BA/MA in Biology and
Cognitive and Neural Systems

The BA/MA in Biology and Cognitive and Neural Systems is an interdepartmental program in the College of Arts and Sciences and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. The program allows undergraduate majors in biology to begin working toward an MA in Cognitive and Neural Systems while still completing the Department of Biology BA requirements.

Admission to the BA/MA Program
College of Arts and Sciences students currently in or entering the junior year are eligible to apply for admission. Students must apply before March 1 of their junior year and must meet a GPA requirement of at least 3.0 through the end of their junior year. Students admitted to the BA/MA program will typically have completed at least one 300-level (or above) CNS course. In order to be admitted into the BA/MA program, students must have completed at least Calculus I and II (MA 123 and 124, or equivalent) and Linear Algebra (MA 242). The application should include a letter from the student's Department of Biology advisor. Application forms for admission to the BA/MA program may be obtained from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Office, Room 112, 705 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215.

Requirements
Students must complete all requirements for the BA in Biology as specified in the Undergraduate Programs Bulletin; plus all requirements for the MA in Cognitive and Neural Systems, as specified in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Bulletin. In particular, 32 courses (128 credits) are required for the BA and 8 courses (32 credits) are required for the MA degree. In total 40 courses (160 credits) are required. Students receive the BA and MA degrees simultaneously. Graduation applications must be submitted for both the BA and MA portions of the degree.

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