Biology, B.S./M.S.

5 Years On Campus Bachelors Program

Georgia State University

Program Overview

The Biology, B.S./M.S. at Georgia State University is an accelerated five-year dual-degree pathway that combines a 120-credit-hour bachelor’s degree with a 40-credit-hour master’s degree, allowing qualified students to begin graduate-level study during their junior or senior year. It is particularly suited to students seeking advanced preparation for biological research, bioscience careers, or further professional study, with opportunities to develop research skills and specialize within the biological sciences.

Curriculum Structure

Years 1–2: Students begin with the foundational coursework required for the Biology B.S., building knowledge across the biological sciences while completing general education and pre-concentration requirements. Georgia State’s Biology B.S. offers pathways in Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, Microbiology, Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology, Neurobiology, and Pre-Medical/Pre-Health, allowing students to shape their undergraduate study around their interests.

Year 3: Students continue advanced undergraduate biology coursework and, once eligible for the dual-degree pathway, can begin taking graduate-level courses that count toward both degrees. Admission to the B.S./M.S. requires students to be upcoming juniors or seniors with at least a 3.5 undergraduate GPA, three letters of recommendation, and completion of the dual-degree application.

Year 4: Students complete remaining undergraduate requirements while progressing into graduate-level Biology coursework. This structure enables qualified students to apply graduate credits toward both degrees, reducing the time and tuition required to complete the separate B.S. and M.S. pathways.

Year 5: Students complete the remaining requirements for the 40-credit-hour M.S. in Biological Sciences, moving into more advanced study and research. The graduate program provides options including Biotechnology, Bioinformatics, and Research, with advanced subjects such as Advanced Genetics, Principles of Cellular Biology, Concepts in Molecular Genetics, Fundamentals of Bioinformatics, and Biology Graduate Seminar available within the M.S. curriculum.

Focus areas: Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology; Microbiology; Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology; Neurobiology; Pre-Medical/Pre-Health; Biotechnology; Bioinformatics; Research.

Learning outcomes: Graduates are prepared to work as critical-thinking scientists, formulate scientific questions and hypotheses, apply scientific approaches, understand the role of their area of focus within the biosciences, and communicate biological concepts and applications effectively.

Professional Alignment (Accreditation): The program is housed within Georgia State University’s College of Arts & Sciences; the official program page does not state a separate program-specific professional accreditation for the Biology B.S./M.S.

Reputation (Employability Rankings): Georgia State’s Department of Biology reports more than 2,300 undergraduate students pursuing the Biology B.S., more than 200 graduate students in its biology graduate program, and nearly $6.9 million in research grants acquired in 2018, reflecting an active teaching and research environment.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

Students in Georgia State University’s Biology, B.S./M.S. can build practical scientific skills through course-based research, independent laboratory research, internships, and advanced graduate-level study within the five-year dual-degree pathway. The program connects undergraduate learning with active research across areas such as cell and molecular biology, microbial genetics and physiology, virology, metabolic disorders, and biomedical sciences, giving students opportunities to work with faculty mentors and research teams.

Students can develop this hands-on experience through several program-specific opportunities:

