GRADUATE STUDY IN BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES

Department of Developmental and Cell Biology

Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry

Department of Neurobiology and Behavior

Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology

Department of Biological Chemistry

Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Department of Physiology and Biophysics

Interdisciplinary Graduate Programs

The School of Biological Sciences offers graduate study in a wide variety of fields ranging across the spectrum of the biological sciences. The four Departments of the School of Biological Sciences (Developmental and Cell Biology, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, and Neurobiology and Behavior) and five basic science Departments of the School of Medicine (Anatomy and Neurobiology, Biological Chemistry, Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, and Physiology and Biophysics), representing respective concentrations of study under the Ph.D. degree in Biological Sciences, cooperate in the conduct of graduate education administered by the School of Biological Sciences. Although students are admitted to the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree program, the Master of Science (M.S.) degree may be earned in pursuit of the Ph.D. Additionally, a master's program in Biotechnology (M.S. degree in Biological Sciences) and a master's program in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (M.S. degree in Biological Sciences) are offered. Each department has a graduate advisor whom students may consult in regard to the technical details of the individual programs.

Applications for admission to graduate study are evaluated by the department or program to which the student has applied on the basis of letters of recommendation, Graduate Record Examination scores, grades, research experience, and other relevant qualifications of the applicant. Candidates for graduate admission are urged to consult the particular department or program whose faculty and expertise best fit their interests and background.

MASTER OF SCIENCE AND DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN THE BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES

While both the Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy programs are offered, emphasis at the graduate level is on the Ph.D. programs, with the exception of the master's programs in Biotechnology and in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Most training takes place within one of the departments, although full facilities and curricular offerings are available to all graduate students in all departments of the Biological Sciences. Interdisciplinary study and research are encouraged.

Students are expected to maintain a B average at all times. The normative time to degree for the master's degree is two years, and five years for the doctoral degree. A master's degree, however, is not a prerequisite for the Ph.D. degree.

During the first part of the initial year of graduate work, the student plans an academic program in consultation with the graduate advisor or a faculty committee. Faculty advisors may be changed to meet the needs and interests of the student. In addition, it is possible for students to transfer to another program in the School, subject to the approval of the Dean of Graduate Studies, and acceptance into that program. Students are encouraged to consult with faculty members with regard to their research and academic interests.

During their graduate training all doctoral students are required to serve some time as a teaching assistant under the direction of laboratory coordinators or faculty. Advanced graduate students may work closely with faculty in the planning and execution of the teaching program. The amount and exact nature of the teaching experience varies with the department.

Master of Science

Depending upon the program, there are two plans by which a Master of Science degree may be obtained.

Plan I: Thesis Plan. The student completes seven upper-division and graduate courses including a minimum of five non-research courses. The student then presents a thesis based upon research done while in the School.

Plan II: Comprehensive Examination Plan. The student completes a minimum of nine upper-division and graduate courses. At least six must be graduate courses (numbered 200-299) in the student's field of specialization. This program is terminated with a comprehensive final examination.

Doctor of Philosophy

Comprehensive Examination-First Year. The student attains this level by completing oral or written examinations at the discretion of the department. The examination is generally taken at the end of the first year of graduate study.

Advancement to Candidacy. The advancement to candidacy examination is taken in the third year of graduate study. The student is expected to have identified an important and tractable dissertation research topic. A committee for the purpose of administering this examination is appointed by the School, on behalf of the Dean of Graduate Studies and the Graduate Council.

Once this examination is completed, the student is advanced to candidacy for the degree and is considered to have formally begun dissertation research. The student submits a dissertation on this research and defends it at an oral examination during the final year of graduate study. The normative time for completion of the Ph.D. is five years, and the maximum time permitted is seven years.

Graduate student status or consent of instructor is a prerequisite for all 200-299 courses.

