Graduate Programs
The Department of Biology's graduate programs foster academic excellence, producing national award winners and scholars recognized with prestigious honors such as Fulbright scholarships, NASA fellowships, and National Science Foundation grants.
Department of Biology
The Department of Biology has a graduate program that offers M.S. and Ph.D. degrees.
Students can work with faculty whose areas of research emphasis include:
- ecology, evolution and bioinformatics
- molecular, cellular, organismal and physiology biology
- education research and pedagogy
Graduate Program Coordinator
If you have any questions about the M.S. or Ph.D. in Biological Science, don’t hesitate to get in touch!
Jason Dale Hoeksema
Professor of Biology
Program Information
The Department of Biology welcomes graduate applications from individuals with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and viewpoints.
Applicants to the graduate program in the Department of Biology should have a strong background in the biological sciences including coursework in general biology, genetics, ecology or physiology, chemistry, and mathematics. For regular Fall (August) admission, application materials must be received by January 15th. For Spring (January) admission, application materials must be received by October 15.
Applicants must submit online to the Graduate School all of the following:
- An application.
- A 1-2 page Statement of Background and Future Goals. This statement must have the title “Statement of Background and Future Goals” at the top. Describe any prior relevant research and/or work experience, prior relevant coursework, motivation for pursuing this graduate degree, and how it relates to your career goals.
- A 1-2 page Statement of Research Interests and Potential Research Questions. Express your future interests and ideas. This statement must have the title “Statement of Research Interests and Potential Research Questions” at the top. The applicant should clearly identify the Major Advisor or three rotation hosts in bold, in the first sentence of this statement. For PhD or thesis M.S. applicants, please explain your specific research ideas and interests. If you have a prior graduate degree, please clarify how/whether you want to continue that work or go in a different direction. If you’ve discussed potential projects with your prospective advisor, please discuss. If you’re applying to the rotation program, please express your goals for the rotation process, and any potential ideas or interests you might want to pursue. Non-thesis M.S. applicants do not need to discuss research ideas per se, but should write at least one paragraph describing their desired coursework emphases, and at least one idea for a topic they might want to explore in a capstone synthesis project.
- A CV or resume.
- Two letters of recommendation, preferably from individuals who can comment on the applicant’s research experience and/or potential for conducting research in the life sciences; or, for non-thesis M.S. applicants, who can comment on the applicant’s potential to succeed in graduate-level coursework.
- Official transcripts of all prior undergraduate and graduate work (See the Graduate School’s FAQ page for the address to which official transcripts must be mailed. Keep in mind that mailed applications can take 2-3 weeks to be received by the Graduate School and forwarded to the Department of Biology).
- International applicants must also submit English language proficiency test scores (TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE-A) as per University policy.
- The Department of Biology does not require or review GRE scores as part of the graduate application process
Graduate students are admitted to the Department of Biology in one of four categories, and students should clearly indicate the category to which they are applying in their Statement of Research Interests and Potential Research Questions.
- Ph.D. student with a specific Major Advisor
- Ph.D. student on rotation system (no initial Major Advisor)
- M.S. student with a specific Major Advisor (thesis track)
- M.S. student with a specific Major Advisor (non-thesis track)
This category is for potential Ph.D. students who have identified a member of the graduate faculty to be their Major Advisor, who will become their Dissertation Director.
Applicants should have a specific research area in mind and must contact Biology faculty who could potentially serve as their Major Advisor before submitting an application. The applicant should clearly identify that Major Advisor in bold, in the first sentence of their submitted Statement of Research Interests and Potential Research Questions. The prospective Major Advisor is responsible for placing a letter of support in the applicant’s file, describing why the student should be admitted into the program, how the student’s research will relate to that of the Major Advisor’s current laboratory/research group, and expectations for the student’s success in the Graduate Program.
Ph.D. students admitted to the graduate program on the rotation system should expect to be involved in the research of three different labs during their first year in the program, with the requirement of having a Major Advisor in place by the end of their first year. Applicants must contact potential rotation faculty before applying and identify at least three Biology faculty for their rotation in their Statement of Purpose. Applicants should be aware that some faculty may not be available to participate in the rotation system. The Graduate Studies Committee (GSC) will only review applications from rotation students who have agreements from at least three Biology faculty for lab rotations. The applicant should clearly identify those three Biology faculty in bold, in the first sentence of their submitted Statement of Research Interests and Potential Research Questions.
If admitted, the Graduate Program Coordinator will serve as the student’s temporary advisor for their first year and will establish a rotation plan in consultation with the student, the Graduate Studies Committee and individual faculty.
Students should expect to start their first rotation immediately, and to complete all three rotations by the end of the first semester. At the completion of each rotation, students are required to write a brief report describing their experience, which is submitted to the Graduate Program Coordinator and GSC. Following the completion of all rotations, the student will write a brief summary of their entire rotational experience, which also describes their preferred choice of permanent Major Advisor as well as alternates. While the GSC will endeavor to place students with their preferred Major Advisor, after consultation with the faculty involved, students may be placed with alternate choices. Rotation students must have a Major Advisor in place by no later than the end of their first academic year.
