Biology Graduate Programs
Doctor of Philosophy in Molecular Biochemistry and Biophysics
A minimum of 84 credit hours of instruction is required for the MBB Ph.D. Students should consult the section "Transfer Credits" for rules on how many credit hours may be transferred from another institution. Completion of an M.S. degree is not normally required for admission to the Ph.D. program. Students must complete the 25 to 27 credit hours of core courses and at least four additional courses from the approved lists.
Each graduate student must take and pass the written Ph.D. qualifying examination in order to enter into candidacy for the doctorate. Each student, in addition, will be required to pass a comprehensive examination (which serves partly as an oral defense of the thesis proposal) taken prior to performing the major portion of the dissertation research, and in any event, prior to the sixth semester of study and at least one year before oral defense of the thesis. The final examination for the Ph.D. degree consists of an oral presentation and defense of the dissertation.
Required Courses
All students will be required to take the following courses, or have equivalent background:
Core Courses
| BIOL 445 | Cell Biology | 3 Credits |
| BIOL 512 | Advanced Biochemistry | 3 Credits |
| BIOL 515 | Molecular Biology | 3 Credits |
| BIOL 550 | Bioinformatics and Biotechnology | 3 Credits |
| BIOL 555 | Macromolecular Structure Determination | 3 Credits |
| BIOL 584 | Graduate Seminar in Biology | 3 Credits |
| BIOL 595 | Colloquium (2 Semesters) | 2 Credits |
| CHEM 538 | Physical Biochemistry | 3 Credits |
Molecular Biochemistry and Biophysics students, in consultation with their academic adviser, choose the remainder of their formal coursework from the following courses:
Genetics and Genetic Engineering
| BIOL 562 | Functional Genomics | 3 Credits |
| BIOL 526 | Developmental Biology | 3 Credits |
Structural Biophysics
| PHYS 561 | Radiation Biophysics | 3 Credits |
| PHYS 570 | Introduction to Synchrotron Radiation | 3 Credits |
| CHEM 505 | Spectroscopic Methods I | 3 Credits |
Biochemistry and Cellular Biophysics
| BIOL 519 | Biochemistry Laboratory | 3 Credits |
| BIOL 533 | Cell and Molecular Biology Laboratory | 3 Credits |
| CHEM 531 | Tactics in Organic Synthesis | 3 Credits |
| CHEM 630 | Special Topics in Organic Chemistry | 3 Credits |
| PHYS 410 | Molecular Biophysics | 3 Credits |
Other courses may be prescribed by the adviser/thesis committee according to the student's individual needs for the program of study. All research for the dissertation must be carried out under the direct supervision of a faculty research adviser who will also act as the candidate's academic adviser.