Graduate Program

Application Deadline
Applications are accepted in Fall with a Priority Deadline: January 3. Applications continue to be accepted until the class is filled.


Degrees Offered

  • Master of Science in Biology (M.S.)
  • Doctor of Philosophy in Biology (Ph.D.)
    Concentration: Integrative Biology.

Areas of study: arid land ecology, behavioral ecology, botany, cellular and molecular biology, community ecology, comparative immunology, comparative physiology, computational biology, conservation biology, ecology, ecosystem ecology, evolutionary genetics, evolutionary biology, genomics, microbiology, molecular genetics, parasitology, physiology, physiological ecology, population biology, systematics, vertebrate and invertebrate zoology.

Interdisciplinary Programs

Computational Science and Engineering: The Computational Science and Engineering interdisciplinary graduate certificate program prepares students to effectively use high-performance computing within their disciplines and is open to graduate students in this department. See the School of Engineering section of this Catalog.

Nanoscience and Microsystems Engineering: This department participates in the interdisciplinary Nanoscience and Microsystems Engineering M.S. and Ph.D. programs; for more information, see the Graduate Interdisciplinary Studies section of this Catalog.


Admission

Students considering applying for graduate study are encouraged to write to the Department of Biology or consult our Web site for information and application material. Each applicant’s course background is evaluated and emphasis is placed on the applicant’s scholarship and research potential. Letters of reference are particularly important. The General Graduate Record Exam test scores are required. Each applicant must include a letter of intent stating the reasons for attending, goals and the tentative academic area in which he/she hopes to work. All applicants must be sponsored by at least one member of the graduate faculty before admission to graduate study can be recommended by the Graduate Student Selection Committee.

The Department of Biology offers the Ph.D., M.S. Plan I (thesis option) and M.S. Plan II (non-thesis option). The M.S. Plan II is not a research degree and normally does not lead to work in the doctoral program. It is intended primarily for individuals who wish to supplement their baccalaureate programs with additional coursework. The M.S. Plan I is a research degree with the same philosophy as the Ph.D. It is not a prerequisite for the Ph.D. but may lead to work on that degree. Students whose ultimate goal is a Ph.D. are encouraged to consult with potential advisors within the department about applying directly to the Ph.D. program. The research degree is the heart of the graduate program. The Biology Department Graduate Handbook gives additional information on all aspects of the graduate program. The Biology Department Graduate Handbook should be consulted by all students who have been admitted to the Program.


Degree Requirements

General requirements for the Ph.D. degree in Biology are presented in the Graduate Program section of this Catalog. In addition to the comprehensive and final examinations required by Graduate Studies, departmental requirements include a series of graduate core courses and a public final defense. At least one outside referee (extradepartmental) is mandatory for reviewing the dissertation and participating in the public final defense of the dissertation. Formal experience in lecturing and laboratory direction under the supervision of a professor in an appropriate field is required. The candidate for the Ph.D. in certain fields of biology may carry on research for the dissertation at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute, Sandia National Laboratories or Santa Fe Institute under the terms of an agreement for cooperation between the University of New Mexico and these institutions. Certain conditions have been specified for the acceptance of students for research at these institutions; each case is considered on an individual basis. Several researchers at all four institutions, as well as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the New Mexico Game and Fish Department, and the New Mexico Museum of Natural History, have adjunct faculty status in the Biology Department and may co-chair graduate student committees.

M.S. Plan I. General requirements for this degree are presented in the Graduate Program section of this Catalog.

M.S. Plan II. General requirements for this degree are presented in the Graduate Program section of this Catalog. The program of studies is determined in consultation with the student’s major advisor.

Non-Biological Skills. Candidates for the M.S. degree are required to satisfy one non-biological skill, while Ph.D. candidates must satisfy two skill areas. Areas of non-biological tool skills include advanced training in mathematics and/or statistics, computer science, chemistry or biomedical instrumentation. A minimum of 6 credit hours per skill with a grade point average of 3.0 ("B") or better can satisfy the requirement. Courses taken to meet the non-biological skill requirements cannot be counted toward credit hours required for graduate degrees. Tool skill requirements may also be met by demonstrating proficiency in consultation with a student’s graduate committee.

