The primary goal of the Master of Science (M.S.) degree program in Bacteriology is to give students a solid understanding of the scientific process and to provide the opportunity to obtain advanced training in microbiology. The Master’s degree is the terminal degree of this program, and completion of this degree does not allow automatic admission to a Ph.D. program.
This program provides the opportunity to tailor a curriculum of advanced coursework and research to fit the needs of each student, with two different options (Coursework or Research). Students may acquire a general overview of microbiology or may focus on a specialized subject area in microbiology such as bacterial physiology, molecular microbiology, food microbiology, environmental microbiology, biotechnology or medical microbiology. The self-tailored program must meet the requirements of the Department of Bacteriology and the Graduate School for the M.S. degree, as outlined below. Full time students can expect to complete the M.S. degree in about two years. The M.S. program also can accommodate part time students with consequent increased time to degree.