Admissions Information

Admissions Requirements

Applicants must:

  • Have a BA or BS in Biology or related discipline that includes a minimum of 24 hours of undergraduate Biology coursework.
  • Have an undergraduate GPA of at least 2.75 on a 4.00 scale.  
  • If below the minimum GPA of 2.75, applicants have the opportunity to demonstrate their potential for success in the graduate program one of two ways:
    • take the GRE and earn a Verbal and Quantitative score greater than 290
    • demonstrate proficiency in upper-level undergraduate Biology courses by earning a B or better in 6 credit hours (semester system) of upper division (junior and senior level) natural science coursework

Admissions Deadlines

Individuals interested in pursuing a graduate degree at UNK should submit an online application. The Graduate Admissions Office should receive all application materials by the following dates to potentially gain full acceptance for a given semester.

Fall Semester--August 10
Spring Semester--January 10
Summer Semester--Rolling Deadline

Applications for a given semester will be reviewed as they are submitted, please allow approximately 1-2 weeks after all materials are received for a decision to be made. Please note some courses may fill quickly, applying earlier will help ensure the most course options are available.  

If your supporting documents for the semester do not arrive in time, but you wish to begin your program, you may enroll and complete up to 12 hours of classes before being formally accepted into the program. You must fill out an application as a non-degree seeking student. Non-degree students can access registration for coursework but are not eligible for financial aid through UNK.  If accepted to the program, your non-degree coursework would then apply to your degree.

Application Instructions

All applicants must:

  • Complete the Online Application through the Graduate Admissions Office and pay the application fee
  • Send one official transcript from every institution you have previously attended to:
Graduate Admissions
University of Nebraska-Kearney
1910 University Drive, CMCT 210
Kearney, NE 68849
OR
Send Electronic transcripts to: gradstudies@unk.edu

  • Upload a Letter of Intent with your application.  The letter should be a concise essay concerning your professional goals and identification of the means by which you propose to achieve these goals. 

After your application is complete, it will be forwarded to the Department of Biology's Graduate Committee for review. All applications that are at the department level on the first of the month following the graduate application due date will be reviewed.

For international applicants please review the Graduate Admissions webpage for additional items you may need to include with your application.

Transfer of Credit

The majority of the coursework for the Masters Degree must be completed at UNK. Transfer credits are accepted for up to 9 hours of the 36 hour degree path. For graduate credits from another fully accredited institution to be accepted in the Masters Degree program, the Department of Biology must approve the quality and suitability as equal to or superior to the offerings available at UNK. Approval of the Office of Graduate Studies and Research is also required for the transfer of graduate work taken elsewhere, and copies of official transcripts must be sent to the Office of Graduate Studies and Research. All transfer hours must meet the following requirements:

  • All courses must be Graduate level Biology credits from an accredited institution.
  • Courses must be completed with a grade of "B" or better and must not have been graded as pass/fail.
  • All courses on the degree path must be completed within the given 10-year time frame.
  • Courses cannot have been used in obtaining another degree.
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