Course-Based Undergraduate Research: CURE courses place students in small research groups under the guidance of Biology faculty, where they conduct experiments for academic credit and may contribute to research publications or use their work toward an Honors Thesis.
Independent Laboratory Research: Through BIOL 4910, students can undertake an independent laboratory investigation with a Georgia State Biology faculty mentor. Research can be conducted in grant-funded faculty laboratories under the supervision of principal investigators, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers.
Current research projects: Fall 2026 CURE offerings include Genotyping Free-Living Amoeba, involving isolation, culturing, identification and genotyping, and Molecular Evolution, where students develop methods relevant to molecular biology, molecular evolution and protein-engineering research.
Internships: Biology internships allow students to gain experience in a field of interest while earning academic credit, with the department specifically offering internship opportunities designed to build career-relevant skills.
Bio-Bus mobile laboratory: Students can participate in the Biology Department’s Bio-Bus community outreach program, which takes a mobile teaching laboratory to primary and secondary schools throughout metro Atlanta and provides an applied setting for communicating biological science.
Biomedical research facilities: Georgia State’s research infrastructure includes the High Containment Core, with BSL-3 laboratories and animal facilities; the Imaging Core Facility, offering laser confocal, biological light and electron microscopy; and the Mass Spectrometry Core, supporting analysis of proteins, nucleic acids, lipids and other biological molecules.
Institute for Biomedical Sciences: The Institute provides an interdisciplinary biomedical research environment, and Georgia State launched the Undergraduate Program for Research Immersion & Scholarly Mentorship (UPRISM) in 2026 to give undergraduates meaningful research experience in institute laboratories.
Molecular Basis of Disease: Students can engage with this interdisciplinary program spanning Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Mathematics and Statistics, Neuroscience, and Physics and Astronomy, with training in molecular sciences and computational biomedicine.
Research centers: Georgia State Biology is connected with specialized centers including the Center for Neuromics, which studies the nervous system using informatics and computational approaches, and the Language Research Center, a primate research facility associated with the university.
Advanced B.S./M.S. research exposure: The five-year dual degree is designed to give students enhanced educational and research opportunities, with graduates expected to develop skills in scientific questioning, hypothesis development, scientific approaches, and communicating biological concepts.

Progression & Future Opportunities

The Biology, B.S./M.S. at Georgia State University is designed to give students both undergraduate and graduate-level preparation in biological sciences within five years, with graduate coursework and research experience integrated into the pathway. Graduates can pursue opportunities in research, biotechnology, healthcare, environmental science, public health, and laboratory-based industries, while the M.S. component provides additional preparation for advanced scientific careers.

Career Opportunities: Typical roles include Research Associate, Biological Technician, Laboratory Manager, and Research Scientist.

Career services: Georgia State’s University Career Services provides career development support, while its STEM career pathway specifically connects biology students with opportunities such as research scientist, laboratory manager, clinical research coordinator, medical device specialist, and pharmaceutical research associate.
Employment and salary: Georgia State’s STEM career information lists a $48,000–$68,000 starting salary range for life, physical and earth science-related careers. The university also provides student-specific employment data through its College to Career Career Explorer, which includes the Biology, B.S./M.S.; a program-specific employment rate or median salary is not stated on the official program page.
Industry connections: Georgia State’s Pathway for Patient Health program provides industry mentorship and access to a job portal for students interested in life-science industries. The program was developed by the Department of Biology, Neuroscience Institute and Institute for Biomedical Health in partnership with Pathway for Patient Health; the university also works with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies through its Institute for Biomedical Sciences and technology-commercialization activities.
Research and professional preparation: Students can gain research experience through Georgia State’s Program for Undergraduate Research in the Life Sciences, including faculty research laboratories and course-based research experiences. The B.S./M.S. specifically allows qualified students to begin graduate-level coursework during their undergraduate study, with those credits applied toward both degrees.
Accreditation value: Georgia State University is institutionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), providing institutional recognition for the university’s degree programs.
Graduation outcomes: Georgia State reports that biology graduates move into academia and industry, including laboratory management, research science, microbiology, environmental sciences, biochemistry, biomedicine, neuroscience, quality assurance and control, public health sciences, forensic science, data analytics and bioinformatics. Graduates also pursue professional programs in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, public health and physician assistant studies, as well as master’s and doctoral programs.

Further Academic Progression: After completing the five-year Biology, B.S./M.S., students already hold both a bachelor’s and master’s degree and can progress to doctoral-level study such as Georgia State’s Ph.D. in Biological Sciences, which prepares graduates for research, academia, government and private-industry careers. Students interested in healthcare can also use their biology background to apply to professional programs such as medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, public health or physician assistant programs, subject to each program’s admission requirements.