Master of Science with a Concentration in Biotechnology

Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry
3205 McGaugh Hall; (949) 824-6034
E-mail: biotech@uci.edu
World Wide Web: http://www.bio.uci.edu/
Thomas E. Lane, Director

The field of biotechnology has developed explosively since the discovery of gene cloning and sequencing methods in the mid-1970s. The field is now represented by many active and successful companies who share an intense demand for well-trained people with up-to-date research skills in the manipulation of nucleic acids, proteins, immunological reagents, and pathogenic organisms. The program in Biotechnology features two tracks leading to an M.S. degree in Biological Sciences. The first is the traditional program, and the second, which takes advantage of a defined area of campus research strength, provides an emphasis in stem cell biology. Both tracks incorporate extensive training from both teaching laboratories and actual research settings (individual faculty laboratories). Focus is placed on techniques relevant to industry and seminar exposure to the nature of industry. It is designed to train students to enter the field of biotechnology as skilled laboratory practitioners. Emphasis is placed on learning state-of-the-art technology in protein isolation and characterization, animal and microbial cell culture, virology, immunology, and/or stem cell biology. Students are trained in experimental rationales for solving actual research problems and are encouraged to take summer internships in industry between the first and second year of their studies.

The Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry evaluates applicants to the program on the basis of grades, letters of recommendation, GRE scores, and other relevant qualifications. Applicants should have successfully completed a B.S. degree or equivalent. Courses should include general chemistry with laboratory, calculus, physics, organic chemistry, genetics, biochemistry, molecular biology, microbiology, immunology, and virology, as well as laboratory courses in biochemistry, molecular biology, microbiology, and either animal virology or immunology. Enrollment in the stem cell biology emphasis is limited to eight continuing students per year. Biotechnology graduate students interested in this track apply for admission during the winter quarter of their first year in the program.

The traditional track emphasizes training in laboratory and research environments. First-year students are required to enroll in a series of laboratory courses (Molecular Biology and Biochemistry 221L, 224L, 250L, and 251L) that are designed to teach them techniques in recombinant DNA methodology, protein isolation and characterization, animal and microbial cell culture, immunology, and virology. In addition, students are trained rigorously in data recording and presentation as the laboratory notebooks are reviewed and graded by laboratory course instructors. Students are taught formal course work in nucleic acids, proteins, genetic engineering, and molecular/cellular biology. Emphasis during the second year is devoted exclusively to research projects in faculty laboratories, with the exception of one required elective course each quarter (e.g., Developmental and Cell Biology 210, 231B, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry 206, 207). The program is terminated at the end of the second year.

Students enrolled in the stem cell biology emphasis take the same number of laboratory and lecture courses as those in the traditional track. However, in the spring quarter of their first year they must enroll in the stem cell laboratory (taught at the Stem Cell Research Core Facility), and their electives must include the Stem Cell Policy, Clinical Aspects of Stem Cell Biology, and Stem Cell Biology courses. In addition, their individual research must be conducted in the laboratory of a faculty member utilizing stem cells.

While the Biotechnology program is designed to produce skilled laboratory practitioners for industrial positions, some students may wish to continue in a Ph.D. degree program. The Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry is a member of the interdisciplinary graduate program in Molecular Biology, Genetics, and Biochemistry, a program which offers the Ph.D. degree in Biological Sciences. Biotechnology program students who wish to enter the interdisciplinary graduate program upon completion of the M.S. degree should apply for admission during their second year.

INTERDISCIPLINARY GRADUATE PROGRAMS

The School is structured in a manner that encourages an interdisciplinary approach to scientific problems. Interaction and cooperative efforts across traditional institutional boundaries are especially evident in the School's participation in various organized research units (described in the previous Office of Research section) and in the interdepartmental/interschool graduate programs described below.

Graduate Program in Molecular Biology, Genetics, and Biochemistry

4141 Natural Sciences II; (949) 824-8145
E-mail: gp-mbgb@uci.edu
World Wide Web: http://www.bio.uci.edu/academic/grad/mbgb.html
Andre J. Ouellette, Director

The combined graduate program in Molecular Biology, Genetics, and Biochemistry (MBGB) provides the first year of instruction for graduate students entering Ph.D. programs in seven departments of the School of Biological Sciences and the School of Medicine. It provides four didactic courses in the key areas of Protein Structure and Function, Structure and Biosynthesis of Nucleic Acids, Cell Biology or Neurobiology, and Genetics. During the first year the students also undertake introductory research in at least two laboratories. The year culminates in a comprehensive preliminary examination and evaluation.

By the beginning of the second year the student identifies a research advisor from over 100 faculty from the participating departments of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Biological Chemistry, Developmental and Cell Biology, Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, and Physiology and Biophysics. Each faculty member's area of research is described at the beginning of the departmental sections on the following pages. Regular teaching of undergraduates is part of graduate student training, at least in the first and second years of study. During the second year and beyond, students participate in the journal club and seminar series of the department in which they have elected to carry out their dissertation work, as specified by the departmental requirements. The normative time for completion of the Ph.D. is five years, and the maximum time permitted is seven years. Further information is available in the Catalogue sections of the participating departments and through the MBGB program office.

