Graduate Programs in Biology
The Department of Biology's graduate programs foster academic excellence, producing national award winners and scholars.
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
Learn more about admission requirements and research support below. For assistance, contact our Graduate Program Coordinator, Dr. Jason Hoeksema.
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 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.
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.
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 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:
- This scholarship is to support either M.S. or Ph.D. students and is based on academic excellence.
About Reginald Ott
Reginald Ott was a native of Pike County & was a cotton broker in Clarksdale for 65 years. He attended Millsaps but was a loyal supporter of UM & his family created this fund in his name to provide financial assistance to students interested in pursuing graduate degrees in the biological sciences.
Eligibility:
- This scholarship is to support either M.S. or Ph.D. students and is based on academic excellence.
About Georgia St. Amand
This scholarship was created by UM biology professor Wilbrod St. Amand in memory of his wife, Georgia Ann St. Amand, who was a biologist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory & joined the faculty of the University of Mississippi in 1959 as an Instructor of Biology, retiring from the University in 1988 as an Assistant Professor emeriti of Biology.
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:
- 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.
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 William B. Keith
Dr. Keith joined the faculty of the Department of Biology at the University of Mississippi in Oxford in 1968 and remained there until his retirement in 1999.
Meet a Current Graduate Student
"I've spent a year and a half studying floral organ separation in Arabidopsis, and while my research focuses on separation, the Department of Biology has always fostered connection and growth with its welcoming atmosphere, encouraging faculty, and supporting people throughout your journey."
Dikshya Niraula
M.S. '25, Dr. Sarah Liljegren's lab
Awards and Achievements
We are proud to recoginize our outstanding biology graduate students who have recieved awards, grants, and fellowships from organizations both on and off campus.
Jessie Stamn – Ph.D., Placed 1st for Podium Presentation (2024)
Anita Shrestha – Ph.D., Placed 2nd for Pitch Talk (2024)
Biology Graduate Student Society (BGSS)
The purpose of the Biology Graduate Student Society is to serve as the representative organization and voice of the graduate student body of the Department of Biology. The society also serves to provide opportunities for professional development and foster social interactions necessary for the development of graduate students in the Department of Biology.
The BGSS hosts a seminar speaker every year during the Fall semester and hosts various graduate student functions throughout the year.
Learn More About Our Current Graduate Students and Their Fields
Our graduate students come from all over the country and the world to study at UM!
Current Masters Students and Their Lab Advisor | ||||
Name | Lab Advisor | Name | Lab Advisor | |
| Berry Dickey | Yongjian Qiu | Dikshya Niraula | Sarah Liljegren | |
| Shaunna George | Yongjian Qiu | Oyenike Oyejide | Jason Hoeksema | |
| Mackense Greico | Mika Jekabsons | Jacqueline Pavlovsky | Colin Jackson | |
| Hailey Hoffman | Michel Ohmer | Andrew Rosson | Jason Hoeksema | |
| Madeline Jewess | Steve Brewer | Abigail Smith | Ryan Garrick | |
Current PhD Students and Their Lab Advisor | ||||
Name | Lab Advisor | Name | Lab Advisor | |
| Tahmina Akter | Sixue Chen | Milagros Mulero | Patrick Curtis | |
| Patrick Allison | Ryan Garrick | Saroj Nepal | Bradley Jones | |
| Sara Lucia Morales Anaya | Michel Ohmer | Elizabeth Neslund | Christopher Leary | |
| Alicia Arrington-Thomas | Steve Brewer | Nicholas Nighswander | Ryan Garrick | |
| Abhishesh Bajracharya | Yongjian Qiu | Laney Nute | Richard Buchholz | |
| Abigail Boateng | Becks Prescott | Ranjeeta Odari | Yongjian Qiu | |
| Tyler Brock | Brice Noonan | Sabnam Ojha | Sarah Liljegren | |
| Prabin Dawadi | Erik Hom | Maria Pena | Gregg Roman | |
| Savannah Draud | Jason Hoeksema | Bivek Pokharel | Bradley Jones | |
| Marjan Farsi | Joshua Bloomekatz | Sarala Ranasinghe | Peter Zee | |
| Jordan Heiman | Colin Jackson | Anurag Rijal | Patrick Curtis | |
| Tsui-ting Hsu | Erik Hom | Mishal Roy | Tamar Goulet | |
| Eli Johnson | Patrick Curtis | Chami Ruwanthika | Yongjian Qiu | |
| Alan Katzenmeyer | Gelnn Parsons | Harini Saravanan | Joshua Bloomekatz | |
| Larissa Kemajou Tchamba | Colin Jackson | Gayatri Sharma | Patrick Curtis | |
| Areej Khawar | Ryan Garrick | Talejha Shirley | Patrick Curtis | |
| Noah Kilonzo | Erik Hom | Anita Shrestha | Sarah Liljegren | |
| Ana Luisa Kirsten da Silva | Becks Prescott | Upasana Shrestha | Yongjian Qiu | |
| Prashanna Koirala | Joshua Bloomekatz | Jessica Stamn | Richard Buchholz | |
| Sahar Maray | Sixue Chen | Bowen Tan | Sixue Chen | |
| Paul Loprinzi | Lainy Day | Sampada Timilsina | Yongjian Qiu | |
| Kayleigh Mazariegos | Richard Buchholz | Anupa Wasti | Yongjian Qiu | |
| Ian Mounts | Jason Hoeksema | Jakub Zegar | Michel Ohmer | |
Job Placement
Higher Education Career Examples
- Auburn University
- Baylor University
- Blue Mountain College
- Blue Ridge Community College
- Chadron State College
- Colorado State University
- Delta State University
- Gadsen State Community College
- Georgetown University Medical Center
- Georgia Perimeter College
- Hinds Comm College
- Holmes Community College
- Houston Baptist University
- Lees Jr College
- Marian College
- Millikin University
- Millsaps College
- Mississippi State University
- Mobile College
- Montana State University
- MS Delt Community College
- Northwest Miss. Community College
- Ozarka College
- Rice University
- St. Louis Community College, Meramec
- Talladega College
- The Ohio State University
- University of Alabama
- University of Florida
- University of Lynchburg
- University of Mississippi
- University of Missouri
- University of North Carolina
- University of Southern Mississippi
- Vanderbilt University
- York College of Pennsylvania
Non-Higher Education Career Examples
- Analyst, Columbia Gulf Transmission
- Attorney, Bourdeaux & Jones
- Consultant, Babcock & Wilcox
- Consumer Safety Officer, FDA
- Dentist, Dental Care Associate
- Foreign Missionary To Ecuador, US Gov't
- Implementation Manager, ProctorU
- Jeweler, Tupelo Diamond Brokers
- Manager, Thompson Engineering
- Marketing Manager, Ferson Optics
- Owner, Bernet Agricultural Svcs.
- Pharmacist, Innovative Lab Syst. Inc.
- President, Marijac Farms Inc.
- Project Manager-Biologist, US Army Corps of Engineers
- Quality Specialist, YAMASA CORPORATION
- Real Estate Broker, Kent Realty
- Sales Manager, Transdermal Therapeutics
- Salesman, Bayer Corp.
- Usaf, Northwest Airlines
- VP, JPMorgan Chase & Co.