Catalog Home > Graduate Catalog > The College of Arts and Sciences > Biological Sciences

Biological Sciences

Major: Biological Sciences
Degree Awarded: Master of Science (MS)
Calendar Type: Quarter
Minimum Required Credits: 45.0
Co-op Option: Available for full-time, on-campus master's-level students
Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code: 26.0101
Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code: 19-1029

About the Program

The Department of Biology offers graduate programs in biological sciences leading to the thesis or non-thesis Master of Science degree. The curricula and research programs are designed to help students achieve success in their degree programs and pursue positions of leadership in their respective fields of research.

The intellectual life of the department relies heavily on the participation, creativity, and the energy of graduate students; therefore the department expects students to be vigorously involved in courses, seminars, journal clubs, research, informal discussions, and departmental functions.

Additional Information

For more information, contact the Department of Biology at 215-895-2624.

Degree Requirements (MS)

Soon after matriculation, the student completes a plan of study with the advisor outlining their specific program. Both thesis and non-thesis options are available. Conducting formal research necessary for the thesis is dependent upon the student finding a faculty member whom will serve as their faculty advisor and supervise a mutually agreed upon research project.

Students registering for an MS with graduate co-op will gain 6 months of work experience in the summer/fall term (year 1/year 2). The Steinbright Career Development Center will provide students with an overview of professionalism, resume writing, and the job search process. Students will not earn academic credit for the co-op but will earn 9.0 non-academic co-op units per term.

Students wishing to pursue PhD candidacy are encouraged to elect the MS with thesis. After all other requirements are completed, the research MS student defends the thesis at a final oral examination.

Program Requirements

Requirements for the MS Curriculum with Thesis
BIO 500	Biochemistry I	3.0
BIO 632	Advanced Cell Biology	3.0
BIO 635	Advanced Genetics and Molecular Biology	3.0
BIO 997	Research in Bioscience	12.0
ENVS 506	Biostatistics	3.0
Bioscience electives		21.0
RCRG 600	An Introduction to the Responsible Conduct of Research	0.0
Total Credits		45.0

Requirements for the Non-Thesis MS with Graduate Co-op
BIO 500	Biochemistry I	3.0
BIO 632	Advanced Cell Biology	3.0
BIO 635	Advanced Genetics and Molecular Biology	3.0
COOP 500	Career Management and Professional Development for Master's Degree Students	1.0
ENVS 506	Biostatistics	3.0
Bioscience electives*		32.0
Total Credits		45.0

Requirements for the Non-thesis MS Curriculum
BIO 500	Biochemistry I	3.0
BIO 632	Advanced Cell Biology	3.0
BIO 635	Advanced Genetics and Molecular Biology	3.0
ENVS 506	Biostatistics	3.0
Bioscience electives ^*		33.0
Total Credits		45.0

*: Non-thesis students may elect to take up to 4.0 credits of BIO 997 Research in Bioscience.

Bioscience Electives Include:
BIO 534	Bioinformatics I	3.0
BIO 535	Bioinformatics II	3.0
BIO 610	Biochemistry of Metabolism	3.0
BIO 613	Genomics	3.0
BIO 614	Behavioral Genetics	3.0
BIO 615	Proteins	3.0
BIO 616	Biochemistry of Major Diseases	3.0
BIO 620	Biomembranes	3.0
BIO 630	Cell Biology of Disease	3.0
BIO 644	Human Genetics	3.0
BIO 646	Stem Cell Research	3.0
BIO 650	Virology	3.0
BIO 661	Neurobiology of Autism Disorders	3.0
BIO 662	Biology of Neuron Function	3.0
BIO 663	Molecular Mechanisms of Neurodegeneration	3.0
BIO 664	Neurobiology of Disease	3.0
BIO 701	Bioscience Grant Writing	3.0
BIO 740	Readings and Critical Thinking in Biology	3.0

Sample Plan of Study (MS)

Thesis - MS Sample Plan of Study

First Year
Fall	Credits	Winter	Credits	Spring	Credits	Summer	Credits
BIO 500	3.0	BIO 635	3.0	BIO 632	3.0	VACATION
Bioscience electives	6.0	BIO 997 (OR Bioscience Electives)	6.0	ENVS 506	3.0
		RCRG 600	0.0	Bioscience elective or Research	3.0
	9		9		9		0
Second Year
Fall	Credits	Winter	Credits
BIO 997	3.0	BIO 997	3.0
Bioscience electives	6.0	Bioscience electives	6.0
	9		9
Total Credits 45

Non-Thesis with Graduate Co-op - MS Sample Plan of Study

First Year
Fall	Credits	Winter	Credits	Spring	Credits	Summer	Credits
BIO 500	3.0	BIO 635	3.0	BIO 632	3.0	COOP EXPERIENCE
COOP 500	1.0	Bioscience electives	6.0	ENVS 506	3.0
Bioscience electives	6.0			Bioscience elective	3.0
	10		9		9		0
Second Year
Fall	Credits	Winter	Credits	Spring	Credits
COOP EXPERIENCE		Bioscience electives	9.0	Bioscience electives	8.0
	0		9		8
Total Credits 45

Non-Thesis - MS Sample Plan of Study

First Year
Fall	Credits	Winter	Credits	Spring	Credits	Summer	Credits
BIO 500	3.0	BIO 635	3.0	BIO 632	3.0	VACATION
Bioscience electives	6.0	Bioscience electives	6.0	ENVS 506	3.0
				Bioscience elective	3.0
	9		9		9		0
Second Year
Fall	Credits	Winter	Credits
Bioscience electives	9.0	Bioscience electives	9.0
	9		9
Total Credits 45

Biological Sciences Faculty

Shivanthi Anandan, PhD (University of California, Los Angeles) Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education. Associate Professor. Microbial genetics, in particular the analysis of light-regulated signal transduction pathways and the regulation of gene expression in photosynthesizing organisms.