Applicants should have significant laboratory experience and be well prepared in calculus, physics, organic chemistry, and biochemistry.

Graduate Program in Mathematical and Computational Biology

4213 McGaugh Hall; (949) 824-7927
E-mail: adetsch@uci.edu
World Wide Web: http://mcsb.bio.uci.edu/
Frederic Y.M. Wan, Director

The graduate program in Mathematical and Computational Biology (MCB) is a one-year program designed to function in concert with existing departmental programs. Students who successfully complete the MCB program select a thesis advisor from among the participating faculty and then automatically join a departmental program for the remainder of their Ph.D. training. In this way, the MCB serves not as a degree-granting program, but as a "gateway" toward a Ph.D. degree in an existing degree program.

The MCB program provides students with an opportunity for a broad introductory training in mathematical and computational biology, individualized faculty counseling on curricular needs, and exposure to a large and diverse group of faculty and research projects in participating departments of the program. Member departments include Biomedical Engineering, Developmental and Cell Biology, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Mathematics, Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, and Molecular Biology and Biochemistry. (Other actively participating departments are Chemistry, Computer Science, and Physics; admission to these departments via MCB is currently under review.)

The MCB curriculum is designed to teach students at the beginning of their graduate studies the necessary mathematical, computational, and biological knowledge for successful research at the interface between these disciplines. The needs of students with a variety of backgrounds can be met provided that they have had mathematical training comparable to a standard one-year university-level calculus course and a lower-division university course in elementary differential equations and linear algebra. Exceptional students not meeting these prerequisites may be admitted to the program on the condition that they fulfill these requirements during the first fall quarter of their graduate study or the summer preceding, and pass with a grade of B or better.

All first-year students normally take six four-unit MCB core courses, three quarters in mathematical and computational methods for biology and three in biological sciences. Research laboratory rotations constitute an important component of the first-year training program, providing students with intensive introductions to experimental design and quantitative data analysis as well as familiarizing them with available research opportunities. Students are expected to conduct three rotations in different labs prior to choosing a thesis advisor. Because of the interdisciplinary nature of the MCB program and the diversity of the enrolled students, MCB students are expected to become familiar with both "wet" experimental biology labs as well as with mathematical/computational laboratories.

At the end of the first year, each student will choose a primary thesis advisor from among the participating faculty of the member departments, and will enroll in a departmental Ph.D. program with which the thesis advisor is affiliated. To ensure interdisciplinarity of the thesis project, students who complete the MCB program choose a secondary thesis advisor from a department complementary to the primary thesis advisor's department. Although completion of the Ph.D. will be subject to the degree requirements of the departmental Ph.D. program in which the student enrolls, participating departments have agreed to accept both the course work and research conducted during the MCB gateway year in partial fulfillment of such requirements. The degree to which this is applicable varies. Students must consult with the department of choice for more specific information.

Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program

4145 Natural Sciences II; (949) 824-6226
E-mail: gp-inp@uci.edu
World Wide Web: http://www.inp.uci.edu
Frank LaFerla, Director

The Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program (INP) is a first-year graduate program that brings together more than 70 faculty from the Schools of Biological Sciences, Medicine, and Social Sciences, including participation from the Departments of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Cognitive Sciences, Developmental and Cell Biology, Neurobiology and Behavior, and Pharmacology. INP faculty have broad research interests in behavioral neuroscience, brain aging, developmental neurobiology, genetics, learning and memory, molecular neurobiology, neural injury/disorders/repair, neuropharmacology, plasticity, and sensation and perception. Neuroscience as a discipline requires scientists to have a detailed understanding of at least one field, and a broad understanding of many other fields. INP provides breadth early on, followed by specialization in years two through five of predoctoral training.

INP organizes and coordinates a core curriculum that provides a foundation in Neuroscience; this forms the basis of future specialized instruction in a participating departmental degree-granting program. This curriculum includes course work and laboratory rotations. Each trainee is assigned a Student Advisory Committee, consisting of three participating faculty members, to assist trainees in tailoring an appropriate course of study based on academic background, interests, and research foci. After successfully completing the core curriculum, students select an advisor from the participating faculty and then are guaranteed automatic admission to the Ph.D.-granting program in their advisor's home department. In this way, INP serves not as a degree-granting program, but as a "gateway" to further graduate training. Students are required to meet all doctoral degree requirements associated with the thesis advisor's department or program.

