Biological Sciences — Graduate
Graduate Programs
The Department of Biological Sciences offers:
· Certificate in Advanced Biological Studies
· Certificate in College Teaching
· Certificate in Biotechnology
· Master of Arts — non-thesis
· Master of Science — research thesis
· 3+2 BA/master’s degree (MA or MS)
· PhD research program
Students may specialize in one of these tracks:
· Biochemistry, cell biology and molecular biology
· Ecology, evolution and behavior
Admission
Admission to the graduate program is open to qualified students with a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent in biological sciences or biochemistry. All applicants should submit a complete set of official transcripts, at least two letters of recommendation, a statement of professional interests and goals, and scores for the Graduate Record Examination. For application to the PhD program, applicants should have some undergraduate research experience.
Certificate in Advanced Biological Studies
This certificate is designed for students with a BA or BS who want an additional semester or two of focused advanced studies in biology.
The program is appropriate for students who want to strengthen their preparation for employment or for post-graduate work in the biological sciences or medical or veterinary school. An additional semester or two of coursework and prescribed experiences increases academic training, academic credentials and intellectual maturity. Specifically, the standard courses contribute to greater knowledge of factual material and deeper understanding of concepts. The laboratory, field or internship experience that is a required feature of the program helps students obtain research and/or work-related skills. Some students may prefer to focus their attention on a wide range of biologically related work situations as a step into non-traditional careers. Students may complete the internship off campus before, during or after a semester of regular coursework.
Certificate Requirements
A total of 24 credits are required, including 12 credits of coursework in BIOL 400-484, 500-579, 602-680. At least eight credits must be at the 500 level and above. One course may be taken at the 400 level, provided that it is taken with the regular grading option (not Pass/Fail), that it is approved by the graduate committee, and that the student does additional work beyond that required for undergraduates as specified by the course instructor. No more than two BIOL 680s may be taken for credit for the certificate. No course may be a repetition of work done as an undergraduate. In addition, eight credits of BIOL 585 (Internship) or 597 (Independent Study) are required. Internships and research experience arranged by the students must be approved by the department. The internship or research experience may be spaced out through two semesters or be concentrated in one semester. When doing the internship/research credits, students meet/report once a week through distance learning or other communication arrangements. An overall minimum 3.0 GPA is required.
Admission
Students may already have a BA/BS with a major or minor in biology or biochemistry, or should have completed such a degree upon entering this certificate program. If undergraduate students apply in their senior year, they should have at least 16 credits of biology and 12 credits of chemistry completed. All applicants should have a 3.0 GPA in biology and a 3.0 GPA overall. Official transcripts are required. Two letters of recommendation from people with expertise to evaluate potential for graduate work are required. GRE/MCAT or other standardized test scores are not required. Applicants should provide a statement about their career goals and what they hope to gain from this certificate program (about 250 words). Applicants must indicate on a separate sheet their plan for courses to be taken per semester and their internship plan. If the graduate committee approves the plans, any deviation from the plans requires further approval by the graduate committee. The application materials should be submitted to the Graduate School. Applicants should indicate that they are applying for the Certificate in Advanced Biology Studies.
Certificate in Biotechnology
The certificate in biotechnology is a one-year graduate program designed for students with a BA/BS degree so that they can immerse themselves in matters pertaining to biotechnology and the pharmaceutical sciences. The program is designed to be of interest to students who plan to enter the biotechnology/pharmaceutical field directly, as well as those students interested in the biomedical sciences in general and who desire an additional year of studies so that they can refine their career plans. Students will gain a fundamental understanding of cell and molecular biology while at the same time participate in smaller seminar courses that deal with challenges of the biotechnology industry (Biology 559: Case Histories in Biotechnology and Bioethics). This latter seminar will introduce the students to contemporary issues facing the industry and will include, for instance, detailed dissections and comparisons of successful versus unsuccessful biotechnology ventures. Courses offered through the School of Management will teach students how to develop a business plan, manage the development of new products and control intellectual property and company finances. An optional internship program is also a component of the certificate program and offered if the appropriate arrangement can be established with a host biotechnology company. Thus, students will be exposed to both the management and biology elements critical in a successful biotechnology career.
