Structural Biology / Biophysics Graduate Degree Requirements

Both the Masters and PhD degree are offered. The Masters is offered as either a research (Plan A) or a coursework (Plan B) degree.

1. Masters Degree
   • Course requirements
     • Background course: MCB 204/301 (undergraduate or graduate biochemistry) or equivalent. Students with insufficient background in biochemistry are encouraged to take MCB 301 (or its equivalent without a lab as MCB 396) during their first semester.
     • MCB 312: Foundations of Structural Biology
     • MCB 313: Structure and Function of Biological Macromolecules
     • Three additional courses from the list below
   • Plan A - 15 total credits and a thesis
   • Plan B - 24 total credits of course work and a final examination. A laboratory course or research credit is highly recommended. For the Plan B Masters, the three core courses plus three other courses from the approved list are required. A total of 24 credits is needed. A written exam for exiting Masters students will be administered by a committee of 3 including the major advisor. Questions are sometimes solicited from other faculty who have had direct interaction with the student. The exam is usually a take home exam tailored for the particular students current or long term interests.
2. PhD Degree
   • Course requirements
     • Background course: MCB 204/301 (undergraduate or graduate biochemistry) or equivalent. Students with insufficient background in biochemistry are encouraged to take MCB 301 (or its equivalent without a lab as MCB 396) during their first semester.
     • MCB 312: Foundations of Structural Biology
     • MCB 313: Structure and Function of Biological Macromolecules
     • Three additional courses from the list below. All courses must be completed with a grade of B or higher. Course requirement may be modified for PhD students entering with a related masters degree. If a B is not obtained, then a written general preliminary exam will be required that will follow the guidelines of the masters exam above.
   • Research Proposal and Oral Exam : PhD students are also required to pass a three part preliminary exam. The committee will consist of the 3 members of the students permanent committee plus two examiners. It is highly recommended that one examiner be from outside the department.
     One member of the committee (not the major advisor) will serve as the chair of the examining committee. It is the job of this person to make sure that the candidate is examined and not the advisor and to generally maintain order and decorum. The exam is intended to be completed within the first 3 years of graduate school. No preliminary data is necessary to write the proposal. If this requirement is not completed within the first 3 years, then it may reflect upon the ability of a student to be considered for TA or demi fellowship funding.
     
     Part 1. The student will prepare an approximately 20 page double spaced research proposal (excluding references) in the general format of an NIH grant proposal. The student will propose a project that will form the basis for their PhD thesis. This will be prepared with some consultation with the major advisor, although the student should actually write the proposal. The written portion will be distributed to the member of the examining committee at least 1 week prior to the exam. The proposal will be evaluated by the committee to determine the student's capability for both scientific content and clarity of writing style.
     
     Part 2. The candidate will present a public seminar describing the proposal and answer general questions from the audience.
     
     Part 3. The candidate will remain after the audience leaves and answer questions about the proposal and other related areas from members of the examining committee and any other faculty who wish to remain.
     
     Each part of this exam will be evaluated independently and the student is expected to pass all three sections. Pass or fail will be determined by a majority vote if there is disagreement. The student may be asked to repeat any or all three parts of the exam.

1. Courses available for the PhD or Masters in Biophysics

MCB 302 Advanced Biochemistry Laboratory (Lab)
MCB 308 Theory of Biophysical Techniques
MCB 311 Enzyme Structure and Function
MCB 312 Foundations of Structural Biology
MCB 313 Structure and Function of Biological Macromolecules
MCB 315: X-ray Structure Analysis
MCB 316: Experiments in Bacterial Genetics (Lab)
MCB 317: Biosynthesis of Nucleic Acids and Proteins
MCB 319: X-ray Diffraction Laboratory
MCB 323 Experiments in Molecular Genetics (Lab)
MCB 325: Structure and function of biological membranes
MCB 335: Protein Folding
MCB 338: Techniques in Structural Biology
MCB 349 Molecular Genetics
MCB 372 Computer Methods in Molecular Evolution
MCB 380- Advanced Cell Biology

All graduate students must follow the rules and regulations of the Graduate School as outlined in the Graduate Catalog in the Standards and Degree Requirements section, and are strongly encouraged to form an Advisory Committee as soon as possible. Upon review of the student's background and academic interests, the Advisory Committee may modify the requirements for obtaining a degree in Structural Biology / Biophysics.