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2015-2016 Undergraduate & Graduate Catalog

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Combined Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Cell and Molecular Biology

Qualified undergraduates may be admitted to an accelerated bachelor's/master's program and obtain both a B.S. and an M.S. in cell and molecular biology within an accelerated time frame. Students admitted to this program may take graduate courses after completing 90 undergraduate credits, and up to 12 credits of graduate work may be used in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the undergraduate degree (in alignment with university policy, a maximum of 12 credit hours of graduate work will count toward both the graduate and undergraduate degrees). If students earn at least a grade of "B" in each of these classes, they are granted advanced standing in the master's program and must then complete an additional 23 credits to receive the master's degree. All other master's degree requirements must be met, including an internship and the graduate Capstone. After completing 120 credits and all requirements for the bachelor's degree, students are awarded a bachelor's degree. A minimum of 23 graduate credits must be completed after the 120 credits for the bachelor's degree are completed (the M.S. program requires 35 hours).

Students with an overall GPA of at least 3.25 may apply to the combined bachelor's/master's program after:

  • Completion of the lower division core requirements: BIO 120, 375, 376; CHM 115, 116, 241, 242; MTH 125; CMB 250;
  • 75 hours of academic credit have been completed or are in progress;
  • Completion or registration for CMB 499 or CMB 490.

Application Procedure

Students will normally apply directly to the department of Cell and Molecular Biology for the combined B.S./M.S. program during their third academic year.

  • Application requirements include:
  • GPA of 3.25 or greater
  • Completion of the nine core courses listed previously with a grade of at least "B" in 5 of the 9 courses and no less than a "C+" in any of the 9 courses.
  • Two letters of recommendation
  • Academic transcripts (unofficial transcripts are OK)
  • Letter of intent
  • CV

All students who submit complete applications will be interviewed by 2-3 faculty members. Admission decisions will be made by a departmental admissions committee based on the student's previous academic success in CMB, as indicated by GPA and grades in the core CMB curriculum, as well as potential success in the graduate program, as indicated by the letters of recommendation, the student's letter of intent and the interview. Decisions will normally be communicated to students within four weeks of submitting a complete application to the combined degree program in CMB.

Requirements During Undergraduate Studies (first 8 semesters)

All university requirements, including general education courses, must be completed before the final (graduate) year of the combined B.S./M.S. program. In the final undergraduate year, students will take 12 - 15 credits of graduate-level courses. If any courses are dual-listed, students in the accelerated B.S./M.S. program must complete all assignments expected of graduate students and they will be evaluated in the same way as graduate students.

  • Students will earn 12 graduate credits during their undergraduate program.
  • Students will be considered undergraduates for tuition, academic requirements and financial aid purposes until all requirements for the undergraduate degree are completed. Following this they will be considered graduate students, will pay graduate tuition, and will be eligible for graduate financial aid.
  • At least 3 credits of independent research (CMB 499) or internship (CMB 490), as well as the undergraduate capstone course, will be required during the undergraduate part of the program.

Requirements During Graduate Studies

After successful completion of their undergraduate program, students will be eligible to take the second year of the M.S. in CMB curriculum. At this point students will be treated as graduate students for purposes of tuition and fees, financial aid, etc.

  • Students must complete an internship (or research). This could be completed during the summer immediately following the undergrad program or during the graduate year.

Graduation Without Completion of the Program

If a student decides at some point to pursue only the undergraduate portion of the combined degree, the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology will still recognize the graduate courses taken in lieu of undergraduate courses. Credit from the undergraduate degree cannot be used toward a graduate degree at a later date.

Suggested Curriculum Sequence:

Fall Year One

Winter Year One
BIO 120 - General Biology I (4 credits) 4 cr CHM 116 - Principles of Chemistry II (5 credits) 5 cr
CHM 115 - Principles of Chemistry I (4 credits) 5 cr MTH 123 - Trigonometry (3 credits) 3 cr
MTH 122 - College Algebra (3 credits) 3 cr STA 215 - Introductory Applied Statistics (3 credits) 3 cr
Elective/General Education 3 cr Elective/General Education 3 cr
Total 15 cr
Total 14 cr

Fall Year Two

Winter Year Two

BIO 375 - Genetics (3 credits) 3 cr Micro (or CMB elective) 4 cr
BIO 376 - Genetics Laboratory (1 credit) 1 cr PHY 220 - General Physics I (5 credits) 5 cr
CMB 250 - Introduction to Biotechnology (3 credits) 4 cr CHM 242 - Organic Chemistry For Life Sciences II (4 credits) 4 cr
CHM 241 - Organic Chemistry For Life Sciences I (5 credits) 4 cr Elective/General Education 3 cr
MTH 125 - Survey of Calculus (3 credits) 3 cr
Total 15 cr Total 16 cr

Fall Year Three

Winter Year Three

CHM 461 - Biochemistry I (4 credits) 4 cr CHM 462 - Techniques in Biochemistry (3 credits) 3 cr
PHY 221 - General Physics II (5 credits) 5 cr CMB 405 - Cell and Molecular Biology (4 credits) 4 cr
CMB 351 - Bioinformatics: Tools and Techniques for Life Scientists (3 credits) 3 cr CMB 406 - Cell and Molecular Biology Laboratory (2 credits) 2 cr
Elective/General Education 3 cr CMB 499 - Research in Cell and Molecular Biology (1 to 3 credits) 3 cr
Elective/General Education 3 cr
Total 15 cr Total 15 cr

Fall Year Four

Winter Year Four

CMB 626 - Advanced Nucleic Acids Laboratory (3 credits) 3 cr CMB 506 - Advanced Molecular Biology (3 credits) 3 cr
CMB 610 - Foundations of Biotechnology (3 credits) 3 cr CMB 495 - Perspectives in Cell and Molecular Biology (3 credits) 3 cr
CMB 501 - Scientific Communication for the Life Sciences and Professional Science Masters (3 credits) 3 cr CMB 552 - Advanced Computational Biology (3 credits) 3 cr
Elective/General Education 3 cr Elective/General Education 3 cr
Elective/General Education 3 cr Elective 3 cr
Total 15 cr Total 15 cr

Summer Year Four

PSM 691 - Internship (1 to 9 credits) 4 cr
Total 4 cr

Fall Year Five

Winter Year Five

CMB 505 - Advanced Cell Biology (3 credits) 3 cr CMB 620 - Cell and Tissue Culture (2 credits) 2 cr
CIS 661 - Introduction to Medical and Bioinformatics (3 credits) 3 cr CMB 697 - Colloquium in Biotechnology (2 credits) (graduate Capstone) 3 cr
PSM 650 - Ethics and Professionalism in Applied Science (3 credits) 3 cr STA 622 - Statistical Methods for Biologists (3 credits) 3 cr
PSM 662 - Seminar in Professional Science Practice (2 credits) 2 cr
Total 11 cr Total 8 cr
Total Credits 143

Note that all undergraduate general education requirements will be fulfilled.

Undergraduate credits that count toward B.S. 105
Graduate Credits that count toward B.S. 3
Graduate Credits that count toward B.S. and M.S. 12
Graduate Credits that count toward M.S. 23
Undergraduate courses 105 credits
Graduate courses 38 credits

Click here for the program description.



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