UAB Biology Graduate Program and Admissions

The Department of Biology offers programs of study leading to the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees including the Fifth Year Masters Degree Program. Graduate students may specialize in research activities at all levels of biological organization, with emphases on ecophysiology, cellular and molecular biology, endocrinology, and ecology of aquatic organisms, or on models related to human disease. The aim of the department is to provide a broad background and a field of specialty that prepare the student for a professional career in research and/or teaching.

Two types of master's programs are available. A student may choose a research-based program that requires, in addition to a thesis, a minimum of 24 hours of committee-approved course work. The nonresearch plan requires a minimum of 30 hours of approved course work and a thesis incorporating a review and analysis of a topic of current or historical interest in biology. Either plan of study can be completed in approximately two years.

No specific number of courses is required for the Ph.D. Programs are individually designed to meet the needs of the student and to fulfill the aims of the department. However, a dissertation embodying the results and analysis of an original experimental investigation is required.

Seminars and teaching experience are part of the training program for both the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees. To qualify for candidacy, the student in the master's program must take either a written or an oral comprehensive examination. The Ph D. student must take both written and oral examinations. The final examination for all candidates will consist of an oral defense of the research thesis or comprehensive review paper.

Well-equipped research laboratories for the department are located in Campbell Hall. Facilities are available for warm-blooded and cold-blooded vertebrates, invertebrates, marine and freshwater forms, and botanical specimens. The University operates two farms suitable for field studies. For students interested in marine biology, the University is a member of the Marine Environmental Science Program at Dauphin Island near Mobile, Alabama. The Lister Hill and Mervyn Sterne libraries have extensive holdings in biological and related sciences. Computer services are provided by the computer research laboratory, and several microcomputers in the department are available for students' use.

Teaching assistantships, graduate assistantships, and fellowships are available. Stipends are awarded on a yearly basis. Tuition and other fees are paid for all students who are awarded stipends. Students not receiving stipends can teach laboratory sections on a fee-for-service basis.

For a complete list of tuition costs and fees, visit the tuition and fees section of the UAB Students website.

For the 2004/2005 school year, tuition was $162.00 per semester credit hour for in-state students and $405.00 per semester credit hour for out-of-state students.

Due to the cost difference, incoming and current students are interested in becoming eligible for in-state tuition. There are several ways to do this. First, all graduate assistants and fellows are eligible for in-state tuition. This means that our graduate assistants, research assistants funded by faculty grants, and fellows working with the DNA unit of ADFS, all qualify for in-state tuition. Unfortunately, work study students do not qualify for in-state tuition. Also, the Academic Common Market is an interstate agreement among selected southern states for sharing academic programs at both the baccalaureate and graduate levels. Participating states are Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia. For more information, visit the Academic Common Market website. All other students must pay out-of-state tuition.

The cost of living in Birmingham is slightly lower than the average for major American cities. Many reasonably priced apartments are available near campus, and some University apartments are available.

The total enrollment at the University of Alabama at Birmingham is over 16,000; 11,800 are undergraduates and more than 4,000 are in graduate and professional school programs. The Department of Biology has nearly 50 graduate students in M.S. or Ph.D. programs.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham is a comprehensive urban university situated on a campus that occupies a 64-block area in the southern section of Birmingham. Many cultural resources are available, including the Town and Gown Theater, concerts, museums, the Jimmy Morgan Zoo, and the Botanical Gardens. Recreational opportunities include athletic events at the two city-owned stadiums and a variety of outdoor activities at the many nearby lakes and parks or along the Gulf Coast, which is 5 hours away by car. Because of Birmingham's proximity to the Gulf of Mexico, the city has a mild climate throughout the year.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham has fifty-five master's and twenty-eight doctoral programs. Students benefit from the active research programs that attract over $370 million in research funds each year, making the University one of the highest-ranked institutions in receipt of federal research support.

Application forms, the Bulletin of the Graduate School, and other information can be obtained from the Dean of the Graduate School, University of Alabama at Birmingham, UAB Station, Birmingham, Alabama 35294-1150. For admission in good standing, applicants must meet the following requirements: a) an undergraduate degree in a biological science; b) B-level scholarship in all biology courses; c) two semesters of organic chemistry; d) two semesters of physics; e) mathematics through calculus; and, f) a minimum combined verbal and quantitative score of 1150 or a total score of 1720 on the Graduate Record Examination General Test. International students must have TOEFL scores of 575 and a TWE score of 5.0. Admission on probation is possible if one of the above requirements is not met. A statement of career objectives, three letters of evaluation, and an official copy of transcripts should be included with the application. Except for paper (as opposed to on-line) letters of recommendation, applications should be sent to the Graduate School. It is not necessary to send a second copy of the completed application to the Department of Biology but paper letters of recommendation should be sent to Dr. Watts at the address below.

Dr. Stephen A. Watts, Program Director for Biology
Department of Biology
375 Campbell Hall
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama 35294-1170
Telephone: (205) 934-8308
FAX: (205) 975-6097
E-Mail: sawatts@uab.edu

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