Master of Science in Natural Sciences Program

The M.S. degree in natural sciences is an integrated graduate program that draws upon the academic areas of biology, chemistry and physics within the Department of Science, Technology and Mathematics, as well as other academic areas at Lincoln University. All graduate students will participate in the required core courses as well as have the opportunity to take elective courses in academic areas that support their professional growth and development. Students with a thesis option will conduct research on relevant topics.

Graduates of this program will be able to:

• Continue professional development
• Continue further graduate studies
• Advance their professional education/teaching careers

All students must complete all of the following core requirements for a total of 12 credit hours:

• SCI 501 GRADUATE SEMINAR IN NATURAL SCIENCES (1 credit hour, repeat for a minimum of 3)
• SCI 502 INTRODUCTION TO PROFESSIONAL LABORATORY PRACTICE (3 credit hours)
• SCI 503 EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN AND ANALYSIS IN NATURAL SCIENCES (3 credit hours)
• SCI 504 INSTRUMENTATION IN RESEARCH (3 credit hours)

Non-thesis option students need to complete a minimum of 18 additional credit hours of electives. Within these additional 18 hours, at least 3 credit hours must be in courses only offered for graduate credit. Electives must be approved and may include courses from STM, other graduate courses at LU, a maximum of 9 credit hours of graduate transfer credits from an accredited university and/or a maximum of 3 credit hours of graduate conference courses. 

Thesis option students must complete 6-9 credit hours in SCI 515 GRADUATE RESEARCH. Thesis option students need to complete a minimum of 9-12 additional credit hours of electives. Electives must be approved and may include courses from STM, other graduate courses at LU, a maximum of 9 credit hours of graduate transfer credits from an accredited university and/or a maximum of 3 credit hours of graduate conference courses.

Culminating Experience

• Non-thesis option students present a portfolio of completed work for evaluation at the end of their program. Thesis option students complete a research thesis supervised by their advisor and an approved thesis committee.
• Thesis | Capstone | Comprehensive Exam | Internship
• Certification Exam

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution that includes a minimum of 12 credit hours in science at the junior level or higher.
• Minimum GPA: undergraduate cumulative GPA of 2.75 and a minimum GPA of 3.0 in their major
• Required Prerequisites (if any)
• Standardized Tests (if required or waived) GRE with a minimum verbal plus quantitative score of 286
• Letters of Recommendation (# required)
• Statement of Purpose
• Resume/CV

• Class scheduling is a mix of on-campus and online courses
• Typical course load per semester is 6 or 9 credit hours
• Online learning platform: Canvas
• The program is structured as an on-campus program even though some courses may be online.

1. Complete online application at LincolnU.edu
2. Submit all required documents (transcripts, letters of recommendation, goal statement, resume)
3. Pay a $30 application fee
4. Application review by Graduate Studies and program faculty 
   • Once all documents are submitted, we request 10 business days for departments to review the application packet and respond.
5. Admission decision notification
   • Applicants will receive a notification letter with information regarding their admission status via their personal email. If admitted, this letter will include information regarding their student ID and University e-mail.
6. Schedule a meeting with a School of Education advisor

Don't know where to start? Contact Grad Studies at GradSchool@LincolnU.edu for guidance.

The federal financial aid eligibility deadline is July 1

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