I. Advising
A student entering the department as a declared M.S. or M.A. degree candidate meets with the Director of Graduate Studies and one other member of the Graduate Committee immediately prior to the beginning of the semester of admittance. At this time a program of study for the student is planned.

The Master's degree candidate is expected to choose a major professor by the beginning of the second semester of study. The major professor aids the student in selecting courses and in making other academic decisions and directs the student in her/his thesis research. The student may change her/his major professor at any time.

II. Academic Requirements
The Master's degree candidate must successfully complete a minimum of 24 credit hours of course work at the graduate level, exclusive of 800-level and 900-level research courses. Included in this total must be 2 credits earned in the departmental "Scientific Papers and Presentations" course (BIOLOGY 825 and 826) during the first two semesters of study. Also required is a one-credit course in Research Ethics (GSAS 710).

Satisfactory progress in graduate-level course work is governed by the policies of the Graduate School as described for Ph.D. students.

III. Teaching & Residency
A Master's student is required to complete one full-time, semester-long Teaching Assistantship (TA) at some time during her/his graduate training. In order to qualify for a Teaching Assistantship, students must complete the Departmental TA Certification as described for Ph.D. students.

All work for the Master's degree must be completed within five years from the time of admission. Residency requirements are set by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and can be found in the Graduate Record or at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences web site (http://www.virginia.edu/registrar/records/gradrec//).

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