Ph.D. in Biology: Concentration in Integrative Biology

Awarded to students who, in addition to satisfying the general requirements for a Ph.D. in Biology, satisfactorily complete three core Program in Interdisciplinary Biological and Biomedical Sciences classes. These are: BIOL 520 (3 credit hours; also offered as ANTH 620, CS 520, ECE 620, STAT 520), BIOL 503 (3 credit hours), and BIOL 524 (3 credit hours). In addition, students must satisfactorily complete a post-doctoral preparatory course (1 credit hour; currently offered as BIOL 502), a scientific ethics course/seminar taught or approved by PiBBs, and two additional integrated courses outside of biology to demonstrate depth in a secondary discipline. Finally, students must establish an interdisciplinary doctoral dissertation committee, which should have co-mentorship or active participation by faculty from two or more different departments, including Biology.


Ph.D. Minor in Integrative Biology

The minor is awarded to students who satisfactorily complete three core classes offered by the Program in Interdisciplinary Biological and Biomedical Sciences (PiBBs). These are:

  • BIOL 503 (3 credit hours).
  • BIOL 520 (3 credit hours; also offered as ANTH 620, CS 520, ECE 620, STAT 520).
  • BIOL 524 (3 credit hours).

In addition, students must satisfactorily complete a post-doctoral preparatory course (1 credit hour; currently offered as BIOL 502), and a scientific ethics course/seminar taught or approved by PiBBs, along with two additional integrated courses in biology, or, for biology students, two additional integrated courses outside of biology to demonstrate depth in a secondary discipline.

Finally, students must establish an interdisciplinary doctoral dissertation committee, which should have co-mentorship or active participation by faculty from two or more different departments, including biology. A total of 16 credit hours are required for the award of a transcripted minor at the Ph.D. level.


Courses

BIOL 1110. General Biology. (3)



BIOL 1110L. General Biology Laboratory. (1)



BIOL 1140. Biology for Health Sciences. (3)



BIOL 1140L. Biology for Health Sciences Laboratory. (1)



BIOL 1150. Biodiversity. (3)



BIOL 1996. Topics. (1-6, no limit Δ)



BIOL 2110C. Principles of Biology: Cellular and Molecular Lecture and Laboratory. (4)



BIOL 2210. Human Anatomy and Physiology I. (3)



BIOL 2210L. Human Anatomy and Physiology I Laboratory. (1)



BIOL 2225. Human Anatomy and Physiology II. (3)



BIOL 2225L. Human Anatomy and Physiology II Laboratory. (1)



BIOL 2305. Microbiology for Health Sciences. (4)



BIOL 2410C. Principles of Biology: Genetics Lecture and Laboratory. (4)



BIOL 2710 [223]. Biotechnology I [Biotechnology Laboratory Techniques I]. (4)



BIOL 2715 [224]. Biotechnology II [Biotechnology Laboratory Techniques II]. (4)



BIOL 2720 [225]. Biotechnology III [Biotechnology Laboratory Techniques III]. (3)



BIOL 2996. Topics. (1-6, no limit Δ)



BIOL 300. Evolution. (3)



BIOL 303. Ecology and Evolution. (3)



BIOL 303L. Ecology and Evolution Laboratory. (1)



BIOL 304. Plant and Animal Form and Function. (3)



BIOL 304L. Plant and Animal Form and Function Laboratory. (1)



BIOL 310. Principles of Ecology. (3)



BIOL 310L. Principles of Ecology Laboratory. (1)



BIOL **351. General Microbiology. (3)



BIOL **352L. General Microbiology Laboratory. (1)



BIOL 360L. General Botany. (4)



BIOL 365. Evolution of Human Sexuality. (3)



BIOL 379. Conservation Biology. (3)



BIOL 386L. General Vertebrate Zoology. (4)



BIOL 400. Senior Honors Thesis. (1-3, no limit Δ)



BIOL *401. Topics in Cell and Molecular Biology. (3 or 4, may be repeated three times Δ)



BIOL 402 / 502. Topics in Biology. (1-3, no limit Δ)



BIOL 404 / 504. Topics in Physiology. (3 or 4, may be repeated three times Δ)



BIOL *406. Topics in Organismal Biology. (3 or 4, may be repeated once Δ)



BIOL 408L / 508L. Bosque Internship. (3, may be repeated twice Δ)



BIOL 409 / 509. Topics in Ecology-Evolution. (3 or 4, may be repeated three times Δ)



