Ohio University

Graduate Catalog

Molecular and Cellular Biology

The Molecular and Cellular Biology Program offers graduate study leading to the Ph.D. degree in a broad range of areas in molecular and cellular biology. M.S. degrees with a concentration in molecular and cellular biology are also available in the Departments of Biological Sciences , Chemistry , and Environmental and Plant Biology . The program provides and encourages an interdisciplinary approach to these studies.

Admission to the program requires simultaneous admission to the M.S. concentration in molecular and cellular biology or the Ph.D. program in the Departments of Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Environmental and Plant Biology, or Psychology . You must have a B.A., B.S., or M.S. in biological or physical science. Criteria considered are coursework completed, grades, letters of recommendation, and scores on the Graduate Record Examination.

Unconditional admission requires an overall grade-point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. Financial aid is contingent upon unconditional admission. International students for whom English is not the primary language are required to have earned a minimum grade of 575 on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Although applications are considered at any time, to maximize the possibility of financial aid, submit completed applications and supporting materials before March 1.

Ph.D. study and research are guided by a doctoral advisory committee, which is formed by the end of your third quarter of study in the program. A great deal of the responsibility for determining your program of study is left to the committee. However, a required core curriculum consists of a year of biochemistry (CHEM 590, 591, 592), cell biology (PBIO 531), molecular biology (MCB 720), and molecular and cellular biology laboratory (MCB 730). You are required to register for MCB 741 Seminar in Molecular and Cellular Biology during three quarters each year and must present at least one seminar each year. You must receive doctoral advisory committee approval of a written research proposal by the fifth quarter in the program, and you must pass written and oral qualifying examinations by the end of the second year of study. Students receiving support from the Molecular and Cellular Biology Program are required to serve as a teaching associate for two quarters per academic year. You must demonstrate proficiency in scholarly disciplines such as statistics, computer languages and/or uses, foreign languages, or advanced mathematics as decided by your doctoral advisory committee. You must defend your dissertation before the doctoral advisory committee at a public forum. In addition, you are required to present the dissertation research as a program seminar.

Study and research in the M.S. concentration in molecular and cellular biology are guided by a master's advisory committee, which is formed by the end of your third quarter of study in the program. The required core curriculum consists of biochemistry (CHEM 590), cell biology (PBIO 531), molecular biology (MCB 720), and molecular and cellular biology laboratory (MCB 730). You are required to register for MCB 741 Seminar in Molecular and Cellular Biology during three quarters each year and must present at least one seminar each year. Additional course requirements for M.S. students admitted through the Department of Biological Sciences include biostatistics (BIOS 670); the Department of Chemistry include additional biochemistry courses (CHEM 591 and 592); and the Department of Environmental and Plant Biology include plant physiology (PBIO 524), plant anatomy (PBIO 512), and one course from area C of the departmental Modus (i.e., PBIO 525 Plant Ecology, PBIO 526 Physiological Plant Ecology, PBIO 754 Experimental Ecology, or PBIO 757 Plant Speciation). The Department of Psychology currently does not offer an M.S. with a concentration in molecular and cellular biology. You must receive master's advisory committee approval of a written research proposal within one year after entry into the program; this research proposal must also be approved by the graduate chair of your home department. A written qualifying exam must be passed immediately after your third quarter of academic study. If you are receiving support from the Molecular and Cellular Biology Program, you are required to serve as a teaching associate for two quarters per academic year. You are required to present your thesis at a public forum and orally defend it before your master's advisory committee.

Faculty

Molecular and Cellular Biology (MCB) Courses

710 Advances in Signal Transduction (5)
Prereq: CHEM 592. Introduction to the advanced concepts in the area of agonist-receptor mediated biochemical signalling mechanisms. The topics include principles, experimental techniques and quantitative analysis of agonist-receptor interaction, ion channels, adrenergic and cholinergic receptors, classical and low molecular weight G proteins, second messengers, oncogenes, growth factors, steroid receptors, and signal transduction in bacteria and yeast.
Akbar, Colvin, James, Wince; F.

720 Molecular Biology (4)
Prereq: CHEM 590. Introduction to the basic concepts and techniques used in molecular biology. Topics include nucleic acid and chromatin structure, replication, recombination, the processes of transcription and translation and their regulation, plasmids, viruses, transposable elements, and techniques used in molecular biology.
James, Kopchick, Showalter; W.

730 Molecular and Cellular Biology Laboratory (4)
Prereq: 720 and PBIO 531. Exposes the MCB student to a wide variety of laboratory techniques used in the broad field of molecular and cellular biology by allowing the student to carry out these techniques in the laboratory.
Showalter; Sp.

741 Seminar in Molecular and Cellular Biology (1)
Involves student presentation and discussion of seminars on topics of current interest in the area of molecular and cellular biology.
Staff; F, W, Sp.

751 Topics in Molecular and Cellular Biology (2-6, max 12)
Designed for the presentation of significant current topics in molecular and cellular biology in response to specific student demand.
Staff; D.

760 Advanced Cell Biology (4)
Prereq: CHEM 592. A discussion of current research directions in cell biology. Topics include, but are not limited to, protein transport and targeting, cell cycle, membrane transport and excitability, and cellular differentiation. Emphasis on current research directions of these topics.
Horodyski; W; A.

Return to 1995-1997 Graduate Catalog Table of Contents

University Publications and the Computer Services Center revised this file ( https://www.ohio.edu/~gcat/95-97/areas/molecule.html ) April 13, 1998.

Please e-mail comments or suggestions to " gcat@www.cats.ohiou.edu ."