Biology

Dr. Kristopher Voss, Associate Professor, Biology Chair

Office:  Room 217 Felix Pomponio Family Science Center
Regis University
Mail Code: D-8
3333 Regis Boulevard
Denver, CO 80221-1099

Phone: 303-925-1325

Introduction

Graduate Programs in Biology in Regis College are designed to assist students with preparing for the next steps in their lives by providing high quality educational experiences in specialized areas of the biological sciences.
 
The Department of Biology offers the following options at the graduate level:

  • Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences
  • Master of Science in Environmental Biology
  • Biomedical Sciences Certificate

Application Requirements

  • An essay or personal statement submitted with the application.
  • Test scores are not required for any graduate program. 
  • Official transcripts for all college/university coursework. Not required for students admitted via Regis University Guaranteed Admission Programs.
  • For admission to the Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences program two letters of academic or professional recommendation are required. One letter must be written by a college or university instructor in the natural sciences or mathematics. Students may submit an optional additional letter to demonstrate a wider range of pre-graduate activities such as relevant work experience. A recommendation letter is required for students under Guaranteed Admissions but are not required for students admitted via Regis University Guaranteed Admission Programs. All documents submitted during the application process become the property of Regis University.

Application Cycle

For August start programs, application for admission opens sometime between December 1st and January 15th and will begin to be considered on February 1st. Admission will continue on a rolling basis until the class is full. The full consideration deadline is May 31st. Additional applications may be considered through August 1st.

Deposit

Applicants must reply and send a non-refundable $350 deposit within 14 days of receipt of the offer of admission to a Program. Extension of this deadline may be granted by the program director on a case-by-case basis.

Probationary Admission

Students who show promise for the program but do not meet all admission criteria, may be admitted on a probationary basis. Successful completion of the full coursework of the first semester with a 3.000 grade point average removes the probationary status and entitles students to good academic standing in the second semester. Other probationary requirements may be stipulated at the time of admission.

Specificity of Admission

Admission is granted for a specific program and may not be transferred among programs. Switching programs requires re-application, and admission to the new program is not guaranteed.

International Students

All international students seeking admission should check directly with the Admissions Office for specific information. All international students must complete the admission requirements for the program of interest and also the following requirements.

  • Submit an official score report of Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with a score of 95 points or higher and at least 22 points or higher on each individual skill section (or the equivalent for other formats). The Program Director will waive this requirement for students who are from a primarily English-speaking country and who speak English fluently as assessed by a phone or online video conversation (e.g., Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Dominica, Ghana, Ireland, Jamaica, Malta, New Zealand, South Africa, Trinidad & Tobago, United Kingdom).
  • For the accepted student, submit to the Admissions Office documentation of financial ability to pay one year’s expenses, including tuition, living expenses, etc., for issuance of an I-20 by the Office of the Registrar. An I-20 cannot be issued until the student has been admitted by the University and an academic program. Additional English instruction may be required upon or after admission to the program to ensure success in completing coursework.
  • For the accepted student, Visa information must be received by the Program Office one month prior to the program start date. To ensure enough time for the processing of international student applications, it is recommended that international students apply no later than April 1st. Applications received later may not be processed in time and may have to be held for the following academic period. International students are accepted conditionally until 2 and 3 above are completed, after which full acceptance will be granted.

Regis University Guaranteed Admissions Program

Regis University students may be eligible for Guaranteed Admission into Biology Graduate programs if they successfully meet all the following requirements:

  • Complete at least three years of full-time study (six regular semesters) through Regis University.
  • Must be enrolled full-time in courses for the Spring semester that would fulfill remaining Regis University graduation requirements. (An exception can be made for up to 9 SH of outstanding coursework that the student intends to complete in the subsequent summer. A plan for taking remaining requirements must be noted in the Guaranteed Admission request.)
  • Must not have a record of academic misconduct on file in the appropriate Dean’s Office.
  • Must submit a Guaranteed Admissions Form to the Admissions Office.
  • Have a cumulative Regis College grade point average of 3.00 or above for the Environmental Biology programs or 3.33 or above for the Biomedical Sciences program in the required coursework listed below for each program.
  • Complete the required pre-requisite coursework with minimum grades of B or higher in Regis College as indicated for each program below (unless otherwise indicated).

AJCU Guaranteed Admissions Program

Non-Regis students from Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU) member institutions (United States Jesuit Colleges and Universities) may be eligible for Guaranteed Admission into the M.S. in Biomedical Sciences or Environmental Biology program if they successfully meet all the following requirements. Metropolitan State  University students may be eligible for Guaranteed Admissions into the M.S. in Environmental Biology program only. The requirements below apply for Metro State Guaranteed Admissions as well.

 AJCU or Metro students not meeting the criteria remain eligible to apply and have their applications competitively reviewed for their program of interest.

AJCU or Metro Guaranteed Admission Requirements

  • Complete at least three years of full-time study (six regular semesters) through an AJCU school or schools
  • Must be enrolled full-time in courses for that would fulfill remaining AJCU school graduation requirements by the end of the current academic year. (An exception can be made for up to 9 SH of outstanding coursework that the student intends to complete in the subsequent summer. A plan for taking remaining requirements must be noted on the Guaranteed Admission request form.)
  • Must not have a record of academic misconduct on file at the AJCU institution.
  • Must submit one positive recommendation (we recommend one from a natural-science faculty member at the AJCU school) that provide evidence of student academic capacity, maturity, and fit with the program.
  • Must submit unofficial collegiate transcripts from the AJCU school and any other school where the student completed courses required for program admission or completed more than 9 SH of coursework.
  • Have a cumulative AJCU-school grade point average of 3.33 or above (Biomedical Sciences) or 3.00 or above (Environmental Biology).
  • Must submit a Guaranteed Admissions Request form with unofficial transcripts to ruadmissions@regis.edu.
  • Complete the Guaranteed Admission Course Requirements with minimum grades of a B or higher (unless otherwise indicated) below.

