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The Department of Biological Sciences offers graduate training for professional careers in both applied and fundamental areas of biology.
Programs are available leading to the degrees of Master of Arts in Teaching, Master of Science, Graduate Certificate in Bioinformatics, Proteomics/Genomics;
, and Doctor of Philosophy.
Major areas of concentration include molecular biology, microbiology, cell biology, development, genetics, physiology, neurobiology, behavior,
ecology, conservation biology and evolution.
Students may pursue the Master of Science (M.S.) degree under one of two plans, usually completed in 2 years.
Plan I: Plan I is a thesis option recommended for students who intend to continue on to a Ph.D.
program or students who want to pursue careers involving biological research. Students must complete at least 30 semester hours of graduate credit,
including 10 credits of formal coursework (3-4 courses) and three to six hours of BIOL 699. Students select a advisor from the Graduate Faculty and
2 additional faculty (one of which must also be in Biological Sciences) for their committee. The composition of the committee is subject to approval
by the Biological Sciences Graduate Committee. The student's course of study is designed, with the advice of the student's committee, to meet the
student's particular needs and interests.
Candidates must complete an original research program, defend a proposal and a write and defend a thesis. Research is carried out with the help
and supervision of a graduate faculty advisor. The final oral examination covers both the contents of the thesis and general biological knowledge.
Plan II: Plan II is a non-thesis plan designed to meet the needs of students whose career goals do not
require a research-oriented course of study. Candidates are required to complete 34 semester hours of graduate credit including 10 credits of formal
coursework (3-4 courses) and one hour of BIOL 602. Students select a advisor from the Graduate Faculty and 2 additional faculty (one of which must
also be in Biological Sciences) for their committee. The composition of the committee is subject to approval by the Biological Sciences Graduate Committee.
The student's course of study is designed, with the advice of the student's committee, to meet the student's particular needs and interests.
In lieu of a thesis, students must complete both a paper based on either original research or a literature search and a comprehensive written
examination. The final oral examination covers
the student's written work as well as general biological knowledge.
Students must complete at least 60 semester hours of graduate credit beyond the master's degree or 90 semester hours beyond the bachelor's
degree (usually completed in 4 years). These hours must include 10 hours of formal coursework and at least 16 hours of BIOL 799, Dissertation Research
(no more than 30 are applicable
to the degree). Students select a advisor from the Graduate Faculty and
3 additional faculty (two of which must also be in Biological Sciences) for their committee. An additional committee member is appointed by the Graduate College
at the time of the Preliminary Examination. The composition of the committee is subject to approval
by the Biological Sciences Graduate Committee. The student's course of study is designed, with the advice of the student's committee, to meet the
student's particular needs and interests.
Students must complete a preliminary written and oral examination covering general biological knowledge, usually by the end of the second year
of study. Students successfully completing this examination and defending a proposal (within 6 months of the Prelims) are considered to be candidates for the Ph.D. degree.
Candidates must complete an independent research project acceptable to their doctoral committee. This research project is to be described and
evaluated in the dissertation. The final oral examination consists of a defense of the dissertation and may cover related fields of study. Doctoral students are also expected to have at least one
manuscript submitted, accepted, or published before graduation.
Bioinformatics, proteomics, and genomics (BPG) have transformed biological research. The health of our research and educational programs as well as progress in biology, chemistry, mathematics,
computer science, and related fields, depends on incorporating these tools. To address the need for training in these new disciplines, an interdisciplinary team of professors from BGSU and the University
of Toledo now offer a comprehensive set of four BPG courses. These courses are designed for graduate students from a variety of backgrounds. Courses may be taken individually and a Certificate
will be awarded on completion of all four courses (12 semester hours). Students participate in classes through internet-based videoconferencing and computer lab sessions at one of the institutions.
The four courses are:
- Fundamentals of Bioinformatics and Proteomics/Genomics
- Statistical Methods in Bioinformatics
- Introduction to Bioinformatic Computation
- Applications of Bioinformatics and Proteomics/Genomics
Students may enroll in only a certificate program, or may complete a certificate in conjunction with a graduate degree at BGSU. Certificate program applicants should
hold an undergraduate degree prior to application to a certificate program.
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