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Dec 05, 2025
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2026-2027 Academic DRAFT Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Combined Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, BS & Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, MS (GPS)
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Return to: Programs of Study - Department/School
This Graduation Planning Strategy (GPS) outlines a sample five-year path to graduation and is valid for this catalog year only. This plan is a recommendation, and your actual program may vary. This suggested five-year graduation plan is not a substitute for regular academic advising appointments.
All undergraduate degree programs require at least 120 credit hours and all graduate programs require at least 30 credit hours. Students enrolled in a combined-degree program must earn a total of at least 141 unique credit hours to earn both degrees. A maximum of nine credit hours of graduate-level courses may “double-count” to satisfy both the bachelor’s and the master’s degree requirements, however, some program may allow fewer than nine credit hours of “double-counting.” Any credits that “double-count” toward both degrees are counted only once toward the total number of “unique” hours. These overlap limits are determined by the Ohio Department of Higher Education and may not be exceeded.
To graduate in five years, students must earn an average of 15 credit hours per semester (fall and spring). The time it takes to complete a degree and the sequence in which courses are taken will depend on any credits transferred to WSU and placement in math and writing.
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Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, M.S. Course Options
Notes:
This is only one of many possible graduation plans, alterations may be made as necessary. To progress to higher level courses, the prerequisite courses (if applicable) must be completed first. For the BS degree, you must obtain at minimum 20 credits at the 3000 level or above and get a C or above in all BMB courses to receive credit. Other key aspects of the program are: - Students in the combined degree program must complete a minimum of 120 Cr-h to earn a BS degree by end of their 4th year, and a minimum of 30 Cr-h of graduate work to fulfill the requirements for the MS degree. For the research thesis-based option this will require at least 14 Cr-h of laboratory research (BMB 6990/8990) and a written thesis. Students must take BMB 8990 during the summer following completion of the BS degree in order to complete the program within 5-years (as shown in the Program of Study).
- The program allows 9 Cr-h of “overlap” courses, where credit is given at both the undergraduate (UG) and graduate (GR) level. These courses are indicated by a double-asterisk (**) in the Program of Study. An additional 3 credit hours of graduate course work can be completed as undergrad to a total of 12 graduate credits which can be applied to their graduate degree Program of Study.
- BMB 6020 (Research Perspectives; 3 Cr-h) is a requirement for the MS degree. Any BMB major who takes the UG version of this course (BMB 4020; 1 Cr-h), and later wishes to transition into the combined degree program, can satisfy the GR requirement for Research Perspectives by taking 2 additional Cr-h of BMB 6990/8990 (Research thesis and Coursework). For the Coursework-based option only, when BMB 4020 credit is applied, students must also take one additional elective credit to meet the minimum 30 credit hour requirement for the graduate program.
- Research Ethics is a course requirement for both the UG major (BMB 3030; 1 Cr-h) and the MS degree (BMB 7030; 0.5 Cr-h) in BMB. Students in the combined degree program may take BMB 3030 and satisfy the graduate requirement for this course.
- The MS degree requires either 5 Cr-h (Research thesis) or 6 Cr-h (Coursework) of seminars (BMB 8000 and/or BMB 9000). In the Combined degree program, this requirement can be fulfilled by a combination of seminars taken at the UG and GR level with 2 Cr-h of BMB 4000/4870 counting towards this requirement. For the Coursework-based option only, when the UG seminar credit is applied, students must also take two additional elective credits to meet the minimum 30 credit hour requirement for the graduate program.
- While students may switch between the Master’s Research thesis-based and Coursework-based options at any time, this may significantly add to the length of the program due to their different requirements.
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Return to: Programs of Study - Department/School
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