M.A. in Biology

专业介绍

With the recommendation of the department and the approval of the Administrative Board of The Graduate School, special courses and the direction of graduate studies are offered by the staff of the Institute of Marine Sciences, Morehead City, North Carolina.

The Department of Biology offers a program of study leading to a doctor of philosophy degree in biology. It also offers two masters degrees: a master of science degree requiring independent research and a thesis, and a master of arts degree requiring a written library report. However, the master’s degree programs only admit students on an individual basis in the following cases: 1. A request is initiated by a prospective student’s graduate advisor, or 2. A current student in the Ph.D. degree program requests to move to a master’s degree program. Special departmental rules and guidelines for advanced degrees are available upon request. For more information regarding our programs, please visit the Biology website.

Facilities

The Department of Biology is currently housed in four modern buildings. The newest building, the Genome Sciences Building, opened in July 2012. The department is equipped with modern instrumentation for research and research training in the diverse biological disciplines represented by the faculty.

UNC–Chapel Hill has a world-class library system, including the Health Science Library, which is dedicated to resources related to biological research. A major research asset is the location of the University, which makes the varied flora and fauna of the Appalachian Mountains, Piedmont Plateau, Coastal Plain, and Atlantic Coast accessible for research and instruction. The department operates a small field station a few miles from the Chapel Hill campus in the Mason Farm Biological Reserve, which includes several hundred acres of upland and floodplain habitats.

The Coker Arboretum and the North Carolina Botanical Garden are of value to students in the study of questions in plant biology. The Herbarium, containing more than 600,000 specimens, is especially rich in collections of the vascular plants and fungi of the Carolinas and the Southeastern United States.

The Highlands Biological Station, administered for the University system by Western Carolina University, is located in the biologically rich mountains at Highlands, North Carolina. Graduate courses offered cover various parts of the mountain biota. Credit may be obtained through UNC–Chapel Hill or Western Carolina University. A limited amount of research support is available on a competitive basis. (See the annual announcement of the Highlands Biological Station.)

The University is a member of the Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS). Financial support is available for students attending OTS courses in tropical ecology in Costa Rica.

Additional information about the graduate program including instructions for application is available online.