Graduate Certification in Molecular and Cellular Biology

A. Description and Rational: This Molecular and Cell Biology (MCB) program is organized as a set of core courses that will be expected of all graduate students in the Molecular and Cellular Biology specialization group that exists in the Department of Biological Sciences, as well as a set of elective courses. Graduate students who complete these requirements of this program, as outlined below, will receive a Certificate in Molecular and Cellular Biology. This certificate will document their achievement in this specialization, in addition to their completion of normal degree requirements for a graduate degree in Biological Sciences (including Graduate Student and Departmental Seminars, as well as rotation and research requirements).
The MCB curriculum is a natural complement to the requirements for a graduate degree in the Department of Biological Sciences, and will allow for specialization within the broad range of topics represented in our Department. This certification program supplements the existing biology MA/MS by delineating a set of core courses that will give students the necessary training in MCB, plus one elective course in an area of special interest to the student; no additional coursework is necessary for these degrees. PhD students can receive the certification by completing the listed series of core courses, plus two elective courses, according to the requirements of our department.

The outlined program of study serves two main purposes. First, it provides structure to graduate students in our Department who wish to specialize in the MCB field of study, by clearly outlining a series of core courses necessary to provide a complete background and understanding of this specialization. This should be of particular interest to PhD students in obtaining the necessary background necessary to pass their qualifying exams. Second, it provides flexibility, by allowing the student to select from a variety of advanced elective courses that can incorporate the individual interest and research requirements of a variety of research projects.

B. Student Selection: Students choosing to pursue this certification must first be admitted to the graduate program in the Department of Biological Sciences. Thus, these students will meet the criteria necessary for admittance to our graduate programs. If any students from another department wish to pursue this certification, they will be reviewed on an individual basis.
Students will be expected to remain in good academic standing during their course of study towards this certification. The Graduate Affairs Committee of the Department of Biological Sciences, which will have oversight into this certification program, will monitor their progress.

C. Curriculum and listing of Credit-Bearing Courses:

For MS students, the core curriculum described below plus 1 elective course will comprise their entire 18 hours of course requirements. PhD students will need two or more electives, beyond the core curriculum described below, to meet their 22 hours of course requirements. Course descriptions of all approved courses offered as core and electives in the GGMCB curriculum are also listed below.

Table 1: Required Core Courses for MCB Certificate:

It is expected that these required courses will be completed in the first year of graduate study.

One additional formal elective course (at least 3 credits) for MS/MA students, or two formal elective courses for PhD students, will also be required, leading to a total of 18 credit or 22 hours, respectively. The elective courses will be selected from a list of approved courses offered through the Department of Biological Sciences. Courses listed in Table 2 are pre-approved. Other courses dealing with Molecular and Cellular Biology will be considered on an individual basis by petition to the director of the certificate program.

Table 2: Elective Courses Pre-approved for Graduate Certificate in MCB:

Course Descriptions for Existing Courses:

Below are descriptions of courses that are required or pre-approved for a Certificate in MCB. These courses are all approved courses offered by the Department of Biological Sciences at UB. Course descriptions were taken either from the UB Graduate Catalog or the Biological Sciences web site. Number of credits are given in parentheses, and notations indicate whether the course contains lecture (LEC), seminar (SEM), and/or laboratory (LAB) components.

Core courses:

BIO 501 Advanced Biological Chemistry (4)

Structure and function of biological macromolecules discussed. Topics: structure and properties of proteins, nucleic acids, carbohydrates, mechanisms of enzyme catalysis, energy transduction and metabolic regulation. LEC

BIO 502 Advanced Cell and Developmental Biology I (4)

Advanced course dealing with cell biology. Structural and functional aspects of the cell considered in depth, emphasizing the cell as a dynamic system. LEC

BIO 504 Advanced Molecular Genetics (4)

Studies of genetic fine structure of eukaryotes and prokaryotes and their viruses, the structure of controlling regions and their interactions with regulatory molecules, the organization of the genome, the structure and function of repetitive DNA sequences, and the mechanisms of transcription and replication. LEC (Prerequisite: BIO 319 or equivalent)

BIO 505 Advanced Cell and Developmental Biology II (4)

Cellular and molecular analysis of process of cell differentiation of embryonic cells. Role of cell division, DNA replication, and transcription in differentiation considered and comparisons of molecular processes in evolution and development made. LEC (Prerequisite: a course in cell biology or permission of instructor)

Elective Courses:

BIO 500 Bioinformatics and Genome Analysis (4) (Sp)

The Bioinformatics and Genome Analysis course focuses on contemporary methods in the analysis of genetic information, including use of computerized genetic databases, experimental phylogenetics, phylogenetic tree construction, hypothesis testing in phylogenetics, testing and calibrating of molecular clocks, linkage mapping and quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping, positional cloning, genomics and proteomics. This 4-credit course includes both lectures and computer-based lab exercises, and provides first-hand experience with various analytical tools. The course is open to senior undergraduate and graduate students.

