Doctoral Degree Program
Concentration: Biochemistry
In the Biochemistry concentration, research areas include DNA/RNA structure and function, regulation of protein synthesis, and signal transduction. Students admitted to graduate study in the biochemistry concentration will typically have an undergraduate degree in Chemistry or Biochemistry. Students with an undergraduate degree in a related discipline are expected to have the following undergraduate preparation for graduate study – beyond introductory chemistry and a year of organic chemistry, at least one semester of analytical chemistry and one semester of physical chemistry-thermodynamics and kinetics, with appropriate math. Students without that background are expected to take courses to fulfill those requirements as part of their graduate study.
Concentration: Evolution and Behavior
The concentration in Evolution and Behavior is designed to train students in advanced organismal biology with the emphasis on behavioral ecology, evolution, and/or functional morphology. The mission of the program is to create scientists who are broadly trained and uniquely capable of asking questions and solving problems at the interface of these traditionally defined fields. Students admitted to the program should have a basic knowledge of evolution, anatomy, physiology, and/or behavioral ecology. Students will begin by taking core courses providing a broad foundation at the graduate level and will work toward a Ph.D. with a concentration in evolution and behavior. Students will develop an appreciation that all aspects of biology, whether cellular, physiological, anatomical, behavior, evolutionary or social, are inextricably linked and cannot be fully understood as separate, parallel systems of knowledge.
Concentration: Neuroscience
Graduate research in neuroscience includes study at subcellular, synaptic, and systems neurobiology and endocrinology to behavioral levels. The mission of the program is to create scientists who are broadly trained across the disciplines of neuroscience, from genes to cells to circuits to systems and behavior. Students admitted to the program should have a basic knowledge of anatomy, physiology, behavioral neuroscience, cellular neuroscience, and/or systems neuroscience. Students begin by taking core courses that provide a broad foundation at the graduate level and will work toward a Ph.D. with a concentration in neuroscience. Students will develop an appreciation that all aspects of neurobiology, whether cellular, physiological, anatomical or behavioral, are inextricably linked and cannot be fully understood as separate, parallel systems of knowledge.
Concentration: Cell and Molecular Biology
Research areas in the Cell and Molecular Biology concentration include microbial evolution and genetics, plant and animal molecular genetics, developmental biology, eukaryotic cell biology, and regulation of gene expression. Students admitted to this program typically have an undergraduate degree in Biology, Chemistry, Biochemistry, or Molecular Biology. Depending on the student’s undergraduate education, core courses in cellular and molecular biology are first taken, followed by seminar style courses in which journal articles from the current scientific literature are read and discussed. This degree program is ideally suited for individuals seeking biomedical research careers in academia, industry, and government.