In particular, the program will provide trainees an opportunity: (1) to begin training in Neuroscience with a broad academic introduction, (2) to receive individualized attention to curricular needs, (3) to conduct initial research projects with a large and diverse group of faculty in a wide variety of departments, and (4) to conduct dissertation research in any of a large and diverse group of laboratories in a wide variety of departments.

In the first year of study, students must successfully complete one course from each of the molecular, systems, and cellular neuroscience categories. All trainees also participate every quarter in a two-unit course called Foundations of Neuroscience. This mandatory course meets in the fall, winter, and spring quarters and is intended to expose students to critical reading and analysis of the primary literature. Grades are assigned on a Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory only scale. Students are encouraged to carry out three laboratory rotations of 10 weeks each. With permission from their Advisory Committee, students may carry out fewer rotations. Rotations are graded on a Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory only scale. Trainees are judged as having successfully completed the program provided that they have: (1) achieved at least a B⁺ (3.3) average in the core courses, (2) achieved a satisfactory grade in each quarter of Foundations of Neuroscience, (3) achieved satisfactory grades in all rotations, and (4) identified a participating faculty member who has agreed to serve as their thesis advisor.

The ideal INP candidate will have had a substantial subset of the following courses: biology, chemistry, physics, calculus, neuroscience, psychology, biochemistry, and genetics. Preference will be given to applicants who have had laboratory research experience.

Graduate Program in Protein Engineering

4141 Natural Sceinces II: (949) 824-8145
E-mail: protengr@uci.edu
World Wide Web: http://www.bio.uci.edu/
Andre J. Ouellette, Director

Faculty

Dana W. Aswad: Regulation of protein function by covalent modification

Ralph A. Bradshaw: Growth factor action; signal transduction; protein processing

Richard Chamberlin: Site-directed mutagenesis with non-natural amino acids

Charles G. Glabe: Amyloid Aβ peptide in Alzheimer's pathogenesis; gamete recognition

Agnes H. Henschen-Edman: Protein structure, function, post-translational modification; fibrinogen

Janos K. Lanyi: Structure and function in bacterial rhodopsins

James S. Nowick: Study of protein structure in synthetic chemical model systems

Thomas L. Poulos: Protein engineering and crystallography

Michael E. Selsted: Host defense systems in phagocytic leukocytes and mucosal epithelium

Donald F. Senear: Interactions of proteins and DNA in transcriptional regulation

Athan J. Shaka: New techniques in high-resolution multi-dimensional NMR

Larry E. Vickery: Metalloproteins; steroid hormone biosynthesis and receptors; molecular chaperones

Stephen H. White: Protein folding in membranes

The new discipline of protein engineering has emerged, combining biochemistry, physical and organic chemistry, recombinant DNA technology, structural biology, and biochemical engineering. This has provided new approaches to the basic study of protein structure and function, as well as the opportunity to design and produce proteins with a broad spectrum of industrial and health-related applications. The School of Biological Sciences, in conjunction with the Department of Chemistry in the School of Physical Sciences and the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science in The Henry Samueli School of Engineering, offer an interdisciplinary graduate program. The program brings together faculty with research interests in: structure/function of enzymes, metalloproteins, receptors, and growth factors; protein folding and design; bioremediation; protein modification with non-natural amino acids; NMR spectroscopy; and X-ray crystallography. The program offers the Ph.D. degree in Biological Sciences, Chemistry, or Engineering with a concentration in Protein Engineering Science.

Upon entrance to the program, students choose a Protein Engineering curriculum leading to one of the three degrees. First-year students take courses in molecular biology and protein chemistry, structure, and engineering, and complete three laboratory rotations of their choice. Additional elective courses, current literature seminars, and research presentations are used to broaden training in subsequent years. A qualifying examination is administered at the end of the first year for students in the Schools of Biological Sciences and Engineering. For students in Chemistry, a written examination is administered early in the second year. Students are then expected to select a laboratory and begin work toward completion of a Ph.D. dissertation based upon their own original research. Students advance to candidacy for the Ph.D. by presenting their dissertation proposal to an examining committee which also guides and advises the students and monitors research progress throughout their graduate training. The normal time for completion of the Ph.D. is five years.