The following are minimal requirements for entrance into the graduate program in Biology. However, satisfying or exceeding these requirements does not guarantee admission to the program. Admission to the program is determined solely by the Biology Graduate Studies Committee and the Graduate School and is based on an evaluation of all pertinent aspects of an applicant's record.

Master of Science

Decisions are based on consideration of all the information listed below and are not based on any single criterion alone.

(see also The Department of Biology Graduate Catalog page)

1. A Bachelor's degree in Biology or a Bachelor's degree in some other discipline with at least 12 hours of advanced level coursework (junior or senior level courses) in Biology.
2. A minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, as calculated by the Graduate School. Applicants GPA in the Sciences will also be considered.
3. A satisfactory score on the Verbal and Quantitative sections of the Graduate Record Exam. Successful students tend to have a minimum combined total score of 1000 on the Verbal and Quantitative sections, with strong performance on the Quantitative section of the GRE exam.
4. Favorable letters of recommendation from at least three individuals able to assess the applicant's potential for success in graduate school.
5. Evidence of previous research experience may also be considered.
6. International students whose native language is not English must provide a score on the Test of Spoken English (TSE) of at least 45, a minimum score of 23 on the Speaking portion of the TOEFL iBT exam or a minimum score of 7 on the Speaking portion of the IELTS exam. See the following website for complete details: http://orgs.uta.edu/pdfs/Prospective/Instructions_Intl.pdf

Denial of Admission

A candidate may be denied admission if they have less than satisfactory performance on a majority of the admission criteria listed above.

Probationary Admission

If an applicant does not meet a majority of standards for unconditional admission outlined above, they may be considered for probationary admission after careful examination of their application materials. Probationary admission requires that the applicant receive a B or better in their first 12 hours of graduate coursework at UTA.

Deferred and Provisional Admission

A deferred application decision may be granted when a file is incomplete or when a denied decision is not appropriate. An applicant unable to supply all required documentation prior to the admission deadline but who otherwise appears to meet admission requirements may be granted provisional admission.