Biological Sciences, Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

The Ph.D. program in Biological Sciences is an interdepartmental umbrella research program that provides opportunities for students to develop scholarly, innovative, and independent work. Courses are designed to strengthen and complement the student's research. An advisory committee helps guide each student in selecting classes and other learning experiences. Students are encouraged to present their research at national and international meetings and to publish in peer reviewed journals. Seminar series featuring prominent scientists expose students to exciting topics and help students develop collaborative contacts.

Advance to Candidacy: In addition to the coursework outlined below, students must pass a qualifying exam.

Post-Candidacy:  All students must complete at least 12 credits of BISI899 Doctoral Dissertation Research and successfully complete and defend an original dissertation. Students will also present that dissertation work in a seminar.

All students must complete the following requirements:

Course Title Credits
Core Requirements
Select three credits of graduate seminar courses3
Select nine credits of advanced coursework9
Select one course in Bioethics3
BISI701Teaching & Professional Development in Biology1
Specialization Requirements
Select one of the following concentrations:4-18
Behavior, Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics (BEES)
Computational Biology, Bioinformatics, and Genomics (CBBG)
Molecular and Cell Biology (MOCB)
Physiological Systesms (PSYS)
Dissertation Research Requirements
BISI899Doctoral Dissertation Research12
Total Credits32-46

Students choose from one of the following concentration options and complete the additional requirements in each:

Behavior, Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics (BEES) 

Course Title Credits
BEES608Seminar in Behavior, Ecology, Evolution and Systematics (BEES608A)1
Approved Statistics course or quantitative course3
Total Credits4

Computational Biology, Bioinformatics, and Genomics (CBBG) 

Course Title Credits
CBMG688Special Topics in Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics (CBMG688Y - Bioinformatics and Genomics)2
CBMG688Special Topics in Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics (CBMG688P - Programming for Biology)2
CBMG699Special Problems in Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics (CBMG699D - Bioinformatics and Computation Biology Seminar Series)2
CBMG688Special Topics in Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics (CBMG688B - Bioethics)1
Electives5
Total Credits12

Molecular and Cell Biology (MOCB)

Course Title Credits
CBMG688Special Topics in Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics (CMBG688D - Cell Biology I: Structure and Function)2
BCHM661Nucleic Acids I2
CBMG688Special Topics in Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics (CMGB688F - Gene Expression)2
CBMG688Special Topics in Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics (CBMG6881 - Genetic Analysis)2
CBMG688Special Topics in Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics (CBMG688B - Bioethics)2
Electives8
Total Credits18

Physiological Systems (PSYS) 

Course Title Credits
Bioethics course3
Graduate Seminar course1-3
Three core graduate level courses2-4
Statistics or quantitative course3
Total Credits9-13