The Department of Molecular and Cell Biology defines a Ph.D. student as one who intends to take the Qualifying Examination and do dissertation research.
All other students are defined as M.S. students.
Master of Science
If you are seeking the Master of Science degree in Molecular and Cell Biology, you must satisfactorily complete a total of at least 36 graduate semester hours including the following core courses: BIOL 5410, BIOL 5420, BIOL 5430, and BIOL 5440.
If you intend to submit a thesis you must, in addition to the core courses specified above, satisfactorily complete another 20 hours of Biology courses, including BIOL 6193 and BIOL 8398. These usually reflect experimental research but may also be based on literature research as determined in a mutual agreement between you and the Supervising Committee. Within these additional 20 hours you must also include a minimum of 6 credit hours of general electives for which a letter grade is assigned. For M.S. thesis students, the maximum number of Pass/Fail credits allowed within the 36 credit hour minimum is 14 semester credit hours.
If you are a non thesis Master's candidate, you must, in addition to the four core courses specified above, satisfactorily complete a minimum of four general elective courses in Biology (for which a letter grade is assigned) for a minimum of 9 credit hours, up to 11 semester credit hours of special electives, and/or, with approval of the Graduate Adviser, other graduate courses. For non-thesis M.S. students, the maximum number of Pass/Fail credits allowed within the 36 credit hour minimum is 11 semester credit hours.
The department also offers courses towards an MS degree in Bioinformatics and Computation Biology and an MS degree in Biotechnology. The department does not offer fiancial aid for Master's students.
Doctor of Philosophy
As a Ph.D. candidate, you must satisfactorily complete a total of at least 90 credit hours beyond the bachelor's degree. Generally, all core courses are mandatory. In special cases the requirement for a core course can be substituted, but only with the permission of the instructor and the graduate advisor, and usually only after examination.
You must include a minimum of four general elective courses in Biology for a minimum of 9 credit hours. After completing core courses BIOL 5410, BIOL 5420, BIOL 5430, BIOL 5440, BIOL 5V50 and BIOL 5V51, and BIOL 6V02 (The Art of Scientific Presentation), you will be evaluated following the Spring semester. The evaluation is based upon performance in the core classes, laboratory rotations, and performance as teaching assistants (if applicable). Once you pass this evaluation you must then pass an oral qualifying examination within three semesters to determine your aptitude for continuation of dissertation research. A dissertation defense will be conducted after the dissertation has been written.
You are required to submit a minimum of one manuscript for publication in an internationally recognized, peer-reviewed scientific journal. There is also a requirement for serving as a teaching assistant for two semesters before graduation.
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Ph.D. |
M.S. thesis |
M.S. non-thesis |
Fall semester core courses: |
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BIOL5410 Biochemistry (4 credits) |
X |
X |
X |
BIOL5420 Molecular Biology (4 credits) |
X |
X |
X |
BIOL5V50 Methods in Molecular Biology I (3 credits) |
X |
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BIOL6193 Colloquium (1 credit) |
X |
X |
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Spring semester core courses: |
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BIOL5430 Macromolecular Physical Chemistry (4 credits) |
X |
X |
X |
BIOL5440 Cell Biology (4 credits) |
X |
X |
X |
BIOL5V51 Methods in Molecular Biology II (3 credits) |
X |
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BIOL6V02 Art of Scientific Presentation (1 credit) |
X |
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May be taken at any time: |
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Elective requirement (graded electives; 4 courses, 9 credit hours minimum) |
X |
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X |
| Elective requirement (graded electives; 6 credit hours minimum) | X |
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Elective requirement (taken as pass/fail) |
X |
X |
X |
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Other requirements: |
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First year evaluation (following completion of core courses) |
X |
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Qualifying Exam (taken the year following successful first year evaluation) |
X |
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Please note that this list represents a summary of course requirements. Consult the current version of the UT Dallas Graduate Catalog for further details.
- Updated: June 4, 2007
