Master of Science in Cellular and Molecular Biology

The program has both thesis and non-thesis options. Students who elect the thesis option must carry out an original thesis research project under the guidance of departmental faculty. Students choosing a non-thesis option are required to take a written comprehensive exam in addition to laboratory coursework. The comprehensive exam will assess understanding of the coursework and evaluate one’s ability to synthesize research and theory in the field of cellular and molecular biology and to present this information in an effective written format. A minimum of 38 to 39 credit hours of graduate work must be completed to earn the Master of Science degree in Cellular and Molecular Biology. Candidates for the program must have a background in biology, chemistry or a related field with specific course work that includes genetics or molecular biology, general and organic chemistry and biochemistry. Thesis Option (38 credits minimum) First Fall term: CMBI 6606 - Molecular Genetics/Genomics CMBI 6617 - Cell Culture Techniques with Laboratory Or Elective (from list of electives below) CMBI 6608 - Evaluation of Scientific Literature Or ENGL 6659 - Writing and Speaking for Professionals First Spring term: CMBI 6603 - Nucleic Acid Biochemistry CMBI 6613 - Molecular Biology of Nucleic Acids with Laboratory Or BIOL 6605 - Biostatistics Or CMBI 6609 - Data Analysis in the Environmental and Biological Sciences Or Elective (from list of electives below) CMBI 7695 - Independent Study for Thesis Preparation Second Fall term: CMBI 6601 - Protein Biochemistry and Enzymology CMBI 6611 - Molecular Biology of Proteins with Laboratory Or Elective (from list of electives below) CMBI 7698 - Thesis I Second Spring term: CMBI 7607 - Cellular Biology CMBI 7699 - Thesis II BIOL 6605 - Biostatistics Or Elective (from list of electives below) Non-Thesis Option (39 credits minimum): First Fall term CMBI 6606 - Molecular Genetics/Genomics CMBI 6617 - Cell Culture Techniques with Laboratory CMBI 6608 - Evaluation of Scientific Literature Or ENGL 6659 - Writing and Speaking for Professionals First Spring term: CMBI 6603 - Nucleic Acid Biochemistry CMBI 6613 - Molecular Biology of Nucleic Acids with Laboratory CMBI 6609 - Data Analysis in the Environmental and Biological Sciences Or BIOL 6605 - Biostatistics Or Elective (from list of electives below) Second Fall term: CMBI 6601 - Protein Biochemistry and Enzymology CMBI 6611 - Molecular Biology of Proteins with Laboratory Elective (from list of electives below) Second Spring term: CMBI 7607 - Cellular Biology CMBI 7694 - Comprehensive Exam BIOL 6605 - Biostatistics Elective (from list of electives below) And Elective (from list of electives below) Electives for both Thesis and Non-Thesis options: CHEM 6650 - Medicinal Chemistry I CHEM 6655 - Pharmacology CMBI 6602 - Biochemistry of Bioenergetics CMBI 6620 - Bioinformatics CMBI 6622 - Database Systems for Biological Research CMBI 6625 - Advanced Bioinformatics CMBI 6633 - Nutritional Genomics CMBI 6636 - Immunology CMBI 6644 - Cellular Development CMBI 6648 - Cytoskeleton and Extracellular Matrix CMBI 6650 - Oncogenes and Cytokines CMBI 6656 - Receptor Effector Systems CMBI 6670 - Special Topics CMBI 6680 - Graduate Seminar CMBI 6688 - Internship I (non-thesis only) CMBI 6690 - Research Project (non-thesis only) CMBI 6696 - Library based-Independent Study II PHYS 6620 - Introduction to Nanobiotechnology PHYS 6670 - Selected Topics