John R. Bethea, PhD (University of Alabama at Birmingham). Professor. Neuroscience and immunology.

Valerie Bracchi-Ricard, PhD (University Joseph Fourier, Grenoble, France). Research Assistant Professor. Role of TNF and TNF receptors in neuroinflammation and remyelination following spinal cord injury.

Laura Duwel, PhD (University of Cincinnati) Assistant Department Head, Department of Biology. Teaching Professor. Immunology and microbiology.

Felice Elefant, PhD (Temple University) Director of the Biology Graduate Program. Professor. Understanding the roles of two classes of chromatin regulatory proteins termed histone acetyltransferases(HATs)and histone de-methylases.

Denise Garcia, PhD (UCLA). Associate Professor. Neuroscience, the role of astrocytes in the central nervous system.

Tali Gidalevitz, PhD (University of Chicago). Associate Professor. Genetic and molecular pathways regulating protein folding homeostasis, and their role in protein conformation diseases, aging, and development.

Mary Katherine Gonder, PhD (The City University of New York) Department Head, Director, Bioko Biodiversity Protection Program Co-Founder, Central African Biodiversity Alliance. Professor. Deciphering spatial patterns of biodiversity across the Gulf of Guinea and Congo Basin region; Conservation measures to mitigate the effects of habitat loss and climate change in western equatorial Africa.

Meshagae Hunte-Brown, PhD (Drexel University). Teaching Professor. Stable isotopes in aquatic food webs, ecosystem ecology, STEM education.

Kari Lenhart, PhD (Princeton University). Assistant Professor. Coordination of stem cell behavior and regulation of stem cell cytokinesis in the young and aged niche.

Robert Loudon, PhD (Thomas Jefferson University). Associate Teaching Professor. Rho GTPases, regulation of actin cytoskeleton, Regulation of G protein-coupled receptors by receptor kinases and arrestins.

Michael O'Connor, MD, PhD (MD, Johns Hopkins University; PhD, Colorado State). Professor. Biophysical and physiological ecology, thermoregulation of vertebrates, ecological modeling.

Sean O'Donnell, PhD (University of Wisconsin-Madison). Professor. Climate ecology, focusing on geographic variation and species differences in thermal physiology; Behavior and ecology of army ant/bird interactions; Neurobiology, focusing on brain plasticity and brain evolution in social insects.

Ryan Petrie, PhD (McGill University). Assistant Professor. Mechanisms of cell movement through three-dimensional extracellular matrix.

Jerome Ricard, PhD (University Joseph Fourier, Grenoble, France). Research Assistant Professor. Inflammation and cell death after spinal cord injury. Regulation of cell death by Eph receptors.

Jacob Russell, PhD (University of Arizona). Professor. Microbiomes and metagenomics; ecology and evolution of symbiosis.

Nianli Sang, MB, PhD (M.B., Fudan University Shanghai Medical College; Ph.D., Thomas Jefferson University) Co-Director of the Cell Imaging Center. Associate Professor. Molecular and cellular biology of cancer; posttranslational modification, folding and quality control of proteins and their implication in cell physiology and human diseases.

Aleister Saunders, PhD (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill) Executive Vice Provost for Research, Director of the RNAi Resource Center. Professor. Identification and characterization of genes and proteins involved in Alzheimer's disease.

Kevin P.W. Smith, PhD (Drexel University). Associate Teaching Professor. Linking behavioral ecology and organismal diversity, neonate behavior in herpetological models, STEM education.

Elias T. Spiliotis, PhD (The Johns Hopkins University) Co-Director of the Cell Imaging Center . Associate Professor. Cell polarity and cell division: regulation of cytoskeleton-dependent motility.

Jennifer Stanford, PhD (Harvard University). Associate Professor. Evaluating and improving approaches to teach STEM content in higher education environments to promote student learning, engagement in STEM courses, and STEM student retention.

Monica M. Togna, PhD (New Jersey Institute of Technology). Assistant Teaching Professor. Examination of the structure and function of living organisms from the cellular to the organismal level in order to better understand common physiological processes.

Emeritus Faculty

Joseph Bentz, PhD (State University of New York [SUNY] at Buffalo). Professor Emeritus. Biophysics, biochemistry and biopharmaceutics, focused on the molecular basis of biological membrane transport and fusion.

Cecilie Goodrich, PhD (Harvard University). Professor Emeritus. Neuroscience and systems physiology, postnatal maturation of physiology and behavior in relation to brain immunocytochemistry.

Donna Murasko, PhD (Penn State Hershey Medical Center) Dean Emeritus. Professor. The effects of aging on the adaptive immune response to influenza virus and retrovirus latency and reactivation.

LEARN MORE