Admission
Students entering the program should already have a BA/BS with a major or minor in biology, biochemistry, psychobiology, or equivalent. All students requesting admission must have taken BIOL 311 (Cell Biology) or equivalent. If undergraduate students apply in their senior year, they should have at least 16 credits of biology and 12 credits of chemistry completed. All applicants should have a 3.0 GPA in biology and a 3.0 GPA overall. Official transcripts are required for admission. GRE/MCAT or other standardized tests are not required for admission to the biotechnology certificate program. Applicants should provide a statement of their career goals as well as explain their particular interests in the field of biotechnology. Students who request admission must also state which set of courses they plan to take to satisfy the certificate requirements. The graduate committee in the Department of Biological Sciences will review all applications and candidates will be notified about their admission status through the Graduate School.
Certificate/Course Requirements
Courses will be offered through the Department of Biological Sciences and the School of Management. Students select courses as follows:
|
Block A |
(4 credits) |
|
BIOL 559. Case Histories in Biotechnology and Bioethics |
4 cr. |
|
|
|
|
Block B |
(8 credits) |
|
BIOL 505. Functional Genomics and Proteomics |
4 cr. |
|
BIOL 513. Cell and Molecular Biology I |
4 cr. |
|
BIOL 514. Cell and Molecular Biology II |
4 cr. |
|
BIOL 521. Immunology |
4 cr. |
|
BIOL 585. Internship |
4 cr. |
|
|
|
|
Block C |
(4 credits) |
|
FIN 580C. New Venture Financing |
4 cr. |
|
MKT 520. New Product Marketing |
4 cr. |
|
MGMT 581D. Entrepreneurship |
4 cr. |
|
|
|
BIOL 559 (4 credits) is a required course for all biotechnology certificate students. A minimum of two courses (8 credits) must be chosen from Block B that consists of BIOL 505, 513, 514, 521 and 585. Enrollment in BIOL 585 may be limited and will depend on the availability of internships at sponsoring biotechnology companies. BIOL 585 will be limited to a maximum of 4 credits. A minimum of one course (4 credits) is to be selected from Block C that includes FIN 580C, MKT 520 and MGMT 581D.
Optional Internship: Internships (BIOL 585) are keys to future employment. As such, every effort will be made for each student who requests an internship to have such a relationship established. The nature of this internship will be determined based on individual requirements, availability and the location of the sponsoring biotechnology company. It is understood that students enrolling in the biotechnology certificate program cannot necessarily be guaranteed internships given that such opportunities are not controlled by the University. Yet, every effort will be made to place all students who request internships into programs that are consistent with their career goals.
Certificate in College Teaching
Colleges and universities frequently want new faculty to have a demonstrated proficiency in teaching as well as research. This certificate provides tangible evidence of the teaching skills of the graduate student. Students must participate in University-wide teaching workshops, complete required teaching-related activities within the department, demonstrate teaching and presentational skills in a formal setting and prepare a teaching portfolio.
Certificate Requirements
· Attend at least one fall-semester orientation for new teaching assistants;
· Attend 10 hours of University-wide teaching events such as the University Science Education Workshops, Spring Teaching Event and Poster Sessions, and Alliance for Teaching meetings. Other activities, such as being the participating representative from the Department of Biological Sciences to the fall-semester orientation for new teaching assistants, may be substituted at the discretion of the graduate committee.
· Participate as a teaching assistant in at least four semesters of laboratory sections or recitation sessions for biology undergraduate students, with at least one class-observation visit per semester by the faculty instructor who formally evaluates the student’s performance;
· PhD students: Present at least one oral research presentation in the Department of Biological Sciences’ fall symposium. Master’s students: Give at least one oral presentation, either at the departmental symposium or at an organized lunch seminar, e.g. for the EEB or BCMB groups.
· Complete at least two BIOL 680 seminar courses:
o BIOL 680, Survival Kit for Scientists: Part I-Teaching Issues
or
o BIOL 680 Science Education
· Complete at least one course that emphasizes communication skills, such as BIOL 680, How to Write a Grant Proposal, which stresses written and oral expression. Courses that qualify are determined by the graduate committee.
· Submit a teaching portfolio with contents specified by the Department of Biological Sciences and approved by the departmental director of graduate studies.
Admission
This certificate is only for graduate students in the Biological Sciences Department; therefore, no formal admission process is necessary. However, the student must check with the graduate secretary of the department for detailed instructions on how to proceed with fulfilling the requirements for this certificate.
