Molecular and Cellular Biology Courses

The Molecular and Cellular Biology Program offers graduate study leading to the Ph.D. 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 Biochemistry, 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 Department of Biological Sciences or Chemistry and Biochemistry. 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 620 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 February 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 (MCB 760), 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 when offered 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 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 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 (MCB 760), 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 when offered and 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 and Biochemistry 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). 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. You also must pass a written qualifying exam 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.