Cell and Structural Biology

Graduate Degree Program

The graduate curriculum in cell and structural biology is designed to educate students for careers in research and teaching in the biological sciences. Departmental faculty are concerned with the structural and functional relationships of cells and organisms, with research emphases upon eukaryotic cell and molecular biology, neurobiology, developmental biology, and molecular genetics. The department has embarked on a major program to develop research strengths in molecular aspects of developmental, neural, structural, and eukaryotic cell biology to complement existing faculty interests. The program of study leads to the doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.) degree.

Admission

Applications are evaluated on an individual basis. The formal entrance requirement is a minimum grade point average of 3.0 (A = 4.0). International students whose native language is not English are required to have a minimum Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score of 590 on the paper-based test (243 on the computer-based test). Important factors in the evaluation of applications are general academic performance, background in the biological and chemical sciences and mathematics, Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores, and letters of recommendation from college professors. Although applications from qualified students are considered throughout the year, the deadline for submission of applications for fall semester is January 15.

Graduate Teaching Experience

Experience in teaching is considered a vital part of the graduate program and is required as part of the academic work of all Ph.D. candidates in this program.

Doctor of Philosophy in Cell and Structural Biology

In order to complete successfully the doctoral program in Cell and Structural Biology, the student must fulfill requirements in the following categories: coursework, a qualifying examination, a preliminary examination, defense of the thesis, teaching, and departmental seminars. A brochure providing additional information about the program is available upon request.

Facilities

Facilities include modern, well-equipped laboratories for cellular, developmental, genetic, molecular, and structural studies. The University offers exceptional and broadly based research support services. These include the Center for Electron Microscopy, with state-of-the-art instrumentation; the Center for Biotechnology, which includes facilities for molecular cloning, DNA and protein synthesis and sequencing, and transgenic animals; the Cell Science Center, which houses and staffs a hybridoma facility and flow cytometry unit; School of Molecular and Cellular Biology-subsidized shops; and a superb university library system, the third largest in the nation. The University offers outstanding computer services and is home to the National Center for Supercomputing Applications. The Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology combines research in the physical and biological sciences. Opportunities for interaction in the cellular and molecular sciences are also available in many other units within the Schools of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Integrative Biology, and Chemical Sciences and the Colleges of Medicine, Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, and Engineering.

Financial Aid

Financial aid is available to qualified applicants in the form of university fellowships (awarded on a competitive basis), teaching assistantships (awarded by the department), research assistantships, and tuition and fee waivers. Outstanding applicants are nominated for support from the cell and molecular biology, molecular biophysics, or systems and integrative biology training grants.