Master of Arts — Non-Thesis Program
The master of arts — non-thesis degree is designed for students who want to expand their knowledge of the biological sciences primarily through coursework. The degree may be completed in one year. Entering students must affiliate with a faculty adviser, form a three-member supervising committee and then begin planning a topic for a major review paper with the supervisory committee.
Degree Requirements
A minimum of 30 semester-credit hours beyond the bachelor’s degree is required for completion of the master of arts — non-thesis degree. A cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or above is required. These credit hours are to be distributed as follows:
1. 24 credit hours of formally structured courses numbered 500 or above (exclusive of BIOL 591, 595, 597, 599 and all MAT/MSEd courses). Four of the credit hours for this requirement may be taken as courses outside of the biological sciences with the approval of the graduate committee.
2. At least two credit hours of BIOL 680 (various topics in biology).
3. At least four credit hours of BIOL 597 (Independent Study). BIOL 597 may be either a library or laboratory research project designed to acquaint the student with the principles of experimental design.
4. Review paper: The student’s faculty adviser assists the student in developing a subject for review. The review proposal must be approved by the student’s supervisory committee. The review may be based on, or actually be, a term paper submitted in fulfilling the requirements of a course. The review is expected to be a thorough review of the appropriate literature in a critical, synthetic manner. The quality and length of the review should be similar to an article that would appear in the Quarterly Review of Biology or Biological Reviews. The student must defend the final version of the review to the supervisory committee. The original copy of the final version of the review (signed by all committee members) is then submitted to the department. No defense seminar is required.
Master of Science — Research Program
The MS degree allows students to expand their background in a particular area of the biological sciences and to gain experience in research. Entering students must affiliate with a professor, form a three-member supervising committee and begin research in the first semester. Soon after formation, the committee meets with the student to establish the nature and scope of the research. The committee meets regularly to assess the student’s progress.
Course Requirements
A minimum of 30 semester-credit hours beyond the bachelor’s degree is required for completion of the MS degree. These credits are distributed as follows:
· 16 to 24 credit hours of courses numbered 500 or above (exclusive of BIOL 585, 591, 599 and all MAT/MSEd courses). A maximum of 12 credit hours of BIOL 597, Independent Study, is allowed.
· Zero to eight credit hours of elective courses outside of the biological sciences. Approval of the departmental graduate committee is required.
· Six credit hours of BIOL 599, Investigations in Biology — Thesis, are required.
Granting of the Degree
The department requires that each candidate for the degree of master of science in biological sciences complete the following additional requirements:
· maintain a 3.0 grade-point average in all graduate credit courses;
· complete a thesis acceptable to the supervising committee;
· pass a final oral examination on the subject matter of the thesis and related biological knowledge;
· present a formal seminar to the department based on the thesis research.
Five-Year BA/Master’s Program (MA or MS)
The program is designed for exceptional Binghamton University students who want to combine BA and a master’s degree in five years. Students in the program receive a BA and a master’s degree at the end of the program. The requirements for completion of the combined BA/master’s degree program are identical to those for completion of the two separate degrees. However, because 12 hours of coursework taken for the master’s degree (500-600 level) also count for the undergraduate degree, students are able to complete the course requirements for the BA in four years and the course requirements for the combined BA/master’s degree in five years. By completing the BA requirements during the first four years, students are assured of the bachelor’s degree if, for any reason, they do not complete the fifth year.
Students are encouraged to declare their interest in the program as soon as possible, preferably in the freshman or sophomore year. A limited number of students are accepted into the program at the end of the junior year. Admission into the program is based on academic performance and sponsorship by a faculty member, who will be the student’s research adviser for the master’s degree.
BA Requirements
The department’s standard requirements apply. In the fourth year, the candidates for the BA/master’s degree take 12 credits of BIOL 500-600 courses, excluding BIOL 599. They should begin their research or non-thesis project and may receive credit by registering for BIOL 597. In the summer of the fourth year, they take BIOL 597/599 (four credits), which means they work on their research or non-thesis project during the summer before their final academic year of study.
Master’s Degree Requirements
· All master’s degree candidates must complete 24 credits of BIOL 500-600, excluding BIOL 599.
· All master’s degree candidates must complete 30 credits for graduation.
