Students are responsible for planning their graduate program in consultation with their Academic Advisor. Students must meet all deadlines and be aware that most Core Courses are offered only once per academic year.
Students are expected to complete the MS degree as follows:
Students must complete their thesis by the end of the fourth Semester (not including the Summer Session). Students who require additional time to complete their thesis must apply for an extension per the time limits and extensions policy.
To facilitate the design of an individual study plan, all admitted students must take a written assessment test when they arrive on campus. The assessment determines whether students have mastered the prerequisites for undertaking graduate-level courses taught in the program. The exam will focus on basic sciences. Students must prepare for the test by refreshing the general knowledge gained from their undergraduate education before arriving at KAUST. The study plan requirements must be satisfactorily completed, in addition to the university degree requirements.
In the case of failure of the assessment test MS students are mandated to take 100-level courses and will be graded Satisfactory (S) or Unsatisfactory (U) for these courses but do not receive academic credit toward their degree. Students mandated to take the full Fall Semester of the PGDip Program and who wish to transfer to the PGDip Program in the Spring Semester must apply to do so before Week 1 of the Spring Semester.
MS Course Requirements
MS students must complete the following requirements:
- Core Courses (12 credits)
- Elective Courses (6 credits)
- Lab Rotation (3 credits)
- Research/capstone experience (15 credits)
- Graduate Seminar (non-credit)
- Winter Enrichment Program (non-credit)
Core and Elective Courses must be technical courses and cannot be substituted with Research, Internship, or Broadening Courses to fulfill degree requirements.
Core Courses (12 credits)
Core Courses provide students with the background needed to establish a solid foundation in the program area. Students must complete 12 credits (4 Core Courses) and be aware that Core Courses may be offered only once per academic year.
Track 1: Cell and Molecular Biology
| B 204 | Genomics | 3 |
| B 213 | The Cell: Structure, Development and Physiology II | 3 |
| B 224 | The Cell: Structure, Development and Physiology I | 3 |
| B 241 | Molecular and Cellular Biology Lab | 3 |
Track 2: Biophysics and Bioimaging
| B 201 | Biophysics | 3 |
| B 214 | Biomolecule Structure and Function | 3 |
| B 241 | Molecular and Cellular Biology Lab | 3 |
| B 316 | Foundations in Bioimaging | 3 |
Elective Courses (6 credits)
Elective Courses allow students to tailor their educational experience to meet individual research and educational objectives with the permission of the Academic Advisor. The courses below are recommended for Bioscience students:
Track 1: Cell and Molecular Biology
| B 206/BioE 206 | Synthetic Biology and Biotechnology | 3 |
| B 211 | Fundamentals of Molecular Microbiology | 3 |
| B 214 | Biomolecule Structure and Function | 3 |
| B 316 | Foundations in Bioimaging | 3 |
| B 317 | Advanced Environmental Microbiology | 3 |
| B 320 | Stem Cells and Molecular Medicine | 3 |
| B 321 | Epigenetics and Chromatin | 3 |
| B 327 | Introduction to Nanopore Sequencing | |
| B 329 | Fundamentals of Neuroscience | |
| BESE 300 | Fundamental Skills in Bioinformatics | 3 |
Others upon approval of the Academic Advisor.
Track 2: Biophysics and Bioimaging
| B 204 | Genomics | 3 |
| B 206/BioE 206 | Synthetic Biology and Biotechnology | 3 |
| B 211 | Fundamentals of Molecular Microbiology | 3 |
| B 213 | The Cell: Structure, Development and Physiology II | 3 |
| B 224 | The Cell: Structure, Development and Physiology I | 3 |
| B 318/BioE 318 | Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine | 3 |
| B 323 | Advanced Bioimaging | 3 |
| B 325 | Advanced Biomacromolecular NMR Spectroscopy | 3 |
| B 328 | Principles of Cryo-Electron Microscopy | |
| B 329 | Fundamentals of Neuroscience | |
| BESE 300 | Fundamental Skills in Bioinformatics | 3 |
| BioE 319 | Biomaterials and Biomedical Devices | 3 |
Others upon approval of the Academic Advisor.