  • M.S. in Biomedical Sciences AJCU priority admission course requirements (or equivalent):

  • General Biology I: Organismic & Laboratory (B+ or higher).
  • General Biology II: Molecular and Cellular & Laboratory (B+ or higher).
  • Biochemistry
  • General Chemistry I and Laboratory
  • General Chemistry II and Laboratory
  • Organic Chemistry I and Laboratory
  • Organic Chemistry II and Laboratory
  • Statistics for Life Sciences or Calculus
  • Physics I and Laboratory
  • Physics II and Laboratory
  • One writing course
  • At least two of the following upper-division courses with pre-requisite Laboratory if offered: Anatomy, Genetics, Microbiology, Physiology, Immunology.

  • *Except for introductory biology and chemistry lecture courses for both program areas for which credit has been granted via AP, IB, or College Articulation agreements in high school and recognized by the AJCU institution.  These pre-requisites are waived in this circumstance.

    No standardized test score (e.g., GRE, MCAT, DAT) or additional supplemental application items are required if a student meets the criteria of the Guaranteed Admission Program. Submission of a personal statement, additional letters of recommendation, or test scores are optional.

    M.S. Environmental Biology guaranteed admission course requirements (or equivalent courses):

  • General Biology I: Organismic & Laboratory
  • General Biology II: Molecular and Cellular & Laboratory
  • 1 semester of Ecology
  • Chemistry 1 and Laboratory (C or higher)
  • Statistics
  • Writing Course/English Composition
  • At least two upper-division courses with introductory science course pre-requisites in Biology (BL) or biologically-focused Environmental Science (ENVS) focused on Ecology or Evolution.

  • *Introductory biology and chemistry lecture courses for which credit has been granted via AP, IB, or College Articulation agreements in high school are waived.

  • Applicants also must meet the physical requirements of being able to hike for an hour outdoors and being able to spend full days outdoors for field work for the program

Academic Information

Sixteen-week semester courses in Biology graduate programs follow the same fall- and spring-semester academic schedules as the Regis College undergraduate program, including final examination schedules and both add/drop and withdrawal deadlines. Eight-week accelerated courses in Biology graduate programs allow add/drop through the first week of the eight-week term and allow withdrawal from the second week through the fourth week of the term. One-week one-semester hour courses in Biology Graduate Programs do not allow students to Add/Drop after the course has started and allow withdrawal through the third day of the course.

The same policies regarding appeals of disputed grades, academic student conduct, and academic dismissal that apply in the Regis College undergraduate program also applies to Biology graduate programs.

Final Examinations

Final examinations in semester courses (16-week course) are assigned at the end of each semester for two hours each during final-examination week. The final examinations for semester courses in Biology graduate programs follow the same schedule as Regis College undergraduate courses, unless modified by the Director of the Program and the students are informed. Final examinations in accelerated eight-week courses occur during the regularly scheduled class period, via individual scheduling outside of class time, or via online examination. Eight-week courses do not have separate scheduled examination periods.

Incomplete Grades

A student who is unable to take a final examination or complete final class coursework for a valid reason (i.e., emergency circumstances beyond the student’s control) is eligible for a grade of incomplete. A student must specifically request an Incomplete grade in writing from the instructor, who will determine if the reason is valid based on his/her judgment and the policies outlined in the course syllabus. The length of time allowed to finish work and resolve an Incomplete grade is determined by the instructor in consultation with the student, but may not exceed the end of the next equivalent-length academic term (e.g., by the end of the next semester for semester courses or by the end of the next eight-week course period for eight-week courses).

Transfer Credit

Transfer credit is not awarded for graduate-level coursework in the Biomedical Sciences or Genetics and Genomics graduate programs given the closely coordinated nature of the curriculum in this one-year program and transfer credit is only given in limited circumstances in the Environmental Biology Programs (Such determinations are made by the program director).

Academic Standing and Penalty

Students whose cumulative grade point average falls below 3.000 are placed on academic notice. Students placed on academic notice must raise their cumulative program grade point average to 3.000 in the spring semester to be eligible for graduation. In addition, students who receive a grade of “C” or lower in two courses at the 600-level in the same semester are subject to academic review by the appropriate Program Director and may be suspended from the program. Suspension appeals are submitted to the Program Director. The review committee will be constructed in the same way as the review committee for appeal of disputed grades except that the program director will serve as the instructor usually does in that process. The student may be asked to attend part or all of the appeal review meeting.

Graduation

Application

The filing of a formal Application for Graduation with the Regis College Dean’s Office is required at the beginning of the fall semester in the academic year the student intends to graduate. For students in the M.S. in Biomedical Sciences or the one-year M.S. in Environmental Biology programs, this is immediately after the start of the program.

Degree or Certificate Award

Students graduate after all requirements are met and documentation is on file. Incomplete grades or late application may result in later award of degrees. A program cumulative grade point average of 3.000 is required for graduation with a degree. In addition, only two courses with grades of C+ or C may count toward any graduate program requirements. Certificates do not result in the award of a diploma and are not presented at commencement ceremonies.

Diplomas and transcripts are not released if any financial indebtedness to Regis University exists. Additional information regarding policies and procedures for making payment of account is located in the General Information section of this Catalog under the “Tuition, Fees, Room and Board Charges” heading.

Attendance at Commencement Exercises

Attendance at commencement exercises by M.S. degree recipients is encouraged. The Office of the Registrar is notified through the Application for Graduation form of students’ intent to participate in commencement.