· All master’s degree candidates must maintain a GPA of 3.0 or above for graduation.
· The MS degree requires that the candidate complete a research thesis and defend that research to the department. This is a standard master’s research degree format.
· Because the MS degree is a research degree, the MS portion of the BA/MS program requires full-year participation (the fourth summer for research and perhaps the fifth summer to complete the writing and defense).
· The MA degree of a BA/MA program requires completion of a substantial review paper of publishable quality (instead of a thesis), which a supervisory committee must accept.
Admission
Students should formally apply during their junior year. They should have at least 16 credits of BIOL and 16 credits of CHEM completed. They should have a 3.2 GPA in biology and a 3.2 GPA overall. They must provide two letters of recommendation from people who have the expertise to evaluate their potential in a graduate research program. They need to submit a statement (500 or fewer words) indicating why they desire this program. Students must have a faculty sponsor in the department. All requirements of applicants by the Graduate School and department must be met, except that GREs are not required for this program.
After Admission
The student must obtain approval of a proposed program of study from the department’s graduate committee, which includes courses per semester and an outline of the MS research or MA project. The student must maintain a 3.2 GPA in biology during the remainder of the bachelor’s work.
Doctor of Philosophy — Research Program
The Biological Sciences Department is made up of many sub-disciplines, each with its own special requirements. Graduate students entering these sub-disciplines have a variety of backgrounds and future needs. The department recognizes these differences by stressing maximum flexibility for the program of each individual student. This flexible planning is the province of the committee supervising the research program of the graduate student.
The PhD is a research degree. Entering graduate students must affiliate with a professor, form a four-person supervisory committee and begin research in the first semester. Regular meetings with the supervisory committee are required. The major steps leading to the granting of the degree are to:
1. Take the Concentration Examination by the end of the first full year of study (usually late August).
2. Take the Formal Research Proposal Examination by the end of two months into the fourth semester.
3. Submit an approved dissertation prospectus.
4. Submit the dissertation.
5. Give a final oral defense of the dissertation, including a departmental seminar on the research.
Course Requirements
Doctoral students must meet the course requirements of the MS. Beyond that, the number of semester-credit hours required for completion of the PhD is determined for each student by the supervising committee.
Concentration Examination
Completion of the Concentration Examination is the formal entry into the doctoral program. The purpose of the examination is to help the student develop graduate-level expertise in his or her sub-discipline. The examination is written and/or oral, consisting of specialty sections, and is administered over one to three days. The specialty sections are determined by the student’s supervisory committee. The areas of specialty include behavior, biochemistry, cell biology, ecology, endocrinology, evolution, genetics, immunology, microbiology, molecular biology, neurobiology, animal physiology and plant physiology.
At this time, the need for the ability to read and/or speak a foreign language is evaluated. The need for a foreign language varies considerably within the different sub-disciplines of biology. The requirement is therefore flexible (usually one or no foreign language) and is determined by the individual supervising committee.
Formal Research Proposal Examination
The purpose of this examination is to ensure a doctoral level of general research skills (e.g. ability to write a NSF- or NIH-type grant proposal, ability to discuss and defend ideas, competency in review and interpretation of the literature, competency in experimental design). The examination consists of the student submitting a formal research proposal to the student’s supervisory committee and then defending the proposal at a meeting with the committee. The proposal should be in the style of a standard grant proposal to the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health or another federal funding agency with similar proposal requirements.
Dissertation Prospectus
A dissertation prospectus must be submitted within six months following the completion of the Formal Research Proposal Examination. This prospectus is a revised version of the research proposal submitted to the supervising committee for the Research Proposal Examination. The four-member supervising committee must approve the revision in writing. A copy of the approved revision must be submitted to the department. Meetings between the student and supervising committee should continue on a regular basis to allow committee members to monitor the progress of the research.
Final Oral Defense
After the dissertation is submitted, the research must be defended in an oral examination. A five-member committee made up of the supervising professor, the other three members of the supervising committee and an outside examiner appointed by the Graduate School conducts this examination. This examination covers the details, background and implications of the student’s research.
Seminar Requirement
PhD candidates must present a formal seminar to the department based on their research dissertation.
Other Graduate Degrees
Master of arts in teaching (MAT) and master of science in education (MSEd) degree programs in Biology Adolescence Education, Grades 7-12, are available in the School of Education.