Lab Rotation (3 credits)
All MS students must enroll in B 296 during their first Semester in the program. This course aims to introduce students to various bioscience research groups to aid them in selecting an Academic Advisor. Rotation assignments will be made by the mutual approval of designated Faculty and students.
With approval of the Academic Advisor, Lab Rotation is optional for MS students starting their MS with a Research Advisor.
Graduate Seminars (non-credit)
All students must register for B 398 and receive a Satisfactory grade for a minimum of two Semesters. However it is recommended students register for Seminars every Semester.
Winter Enrichment Program (non-credit)
All students must register for WE 100 and successfully complete one Winter Enrichment Program (WEP), usually taken in the first year of study.
MS Thesis
Students planning to pursue the thesis option must complete 15 Research/Capstone credits, with a minimum of 12 credits of Thesis Research (B 297). Students must complete the remaining credits through one or a combination of the options listed below:
Thesis Application
Students must complete the application and have it approved by the Program Chair no later than the end of week one of their third Semester. The Thesis Advisor must be a full-time program-affiliated Assistant, Associate, or Full Professor at KAUST. The Thesis Advisor can only become project affiliated for the specific thesis project with the Program Chair’s approval. The application must include a Thesis Proposal endorsed by the Thesis Advisor and a timeline for completion.
Students who meet the graduation requirements of the non-thesis track may drop the thesis up until the end of their third Semester. Students not able to complete their thesis after this deadline will face academic dismissal.
Petition to Defend Thesis
Students must submit a petition to defend their thesis by the deadline published in the Academic Calendar. Students are responsible for scheduling the Thesis Defense Date. All committee members must attend the Defense. Students must defend their thesis and obtain the final approval of the Defense within their duration of study (4 Semesters).
Thesis Committee Formation
The Thesis Defense Committee, which must be approved by the Dean, must consist of at least three members and typically includes no more than four members. At least two of the required members must be KAUST Faculty. The Chair plus one additional Faculty member must be affiliated with the student's program. This membership can be summarized as follows:
| Member |
Role |
Program Status |
| 1 |
Chair |
Within program |
| 2 |
Faculty |
Within program |
| 3 |
Faculty |
Outside program |
| 4 |
Additional Faculty or Research Scientist |
Inside or outside KAUST |
Notes:
• Members 1-3 are required; Member 4 is optional.
• Co-Chairs may serve as members 2, 3, or 4 but may not be a Research Scientist.
• Members 2 and 3 can use alternative program affiliations when serving on thesis committees
• Adjunct Professors and Professors Emeriti may retain their roles on current Committees but may not serve as Chair on any new Committees.
• Professors of Practice and Research Professors may serve as members 2, 3, or 4 depending upon their affiliation with the student's program; they may also serve as Co-Chairs.
• Visiting Professors may serve as member 4.
View a list of Faculty and their affiliations here.
Thesis Defense
The format of the Oral Defense is left to the discretion of the Thesis Committee. Students defending their Thesis receive an outcome of a Pass, Pass with Conditions, or Fail, Fail with Retake. A Pass is achieved when the Committee agrees with no more than one dissenting vote; otherwise, the outcome is a Fail. In the case of a Pass, students must send the Thesis Result Form within 2 days of the Thesis Defense to the GPC. In the case of a Fail, the Committee Chair must inform the GPC immediately to take the necessary action. Students must submit the Final Approval Form by the deadline published in the Academic Calendar. The required forms are available on the webpage of the Office of the Registrar.
Thesis Document
Students must follow the Thesis and Dissertation Guidelines available on the KAUST Library webpage when they write their Thesis. Once the Thesis is ready to be examined, students must determine the Defense date with the agreement of all members of the Thesis Committee.
Thesis Archiving
Students must archive the Thesis in the KAUST Library two weeks from the defense date. This must not exceed the duration of study or the deadline published in the Academic Calendar.
MS Non-Thesis
Students wishing to pursue the non-thesis option must complete a total of 15 capstone credits, with a minimum of 6 credits of Directed Research (B 299). Students must complete the remaining credits through one or a combination of the options listed below: