General Biology Certificate

Get Started on Your Certificate Today!

This program leads to a graduate certificate in General Biology. Students complete 18 credit hours and can apply for admission for any semester.

Teachers with a master's degree who need 18 credit hours of graduate-level courses in Biology to teach dual enrollment courses at the high school level or biology-based courses at the community college level will find this certificate program meets their needs.

Graduate students in online degree programs needing coursework to fulfill elective requirements may find that this meets those requirements.

A maximum of six related graduate-level credit hours may be transferred into the certificate program at the discretion of the graduate coordinator/committee.

Prospective students are strongly encouraged to contact their appropriate administrators prior to applying as program coursework may not fulfill credentialing needs for higher education teaching without additional qualifications.

Tuition & Fees

Tuition per credit hour	$558.50
Instructional Support Fee per credit hour	$25.00

Tuition and fees listed are subject to change and do not include all possible charges. Additional fees may apply. Please refer to the master class schedule for individual course charges.

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Program Structure

With successful completion of program requirements, students can apply to receive the General Biology certificate during their final semester of coursework within Banner. Application deadlines for each semester are posted in the Academic Calendar.

Curriculum

18 credit hour certificate program; equivalent to 6 courses
At least half the hours must be at the 8000 level; no more than 9 credit hours of coursework can come from 6000 level courses
All courses are completed completely online
Complete two courses per semester to earn the certificate in one year
A 3.0 cumulative GPA is required to earn the certificate

Curriculum Prerequisites

Students interested in pursuing this certificate should have completed a minimum of 12-15 credit hours of undergraduate Biology-based coursework as part of their bachelor's degree program.

Program of Study

Required coursework to include:

Course Number	Course Title	Semester
BIO 8053	Comprehensive Study of Animals	Fall
BIO 8063	Comprehensive Study of Plants	Spring

Remaining 12 credit hours may be selected from:

Course Number	Course Title	Semester
BIO 6013	Genetics & Molecular Biology	Fall
BIO 6023	Principles of Evolutionary Biology	Spring
BIO 6033	Fundamentals of Biotechnology	Summer
BIO 6043	Developmental & Reproductive Biology	Fall
BIO 8023	Modern Microbiology	Fall
BIO 8033	Advanced Cell Biology	Spring
BIO 8043	Ecology & the Environment	Summer
BIO 8093	Experimental Biology & Biostatistics	Spring

New Admissions

In general, students who are not admitted into a degree program are not eligible for student financial aid funds. For more information please visit Student Financial Aid to see if you will be eligible or not while taking courses for the General Biology Certificate program.

Applications for the certificate program are reviewed three times a year. The application deadlines for those semesters are as follows:

Admission Deadlines:
Fall - August 1
Spring - December 1
Summer - May 15
Check the Academic Calendar for information regarding class start and end dates

A student interested in only earning the General Biology Certificate should apply to the program as follows:

Submit an Online Application. You will choose Certificate / General Biology as your program of interest and Online Education as your campus
You may pay the $60 application fee online or by contacting the Office of the Graduate School at 662.325.7400
Submit copies of all undergraduate and graduate transcripts. Official transcripts being sent electronically (eScripted) should be sent to: gradapps@grad.msstate.edu
Submit a Statement of Purpose
You will receive an email when you are officially admitted to MSU
Contact Dr. Donna Gordon, Graduate Coordinator, Department of Biological Sciences, msgb@biology.msstate.edu or 662.325.9337, who will release you for registration and will also provide continuing support to you as a graduate student throughout the program
Register for the Online@State Orientation course which will prepare you for online learning at MSU.
Textbooks are available two to three weeks prior to the start of classes and can be ordered through Barnes and Noble at MSU.
You will be able to access Canvas on the first day of the semester. To access your courses, enter your NetID and NetPassword and click the Classroom tab.

Transfer Credit

A maximum of 6 graduate credit hours may be transferred into the program
Only graduate level courses completed with a B grade or higher qualify
Coursework must fall within the 8-year limit of certificate program completion
Must be in a relevant content area as determined by the student's graduate coordinator/committee
Coursework must be from a regionally accredited institution
Contact the Graduate Coordinator for information on how to proceed to request that prior coursework be considered for transfer credit