Go back

Applying for Admission to the Biology M.S. Program

Program Specific Admissions Requirements: 

  • Bachelor’s degree or minor in Biology from an accredited college or university
  • Cumulative undergraduate GPA of 2.75 or higher
  • Combined verbal and math GRE Score of 300 or higher. The review committee may waive the GRE requirement for students that have exceptional academic credentials evidenced by their GPA, success in past biology courses, letters of support, or other documents deemed appropriate by the committee.
  • A one-page statement of your area(s) of interest in biology and purpose for seeking an M.S. degree in Biology.
  • Three letters of recommendation.  
  • Bachelor’s degree or minor in Biology from an accredited college or university
  • Support of a faculty research mentor. Candidates should review APSU Biology faculty research interests and are encouraged to contact faculty with whom they would like to collaborate on a graduate thesis project. Faculty must agree to serve as the thesis advisor prior to admission under this plan.  
  • Preference for admission and assistantship support will be given to those students with a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher and a combined verbal and math GRE Score of 300 or higher. Students with cumulative GPA below 2.5 will not be accepted.
  • A one-page statement of research interests you wish to pursue, past research experiences, and the name(s) of the faculty member with whom you wish to work.
  • Three letters of recommendation.  

To Apply, submit the following to the College of Graduate Studies:

*Send a copy of all above application documents (except admission application form and fee) to the Biology Graduate Coordinator

**Unofficial copies are acceptable for application, but official copies will be required for full enrollment; see Admission Status below for Conditional Admission.

Biology Graduate Coordinator Information

Dr. Mollie Cashner
Austin Peay State University
P.O. Box 4718
Clarksville, TN 37044
Phone: (931) 221-6488
cashnerm@apsu.edu

Review of applications begin March 1 for Fall semester and October 15 for Spring semester and continue to be reviewed until all positions are filled.

Admission Status

Admission to the Biology Graduate Program is decided by the biology graduate education committee. This committee determines if an applicant meets admission standards of the department, but also considers the:

  • Applicant’s qualifications as indicated by course transcripts, test scores, Curriculum Vitae, and letters of recommendation
  • Match between the applicant’s research interests and faculty availability to mentor students in that area
  • Applicant’s perceived compatibility with the Biology Department Program based on the applicant’s previous experiences described in the above documents, as well as site visits and other communications with Biology Department faculty

Applicants may be granted conditional admission status if he/she submits unofficial documents for review and meets the criteria for regular admission. However, all official documents must be received by the 10th day of classes or all classes will be dropped.

Applicants who do not meet the regular or conditional criteria for admission will be denied admission to the program.

Effective: Fall 2017