At the academic heart of ASU, this program is part of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the university’s largest and most diverse college. Its world-renowned faculty include 15 National Academy of Sciences members, 3 Pulitzer Prize winners and 2 Noble Prize winners. The Master of Science program in biology is a flexible degree program based around a student's individual interests, enabling them to explore areas of biology that thrive outside of traditional boundaries. This degree complements other, more specialized life sciences programs, allowing both interdisciplinary and traditional approaches. This program currently admits students to a thesis-based pathway, an applied project pathway, or a coursework and capstone option. Students in the thesis pathway receive hands-on training and craft an individualized plan of study focused specifically on their own research interests. They work closely with an advisor from ASU's faculty of top-tier scientists and conduct research at the forefront of their field. Students develop foundational research skills in the course of designing and completing their own research project. In the coursework and capstone pathway, students build an individualized curriculum from a wide variety of courses taught by global experts. In their final semester, they delve more deeply into their own area of interest by completing a capstone project. This option is ideal for students who do not need intensive research training but want to deepen and expand their biological knowledge and skills. With permission of the program director, students may complete an applied project instead of a capstone. The coursework and capstone pathway is also available in an online format.