BIOL *412. Developmental Biology. (3)



BIOL 413. Human Microanatomy: Histology of Organs, Tissues, and Cells. (3)



BIOL 419 / 519. Topics in Interdisciplinary Science. (3 or 4, may be repeated three times Δ)



BIOL *425. Molecular Genetics. (3)



BIOL *429. Molecular Cell Biology I. (3)



BIOL *435. Animal Physiology. (3)



BIOL 444 / 544. Interdisciplinary Museum Science. (3, may be repeated once Δ)



BIOL 445 / 545. Biology of Toxins. (3)



BIOL 446 / 546. Laboratory Methods in Molecular Biology. (4)



BIOL 447. Pharmacology: Mechanisms of Drug Action. (3)



BIOL *450. General Virology. (3)



BIOL *451. Microbial Ecology. (3)



BIOL *455. Ethology: Animal Behavior. (3)



BIOL 456 / 556. Immunology. (3)



BIOL 457 / 557. Diversity and Evolution of Animal Sexual Strategies. (3)



BIOL 461L. Introduction to Tropical Biology. (4)



BIOL 471 / 571. Plant Physiological Ecology. (3)



BIOL 475 / 575. Community Ecology. (3)



BIOL 480 / 580. Global Change Biology. (3)



BIOL 482L / 582L. Parasitology. (4)



BIOL 483L. Discovering Arthropods. (4)



BIOL 484 / 584. Biology of Fungi. (4)



BIOL 485L / 585L. Entomology. (4)



BIOL *486L. Ornithology. (4)



BIOL *487L. Ichthyology. (4)



BIOL *488L. Herpetology. (4)



BIOL *489L. Mammalogy. (4)



BIOL *490. Biology of Infectious Organisms. (3)



BIOL 491 / 591. Population Genetics. (3)



BIOL 492 / 592. Introductory Mathematical Biology. (3)



BIOL *494. Biogeography. (3)



BIOL *495. Limnology. (3)



BIOL *496L. Limnology Laboratory. (1)



BIOL 497. Principles of Gene Expression. (3)



BIOL 498L / 598L. Genome Editing. (4)



BIOL 499. Undergraduate Problems. (1-3, no limit Δ)



BIOL 500. New Graduate Student Seminar. (1)



BIOL 502 / 402. Topics in Biology. (1-3, no limit Δ)



BIOL 504 / 404. Topics in Physiology. (3 or 4, may be repeated three times Δ)



BIOL 508L / 408L. Bosque Internship. (3, may be repeated twice Δ)



BIOL 509 / 409. Topics in Ecology-Evolution. (3 or 4, may be repeated three times Δ)



BIOL 511. Macroecology. (3)



BIOL 516. Basic Graduate Ecology. (4)



BIOL 517. Basic Graduate Evolution. (4)



BIOL 519 / 419. Topics in Interdisciplinary Science. (3 or 4, may be repeated three times Δ)



BIOL 520. Topics in Interdisciplinary Biological and Biomedical Sciences. (3, no limit Δ)



BIOL 544 / 444. Interdisciplinary Museum Science. (3, may be repeated once Δ)



BIOL 545 / 445. Biology of Toxins. (3)



BIOL 546 / 446. Laboratory Methods in Molecular Biology. (4)



BIOL 551. Research Problems. (1-12, no limit Δ)



BIOL 556 / 456. Immunology. (3)



BIOL 557 / 457. Diversity and Evolution of Animal Sexual Strategies. (3)



BIOL 561. Tropical Biology. (4)



BIOL 571 / 471. Plant Physiological Ecology. (3)



BIOL 575 / 475. Community Ecology. (3)



BIOL 580 / 480. Global Change Biology. (3)



BIOL 582L / 482L. Parasitology. (4)



BIOL 584 / 484. Biology of Fungi. (4)



BIOL 585L / 485L. Entomology. (4)



BIOL 591 / 491. Population Genetics. (3)



BIOL 592 / 492. Introductory Mathematical Biology. (3)



BIOL 598L / 498L. Genome Editing. (4)



BIOL 599. Master's Thesis. (1-6, no limit Δ)



BIOL 651. Advanced Field Biology. (4-8)



BIOL 699. Dissertation. (3-12, no limit Δ)



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Office of the Registrar

MSC11 6325
1 University of New Mexico
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Phone: (505) 277-8900
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