BIO 506 Signal Transduction (3)

This course discusses how cells respond to stimuli, which encompasses the mechanisms that transmit signals, "crosstalk" between signaling pathways within a cell, and how these signaling pathways generate the multitude of output responses by the cells.

BIO 515 Virology (3)

Surveys bacterial, plant, and animal viruses. Examines viral strategies for existence as simple life forms and covers medical and research importance of viruses. This is a basic undergraduate/graduate course for individuals interested in research or careers related to medicine. LEC (Prerequisite: BIO 200, 201, 202 or equivalent, or permission of instructor).

BIO 520 Biological Phosphorylation/Bioenergetics (3)

Interdisciplinary. Designed mainly for chemistry students interested in living systems, or biology students interested in living systems, or biology students interested in chemistry. Lectures and discussions include: a brief historical account of early research in bioenergetics, genereal thermodynamic considerations, fermentation, aerobic glycolysis and substrate level phosphorylation, citric acid cycle, respiratory chain, mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation and respiratory control, photosynthesis, the proposed molecular mechanisms for coupling electron transport to phosphorylation in various biological and related model systems, theories of energy transduction and metabolic control in living systems, active transport and muscular contraction. Emphasizes major discoveries, controversies, and unanswered questions concerning the living state, rather than surveying existing factual information. Also listed as CHE 550. (Prerequisite: permission of instructor)

BIO 540 Experimental Endocrinology (2)

Study of cellular integration of peptide hormone influences and molecular mechanisms which mediate these influences. This includes: 1) role of hormones in cellular function; 2) surface membrane receptor-transduction mechanisms; 3) nonmembrane receptor-transduction mechanisms; 4) role of the "state" of the cell in cellular response to hormone and 5) cellular integration of multiple hormone influences. LEC

BIO 568 Molecular Basis of Immunology (4)

Consideration of immunological phenomena including properties of antigen and antigen structure; properties of antibody and antibody structure; antigen-antibody interactions; complement; evolution, distribution theory and mechanism of antibody formation. LEC

BIO 608 Topics in Macromolecular Structure (3)

An advanced course that considers the structural, thermodynamic, electrostatic and dynamic aspects of molecules that direct the folding of proteins and nucleic acids and govern their interactions with each other as well as with small ligands. Students will approach these topics with the aid of state-of-the-art molecular graphics and computational chemistry methods. LEC/LAB (Prerequisites: an advanced course in biochemistry).

D. Justification of Curriculum:

Core principles and concepts that are central to academic and biotechnology research are covered in the four semester, one year sequence of BIO 501, 502, 504 and 505. Specifically, the 501 and 504 sequence, offered in consecutive Fall and Spring semesters, focuses specifically on biochemistry and molecular biology concepts that provide the basis of modern molecular biology research. The 502 and 505 sequence are also offered in consecutive Fall and Spring semesters, and cover concepts that are key to the area of modern Cell Biology. When taken together as a series, these four courses make up the core of our proposed program, and will give students the knowledge base central to MCB.

The remaining credits required are to come from an elective course (see pre-approved courses). The elective course build can build on the basic principles introduced in the core courses, but will be more specialized to a particular sub-fields within the broader field of MCB. Thus, this program will allow students to tailor their coursework to their own individual interests or needs, still working within the framework, of MCB. For example, students more interested in Molecular Structure and Function might take Biological Phosphorylation (Bio 520) or Topics In Macromolecular Structure (Bio 608); those more interested in Cell Biology might take Membrane Receptors (Bio 506); those interested in Molecular Evolution might take Bioinformatics (BIO 500), or those interested in Medical Applications might take Virology (Bio 515) or Molecular Immunology (Bio 568).

E. Participating Faculty: Participating faculty are all tenured or tenure-track faculty in the Department of Biological Sciences the University at Buffalo and all are members of the Graduate Faculty.