As a graduate student in Pacific's Department of Biological Sciences, you will benefit from close, personal interactions with dedicated faculty members who have a passion for teaching, research and learning; rich experiential learning opportunities; innovative and cutting-edge research; and state-of-the-art teaching and research facilities.
Our master's degree program provides you with a broad background in the biological sciences that serves as preparation for entry into PhD degree programs, employment in the biotechnology industry and environmental-monitoring agencies as well as teaching positions at the high school and community college levels.
Graduate studies cover molecular and cellular biology, physiology, microbiology, ecology, paleontology, and plant and animal systematics. Or you can specialize in one area.
Pacific offers qualifying graduate students financial support in the form of Graduate Assistantships (GAships). Each GAship includes full tuition remission, employment as a lab teaching assistant (with a 9-month salary), and health insurance. With tuition and health insurance covered by the GAship, grad students are able to use their teaching assistant earnings to pay rent, groceries and other living expenses.
GAship qualification is based on the student's entering GPA and past academic training. GAships are renewable for the second year of the MS program.
Sign up now for your 30-minute individual Q&A session with Biological Sciences Graduate Program Director Eric Thomas—each Monday through May 3.
Sasha has been working on the Moderna vaccine for COVID-19 at the Center for Global Infectious Disease Research at the Seattle Children’s Research Institute. She gained her initial experience in lab work as a graduate student in Pacific's biological sciences program.
Stockton campus
In-person course format
2 years full-time
Applicants holding a baccalaureate or equivalent degree and interested in working toward a graduate degree must complete a University of the Pacific Graduate School application.
All applications must be complete for official acceptance into the program and require the following:
Applications received complete (including submission of test scores) will be given the highest priority.
Applications completed or received after the deadline will be evaluated, and students will be admitted on a space-available basis.
Students are not permitted to register until they have returned to the Graduate School the confirmation card that is sent with notification of admission.
Teaching stipends and tuition remission are awarded to graduate students on a competitive basis.
Teaching stipends are awarded for students who serve as teaching assistants in courses that contain laboratory components, e.g. general biology, genetics, anatomy, physiology and microbiology.
Earnings from the teaching stipends can be used to pay for rent, groceries and other cost of living expenses.
Tuition remission pertains to units that the department provides to graduate students to help defray the cost of tuition.
For many entering graduate students, individuals receive sufficient tuition remission to pay for the entire cost of tuition.
We take a hands on approach with our students. This means we want to get to know you throughout your discovery and application process. If you have questions, please contact Eric Thomas, director of Graduate Studies, at the request information link. Help us connect with you by taking the next step.
College of the Pacific
3601 Pacific Avenue
Stockton, CA 95211