This category is for potential M.S. students who wish to base their M.S. degree on a research thesis, and who have identified a member of the graduate faculty to be their Major Advisor, who will become their Thesis Director.
Applicants should have a specific research area in mind and must contact Biology faculty who could potentially serve as their Major Advisor before submitting an application. The applicant should clearly identify that Major Advisor in bold, in the first sentence of their submitted Statement of Research Interests and Potential Research Questions. The prospective Major Advisor is responsible for placing a letter of support in the applicant’s file, describing why the student should be admitted into the program, how the student’s research will relate to that of the Major Advisor’s current laboratory/research group, and expectations for the student’s success in the Graduate Program.
This category is for potential M.S. students who wish to base their M.S. degree mainly on coursework, with a capstone project at the end under the supervision of their Major Advisor.
In this case, the applicant should attempt to identify a member of the graduate faculty to be their Major Advisor, but the Graduate Program Coordinator can also serve as the Major Advisor. The applicant should clearly state their intention to enter the non-thesis M.S. track, and identify their Major Advisor in bold, in the first sentence of their submitted Statement of Research Interests and Potential Research Questions. The prospective Major Advisor is responsible for placing a letter of support in the applicant’s file, stating their willingness to serve as the Major Advisor if the student is admitted to the program. Please note that non-thesis M.S. students are not generally eligible for financial support from departmental teaching assistantships.
Graduate students in the Department of Biology have access to a number of resources on campus to support their research, including
- John Davis Williams Library (U.S. Government Documents Regional Depository)
- Grisham Law Library (with LEXIS and WESTLAW facilities)
- The Center for the Study of Southern Culture
- Mississippi Center for Supercomputing Research
- Social Science Research Laboratory
Stipends and Scholarships
Learn more about financial support from the Department of Biology and the Graduate School.
There is no application for any of these awards and eligible students are identified based on the criteria listed beneath each fund. The amount of each scholarship varies from year to year, but will generally range from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand dollars.
The Department of Biology offers graduate assistantships that require assisting faculty with teaching or research. We offer competitive funding packages for students that center around graduate assistantships in the department. Students with a half-time graduate assistantship, corresponding with 20 hours of work per week, will also receive a full-tuition waiver (including out-of-state fees, if necessary), as well as subsidized student health insurance. Students with a quarter-time graduate assistantship, corresponding with 10 hours of work per week, will receive a 75% tuition waiver, along with subsidized student health insurance.
The Graduate School’s financial aid webpage lists a variety of funding possibilities, including summer support and a recruiting fellowship program that promotes academic excellence and access to graduate education to groups who are historically underrepresented.
Eligibility:
- This scholarship is to support either M.S. or Ph.D. students and is based on academic excellence.
About Dr. R. Wayne Alexander
Dr. R. Wayne Alexander, a native of Memphis, graduated from the University of Mississippi in 1962. He received his M.S. degree from Emory University in 1967 and his Ph.D. from Emory in 1968. He was Chair of the Department of Medicine of Emory University School of Medicine and Emory University Hospital from 1999-2013. Dr. Alexander is internationally known for his research in vascular biology, hypertension and arteriosclerosis.
Eligibility:
- This scholarship is to support either M.S. or Ph.D. students and is based on academic excellence.
About Steve ad Mary Ann Cockerham
Mary Ann was an instructor at USM in Marketing and Finance in 1998, Assistant Dean of the College of Business Administration in 1995, retiring in the early 2000’s. Steve, a native of Gunnison, MS, and graduate of UM 1969, was a successful oral surgeon in Hattiesburg, MS, for many years.
Eligibility:
- This scholarship is to support first year graduate students, either M.S. or Ph.D., and is based on academic excellence.
About Johhn and Renee McRight
Johnny and Renee McRight from Greenville, MS, created the McRight Biology and Speech Pathology Endowment as a way of recognizing the role that education played in their professional careers in agricultural research, testing and product development and speech pathology (respectively) and noted UM professors who mentored them. Johnny McRight completed a BS in Biology and Chemistry in 1973 and a Masters of Combined Sciences in Biology in 1975. “Thanks to my studies under Dr. Bailey Ward, a plant physiologist at UM, my interest and understanding of plant nutrition really flourished,” stated McRight, who started McRight Services (now Delta Ag). Renee, a native of Jackson, earned her undergraduate degree in education (1973) and graduate degree in communicative disorders (1975) from UM and formed a private practice to help adults and children with speech disorders.
Eligibility:
- The recipient must be a student performing molecular or cellular research with preference given to graduate students, followed by undergraduate juniors and then seniors. Selection will be based on academic excellence.
About Dr. Jennifer Wong
Dr. Jennifer Wong, a native of Jackson, MS, received her bachelors in biology in 1995 from UM and her MD, PhD in physiology in 2000 from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. Benjamin Bridges of Boise, Idaho, graduated with honors from the University of Tennessee College of Medicine in 2001 and is currently a Medical Oncology Specialist in Boise, ID, where Dr. Wong practices.