Master of Science (MS) Degree in the field of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

MS Degree in the field of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Upon completing the MS degree in the field of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate an ability to understand and critically evaluate concepts, research accomplishments, and techniques in ecology and evolutionary biology.
2. Demonstrate independent problem solving and critical thinking skills by identifying novel research questions in ecology and evolutionary biology and synthesizing critical paths towards answering them. 
3. Demonstrate technical proficiency in a range of ecology and evolutionary biology research methods.
4. Demonstrate the effective written communication skills required for scientific publications, grant proposal submissions, and a thesis describing independent research.
5. Demonstrate the effective oral and visual communication skills necessary for articulating scientific findings and significance to diverse audiences.

MS Degree in field of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Course Requirements

MS degree is a thesis master’s degree. For general university requirements, please see Thesis Master’s Degrees. regulations, and procedures for all graduate programs, please see All Graduate Students. Most of formal course studies will be completed in first year of residence to allow students to begin thesis research at end of their second semester at Rice. Entering students will meet with their faculty advisor to form a course of study of first year. Students should have completed coursework in ecology, evolution (or equivalent), mathematics (including calculus), and statistics prior to admission. Deficiencies in these subject areas should be made up during first year of residence; some may be waived at discretion of EEB Graduate Advising Committee and EEB Graduate Program Director.

following Rice courses must be taken if students lack coursework in ecology or evolution in their final undergraduate transcript:

The English Language Proficiency Requirement may be waived for an international student who received a degree from an institution in which English is the official language of communication. Contact the admitting program for more information.

The following language proficiency tests are accepted by Rice graduate programs and will be used to assess English language proficiency. Please note the below scores are the minimum requirement, though some program requirements will be higher.

• The TOEFL IBT Home. A minimum score of 90 is required
• IELTS Indicator. A minimum score of 7 is required.
• Duolingo. A minimum score of 115 is required.

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