Student Learning Outcomes

Students graduating from this program will:

• Describe the structures and functions of key biological molecules, how these molecules interact to perform the major biochemical processes of living organisms, and key regulatory events that govern these biochemical processes.
• Describe the storage, transmission and expression of genetic information, including key genetic regulatory events.
• Employ oral and written communication skills in the presentation of information in cell and molecular biology.
• Integrate fundamental knowledge of biochemistry and cell and molecular biology to understand and develop experimental approaches for testing hypotheses about biological mechanisms.
• Analyze and interpret quantitative and semi-quantitative data relevant to experimental approaches in cell and molecular biology.

Degree Requirements

Thesis Option

Select four of the following six courses:

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Elective courses may also be selected from other alternatives approved by the Biological Sciences Graduate Programs Committee. A limited number of credit hours of upper-level undergraduate courses may be allowed.

Students pursuing the thesis option must also satisfactorily complete written and oral thesis exams.

Non-Thesis Option

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Elective courses may also be selected from other alternatives approved by the Biological Sciences Graduate Programs Committee. A limited number of credit hours of upper-level undergraduate courses may be allowed.

Emphasis in Bioinformatics

The emphasis in bioinformatics is a degree option with specific requirements.

This degree option trains students in the fundamental principles of bioinformatics and prepares them for careers in research, medical and corporate settings. Students will learn how to manage and analyze data stored in databases, become familiar with the various computational tools and techniques available to analyze biological data, become familiar with the types of questions and problems within biology that lend themselves to bioinformatics analysis and gain proficiency with a variety of statistical techniques necessary to analyze genomic, proteomic and integrated biological data sets.

Emphasis requirements, in addition to the specified degree requirements.

Required Electives