Biology Graduate Programs
Office: 221A Science Center
716-673-3282
Email: biology.department@fredonia.edu
Website: /biology/grad
Application materials may be obtained from the Graduate Studies Office at Fredonia. All applicants interested in a Graduate Assistant position in Biology will receive full consideration if a completed application for Fall admission is in by April 1st. Graduate Assistant position decisions in Biology will be made by May 1st. For additional information on the graduate programs, please contact us at
biology@fredonia.edu
The Department of Biology offers the Master of Science degree in Biology. Faculty research interests include animal behavior, applied human physiology, biochemistry, cell biology, developmental biology, ecology and evolution, immunology/microbiology, invertebrate biology, molecular biology, plant physiology, plant biology, and vertebrate physiology. Students completing the M.S. degree at Fredonia often go on to Ph.D. programs at major research universities or obtain positions in education, industry or government.
Our graduate programs serve:
- Students seeking admission to Ph.D. programs in the biological and biomedical sciences
- Students seeking professional careers in the public and private sectors
- Students seeking technical work in education, medical and environmental settings
- Students seeking employment as instructors at two-year college levels
- High school teachers with provisional certification wanting to obtain a masters degree and permanent certification in New York State
Biology Master of Science degree
Admission Requirements
Applicants should have completed an undergraduate degree in the Life Sciences earning a 3.0 grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) or above and demonstrate the requisite evidence of training and the motivation necessary to succeed in graduate study. Supporting science background includes physics, statistics or calculus, and organic chemistry. At least two current (within the last 6 months) letters of recommendation from individuals qualified to assess the applicant’s academic background in Life Sciences is required.
Program Requirements
The Master of Science degree has both a Thesis and Non-Thesis option. Appropriate courses are chosen after consultation with the student’s advisor and graduate committee. For Thesis students, the Department of Biology recommends in-depth study in the student’s thesis area. For Non-Thesis students, the Department of Biology recommends broad training in biology including cell and molecular, ecology and evolution, organismal and population biology coursework.
A. Thesis Option
A minimum of 30 semester hours is required, as follows:
Seminar (three semesters)
Biology courses (at least 21 credit hours)
Written Proposal & Proposal Defense
Thesis Research
Written Thesis & Thesis Defense
Total Credit Hours for Program Completion: 30
Thesis Option applicants are required to have contacted a faculty member and obtained their approval for entry into their laboratory for thesis work. Without contact and approval from a faculty member your application will not be reviewed for acceptance into the Biology Graduate Program. You can find faculty interests and contact information here.
B. Non-Thesis Option
A minimum of 30 semester hours is required, as follows:
Seminar (three semesters)
Biology courses*
Electives (any department)
Final Comprehensive Exam
Total Credit Hours for Program Completion: 30
*BIOL 690-BIOL 691 may not be used toward the Non-Thesis Option.
Recent Publication of Graduate Research (* indicates graduate student)
Anderson*, A.L. & Brown, W.D. (2009). Plasticity of hatching in green frogs (Rana clamitans) to both egg and tadpole predators. Herpetologica, 65, 207-213.
Blood*, L.E. & Titus J.H. (2010). Microsite effects on forest regeneration in a bottomland swamp in western New York. Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society,133, 88-102.
Blood*, L.E., Pitoniak, H.J. & Titus, J.H. (2010). Seed bank of a bottomland swamp in western New York. Castanea, 75, 19-38.
Brown, W.D., Muntz*, G., & Ladowski*, A. (2012). Risk taking in a sexually cannibalistic praying mantis. PLoS One, 7, e35377.
Ferguson, S.B., Blundon*, M.A., Klovstad, M S., & Schupbach, T. (2012). Modulation of gurken Translation by Insulin/TOR Signaling in Drosophila. The Journal of Cell Science, 125(7), 1407-1419.
Kazial, K.A., Kenny*, T.L., & Burnett, S.C. (2008). Little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) recognize individual identity of conspecifics using sonar calls. Ethology, 114, 469-478.
Ladowski*, A. (2011). Does the quality of rival calls affect the structure of the aggressive song in house crickets, Acheta domesticus? Metaleptea, 31, 5-6.
Lelito*, J.P. & Brown, W.D. (2008). Mate attraction by females in a sexually cannibalistic praying mantis. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 63, 313-320.
