We offer both research and non-research based degrees. Our primary goal is towards research training; students pursuing a research based path earn either Ph.D. or M.S. degrees. Students achieving Ph.D. degrees typically continue on as postdoctoral fellows on a career track directed towards academic research and teaching or industrial research.
We offer three different programs. When you apply to our graduate program, you'll need to specify which program you're interested in.
The M.S. or Ph.D. are research-based programs with options for research in our main research areas, including Biology of Cellular Stress, Cancer Biology, Ecology, Evolution, Marine Biology, Neurobiology, Plant Biology and Developmental Biology.
The accelerated M.S. is for USC undergraduates only. Continue your University education and research experience one more year and earn a M.S. in Biological Science.
For detailed program information including curriculum and requirements, please view the academic bulletin, the university's official document of record concerning graduate-level academic programs and regulations.
The Graduate Association of Biological Sciences (GABS) is the representative body for graduate students in the Biological Sciences Department at UofSC and actively seeks to enrich the graduate school experience for students in the Department. GABS does this by hosting departmental seminar speakers, conducting weekly informal lunchtime seminars, organizing a symposium-style scientific retreat at the coast during the spring semester as well as several social activities throughout the school year that foster a sense of community among the graduate students who represent the diverse research interests of the department. Find more about it here!