Program of Study for the MS Degree

A. Prerequisites. General chemistry, organic chemistry, physical chemistry, mathematics (through calculus), and one year of biology are required. If necessary, these courses may be completed during the first year of graduate study.

B. Course Requirements. A total of 30 credits, which include the following courses, are required. [NOTE: Withdrawal from a required course will be allowed only under extremely extenuating circumstances and must be approved on a case-by-case basis by the faculty.]

1. Fundamental Biochemistry (201; 5 credits): A minimum grade of "B" is required.
2. Molecular Biology (240; 3 credits): A minimum grade of "B" is required.
3. Introduction to Special Methods of Research (207; 8 credits): Laboratory research carried out during the first year. A grade of "C" is unsatisfactory and may lead to dismissal from the program.
4. Seminar (298 and 299; 3 credits): The Department requires 3 credits of seminar although the Graduate School permits only 2 of these to be applied toward graduation.
5. Thesis Research (300; 6 credits): Although students generally receive more credits, only 6 may be applied toward graduation.
6. Electives (6 credits): These should be selected to provide a broad scientific background and should be chosen in consultation with the Graduate Student Advisory Committee and/or your Examining Committee and Major Professor.

C. Teaching. The faculty considers teaching an important part of academic training. As a rule, after their first year, students will be expected to participate as teaching assistants in nursing, dental, or medical school courses offered by the Department. Teaching assignments will be made before the beginning of each academic year. Students may be responsible for lecture attendance, supervised presentation of a portion of lecture material, administration of exams, grading of quizzes, participation in review and discussion sessions, and tutoring assigned by the course director. The performance of the teaching assistants will be evaluated by the faculty involved in teaching the course. A summary of this evaluation will be prepared by the course director. The student's evaluation will be presented to the entire faculty and placed in the student's permanent file.

D. Qualifying Examination (for the MS degree). The Qualifying Examination is taken about one month after the successful completion of two complete semesters (excluding summer sessions) by a three-member Examining Committee. An extension in time for this examination requires the permission of the student's committee. The qualifying examination may include oral and written components at the discretion of committee members. A short written summary of the research conducted during the first year must be distributed to the committee prior to the examination. Topics of the examination will include general biochemistry (and relevant scientific disciplines) and research completed in Introduction to Special Methods of Research (207). Direction for the student's further study will be formulated according to the findings of this examination. The student must pass this examination prior to registration for Thesis Research (300).

E. Thesis. A formal thesis must be submitted to and approved by a three-member committee. This committee is to be composed of two faculty members from the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (one of whom is the Major Professor) and one faculty member from another department. The committee may consist of more than three members.

F. Examination. When the thesis is nearly completed, each candidate is required to pass a comprehensive examination which may be written, oral, or both. It is expected that the requirements for the Master's degree will be completed within two calendar years after matriculation.

[Approved by the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Faculty on 30 July 1987, 12 August 1987, 2 June 1988, February 1990, and 13 August 1997.]

Attitudes rather than knowledge are conveyed by the distinguished teacher.
Hans A. Krebs