Biotechnology & Biological Medicine — Degree Requirements
On admission, the student will be assigned an academic advisor, who must be a full-time member of the Biology Department faculty. Within six months, the student and academic advisor will choose an Academic Advisory Committee (AAC) and will submit this proposed committee for approval to the Biology Graduate Program Director (GPD) and the Biology Graduate Committee, which oversees all aspects of graduate study in biotechnology and biomedical science.
The AAC will comprise the academic advisor and two additional members in the student’s area of interest. The student, in consultation with the AAC, will plan an appropriate course of study. The AAC will monitor the student’s progress. The academic advisor and the student will provide a yearly progress report to the GPD and the Biology Graduate Committee. With the approval of the GPD, the student can change his or her academic advisor or rearrange his or her AAC.
Course Work
Thirty credits are required for the master of science degree in biotechnology and biomedical science.
All students must complete the following courses:
BIOL 650 (Scientific Communication)
BIOL 696 (Research Experimentation)
: Two semesters of BIOL 696 must be taken.
All students must complete at least four of the following courses:
BIOL/PHYSIC 608 (Biophysical Instrumentation)
BIOL 615 (Immunology)
BIOL 626 (Molecular Genetics of Bacteria)
BIOL 627 (Bacterial Physiology)
BIOL 664 (Computer Analysis of DNA and Protein Sequences)
BIOL 670 (Tissue Culture)
BIOL 675 (Advanced Molecular Biology)
BIOL 677 (Advanced Eukaryotic Genetics)
BIOL 678 (Protein Chemistry and Enzymology)
Students must complete an additional nine credits by taking elective courses chosen from the following list, of which two must be biology courses.
BIOL 602 (Plant Molecular Biology and Physiology)
BIOL 612 (Advanced Cell Biology)
BIOL 614 (Advanced Cell Chemistry)
BIOL 622 (Concepts and Methods in Cytology)
BIOL 653 (Current Literature in Biology)
BIOL 662 (Photobiology)
BIOL 666 (Mammalian Toxicology)
BIOL 668 (Cellular and Molecular Endocrinology)
BIOL 672-673 (Directed Readings)
BIOL 685 (Biomedical Tracers)
BIOL 692 (Advanced Physiology)
BIOL 693 (Seminar in Neurobiology)
BIOL 699 (Thesis Research)*
CHEM 653 (Polymer Chemistry)
CHEM 658 (Medicinal Chemistry)
ECOS 611 (Applied Statistics)
PHYSIC 603 (Nuclear Radiation Physics and Biophysics Laboratory)
PHYSIC 604 (Cryogenics and Vacuum Technology)
PHYSIC 609 (Physics of Medical Imaging)
PHYSIC 610 (Topics in Medical Imaging)
*Open as an elective only to those students choosing the thesis option. May be taken for a maximum of 4 credits.
Students wishing to substitute any other courses for those on this list of electives must have prior approval from their advising committee, the Biotechnology and Biomedical Science program advisor, and the graduate program director. Note that students have generally gained more benefit from Scientific Communication (BIOL 650) if it is taken after they have developed a thesis topic (generally later than the first year).
Students may choose either an internship option or a thesis option, which will enable them to pursue a thesis research project in the laboratory of a faculty member. Thesis students have the option of taking 4 additional research credits, as BIOL 699. This, in combination with two semesters of BIOL 696, will allow for a maximum of 10 credits toward research.
Each student must prepare a written report (internship option) or thesis on his or her research work and must also take an oral examination, which will not necessarily be limited to the topic of the report. The student must submit an outline of the report to his or her AAC before taking the oral examination.
: These course listings are subject to change as developments in the field affect the program’s curriculum. Please contact the Biology Department for the most current information.