Recent Presentation of Graduate Research – Meetings Attended
- 53rd Annual Drosophila Research Conference, Genetics Society of America, Chicago, Illinois
- 41st Annual Symposium of the North American Society for Bat Research, North American Society for Bat Research, Toronto, Canada
- Ecology, Ethology and Evolution Conference, Scarborough, Ontario, Canada
- 5th Annual Regional Science Consortium Research Symposium, Tom Ridge Environmental Center, Presque Isle, Erie, PA
- New York State Wetlands Forum Conference, Buffalo, NY
- The American Society for Microbiology, 110th General Meeting, San Diego, CA
- Great Lakes Research Consortium, SUNY Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, New York
- New York Sea Grant State of the Lake Meeting: Lake Erie, Hamburg, New York
- Great Lakes Day, New York State Capital Building, Albany, New York
- 19th Annual Great Lakes Research Consortium Conference, Syracuse, New York (Sea Grant Best Poster Presentation Award & Sea Grant Best Oral Presentation Award)
- New York Chapter of the American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting, Owego, New York
- Annual Meeting of the New York and Pennsylvania Chapters of the American Fisheries Society, Owego, New York
- 38th Annual North American Symposium on Bat Research. Scranton, PA
- Annual Great Lakes Beach Association Meeting. Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, Porter, IN
- American Fisheries Society 138th Annual Meeting, Ottawa, Ontario
Recent Grant Sources Supporting Graduate Students
Great Lakes Protection Fund, USFWS Sportfish Restoration Funds (through NYSDEC), NYSDEC Lake Erie Fisheries Unit, US Fish and Wildlife Service Section 6, National Speleological Society, Orthopterist's Society Research Grant, Regional Science Consortium Mini-Grant Program, Summer Research Seed Grant, Fredonia.
Graduate Student Teaching Assistantships & Fellowships
Graduate students are eligible for consideration of teaching assistantships that include a stipend for laboratory teaching and tuition waiver. Indicate interest in an assistantship on the graduate application. All applicants interested in a Graduate Assistant position in Biology will receive full consideration if a completed application for Fall admission is in by April 1st. Graduate Assistant position decisions in Biology will be made by May 1st.
Graduate students have been supported on summer research fellowships generously endowed by the Holmberg Foundation Research Award, the Constantine Barker Memorial Fund, the Dr. Robert Wettingfeld Undergraduate Research Award, the Yunghans-Dietter Research Award, the Falcone Award, and the Biology Endowment Fund.
Recent Thesis Completions
|
Student |
Thesis Title |
| Alsheimer |
The Effect of Artificial Night Lighting on the Little Brown Bat (Myotis lucifugus) |
| Anderson | Plasticity of Hatching in Green Frogs (Rana clamitrans) to Both Egg and Tadpole Predators |
| Blundon | Pyruvate Kinase Regulates gurken Translation by Reduced TOR Activity in Drosophila melanogaster |
| Budnik |
Seasonal Movements of Paddlefish (Polyodon spathula) in the Allegheny Reservoir |
| Cain | The Influence of Canopy of the Relative Abundance of Western New York Trout Species |
|
Feygin |
The Search for the BMP1 Gene in a Salamander Gene Library and the Identification of Several Genes from the Library |
| First | Little Brown Bats (Myotis lucifugus): Ecology of a White-Nose Syndrome Affected Population and The Angle Trap: A Highly Effective Trap for The Capture of Bats |
| Hahn | Fine Scale Genetic Analysis of Lake Erie's Eastern Basin in Smallmouth Bass, Micropterus dolomieu, Populations |
| Ladowski |
Does the Quality of Rival Song Affect the Structure of Cricket Aggressive Calls? |
| Lynn | Investigating Geographic Dialect in the Sonar Calls of the Little Brown Bat, Myotis lucifugus |
| Sard | Molecular and Behavioral Evidence Suggest Two Distinct Life Histories Are Displayed in Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus dolomieu) in Lake Erie |
What are our M.S. Biology graduate students doing now?
Our graduates have gained admission to graduate school programs, are working as research assistants and teachers, and have gained employment in the field.
Ph.D. Programs - Fisheries Science at Oregon State University, Ph.D. in Cell and Developmental Biology at Carnegie Mellon University, Ph.D. in Molecular Biology at Stony Brook University, Ph.D. in Genetics, Genomics and Development – Cornell University
Research Assistants - Roswell Park Cancer Institute, NYS Animal Health Diagnostic Lab in Cornell Veterinary School
Teachers – Biology instructor at Jamestown Community College, High school biology teacher at Mount Mercy Academy, Middle school science teacher at Saint Margaret’s School
Other employment – Non-game wildlife biologist at Wyoming Game and Fish, Environmental safety & sustainability specialist at Fredonia, Territorial sales manager at Bio Basic, Inc., Quality control lab technician at Steuben Foods
Application materials may be obtained from the Graduate Studies Office at Fredonia. For additional information on the graduate programs, please contact us at
biology@fredonia.edu