebraska

Bergh, Joel Justin, Senior Lecturer, Biology, Ph.D., University of Delaware

Bonner, Timothy H, Professor, Biology, Ph.D., Texas Tech University

Carlos-Shanley, Camila, Assistant Professor, Biology, Ph.D., University of Campinas

Castro-Arellano, Ivan, Associate Professor, Biology, Ph.D., Texas A&M University

Daniel, Kristy Lynn, Associate Professor, Biology, Ph.D., University of Missouri-Columbia

Dharmasiri, Nihal, Associate Professor, Biology, Ph.D., Univ of Hawaii at Manoa

Dharmasiri, Sunethra, Senior Lecturer, Biology, Ph.D., Univ of Hawaii at Manoa

Dutton, Jessica, Assistant Professor, Biology, Ph.D., State Univ of NY at Stony Brook

Farquhar, Charles Craig, Lecturer, Biology, Ph.D., Texas A&M University

Forstner, Michael R, Regents' Professor, Biology, Ph.D., Texas A&M University

Fritts, Sarah Rebecah, Assistant Professor, Biology, Ph.D., North Carolina State University

Fuess, Lauren Elizabeth, Assistant Professor, Biology, Ph.D., University of Texas at Arlington

Gabor, Caitlin, Professor, Biology, Ph.D., Univ of Louisiana at Lafayette

Garcia, Dana M, Professor, Biology, Ph.D., Univ of California, Berkeley

Green, Michael Clay, Professor, Biology, Ph.D., Univ of Louisiana at Lafayette

Groeger, Alan W, Associate Professor, Biology, Ph.D., Univ of Oklahoma Norman Campus

Hahn, Dittmar, Chair - Professor, Biology, Ph.D., Wageningen Univ & Research Centre

Hardy, Thomas, Professor, Biology, Ph.D., Utah State University

Huertas Pau, Maria del Mar, Assistant Professor, Biology, Ph.D., University of Barcelona

Kang, Hong Gu, Associate Professor, Biology, Ph.D., Univ of California-Los Angeles

Lemke, David E, Professor, Biology, Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin

Martin, Noland H, Associate Professor, Biology, Ph.D., Duke University

Martina, Jason Philip, Assistant Professor, Biology, Ph.D., Michigan State University

McLean, Robert J C, Regents' Professor, Biology, Ph.D., University of Calgary

Nice, Chris, Professor, Biology, Ph.D., Univ of California-Davis

Nowlin, Weston Hugh, Professor, Biology, Ph.D., University of Victoria

Ott, James R, Associate Professor, Biology, Ph.D., Univ of Maryland College Park

Rodriguez, David, Assistant Professor, Biology, Ph.D., Texas Tech University

Schwalb, Astrid Nadine, Associate Professor, Biology, Ph.D., University of Guelph

Schwartz, Benjamin F, Associate Professor, Biology, Ph.D., Virginia Poly Inst & State Univ

Schwinning, Susan, Professor, Biology, Ph.D., University of Arizona

Serenari, Christopher, Assistant Professor, Biology, Ph.D., North Carolina State University

Veech, Joseph A, Professor, Biology, Ph.D., University of Nevada, Reno

Weckerly, Floyd, Professor, Biology, Ph.D., The University of Memphis

Weigum, Shannon E, Associate Professor, Biology, Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin

Westerlund, Julie F, Associate Professor, Biology, Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin

Williamson, Paula S, University Distinguished Professor, Biology, Ph.D., Univ of California, Santa Barbara

Woytek, Kelly Jo, Senior Lecturer, Biology, Ph.D., Texas A&M University

Graduate Faculty

Abel, Michael Gregory, Senior Lecturer, Biology, Ph.D., University of Tennessee Knoxville

Aspbury, Andrea, Senior Lecturer, Biology, Ph.D., Univ of Nebraska

Banta, Marilyn R, Senior Lecturer, Biology, Ph.D., University of Nevada, Reno