Description

The Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology offers the Master of Science degree program for students to further their knowledge in the field and prepare for professional careers in medical fields, higher education, and research.

Degrees Offered

Master of Science in Molecular and Microbiology

Admission

For information on general UCF graduate admissions requirements that apply to all prospective students, please visit the Admissions and Registration section of the Graduate Catalog. Applicants must apply online. Please be sure to submit all requested material by the established deadline(s).

Additional Admissions Information

The minimum requirements for consideration for graduate status in the M.S. Program in Molecular Biology and Microbiology are a grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.0 for the last 60 attempted semester hours of undergraduate study and a competitive score on the combined quantitative-verbal sections of the Graduate Record Exam (GRE). A course-by-course transcript evaluation is required of all students who attended a college or university outside the United States. For information and instructions about transcript evaluations, please see Transcripts and Evaluations on the Graduate Students website. Additionally, the department requires three letters of recommendation plus a written statement of research experience, area of interest, and immediate and long-range goals. Personal interviews are helpful but not required. The department requires international students and students whose native language is not English to have a minimum score of 220 (computer-based test; or equivalent score on the paper-based test) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).

Applicants who fail to meet either the minimum program GPA or GRE requirement may occasionally be accepted if there is other convincing evidence of potential for high achievement and success. Applicants failing to satisfy minimum program criteria should submit a GRE Subject Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology Test score at or above the 50th percentile. In no case will GRE scores (verbal, quantitative, or advanced) older than five years be accepted.

Applicants need not have an undergraduate degree in molecular biology or microbiology but are expected to have the equivalent of 16 semester hours of credit in the biological sciences including a course in general microbiology, biochemistry or molecular biology or cell biology, plus one year of organic chemistry, one year of physics, basic university mathematics and statistics, and laboratory skills equivalent to the minimum required of our own undergraduates. Minor deficiencies may be remedied after acceptance by enrollment at the first opportunity in an appropriate course.

Application Due Dates

All students applying for fellowships must apply by the Fall Priority deadline date.

U.S. Applicants

Program(s)	Fall Priority	Fall	Spring	Summer
Master of Science in Molecular and Microbiology	Jan 15	Jul 15	Dec 1	Apr 15

 

International Applicants

Program(s)	Fall Priority	Fall	Spring	Summer
Master of Science in Molecular and Microbiology	Jan 15	Jan 15

 

International Transfer Applicants

Program(s)	Fall Priority	Fall	Spring	Summer
Master of Science in Molecular and Microbiology	Jan 15	Mar 1

Master of Science in Molecular Biology and Microbiology

The course and credit requirements consist of a minimum of 30 semester hours of credit, including 6 credits of thesis, 2 credits of graduate seminar, BSC 6431 The Practice of Biomolecular Science (1 credit hour), and such other courses as specified by the student’s thesis advisory committee in the approved Program of Study. At least 24 semester hours of course work must be earned exclusive of thesis. Students are required to take the two-semester core course Structure-Function-Relationships of Biomolecular Science I and II.

A research thesis is required for the degree of Master of Science in Molecular Biology and Microbiology. During the first two semesters students are expected to familiarize themselves with the research programs of the faculty. Students are expected to have an in-depth discussion with at least three faculty members before choosing a laboratory for thesis research. The student and the Thesis Adviser/Major Professor will jointly recommend an advisory committee composed of at least four members. The committee composition must reflect expertise relevant to the student’s thesis research and must be approved by the Graduate Committee. Students wishing to change the composition of the Thesis Advisory Committee must also obtain approval from the Graduate Committee.

• BSC 6431 Practice of Biomolecular Science (1 credit hour)
• BSC 6432 Structure-Function-Relationships of Biomolecular Science I (5 credit hours)
• BSC 6433 Structure-Function-Relationships of Biomolecular Science II (5 credit hours)
• MCB 5205 Infectious Processes (3 credit hours)
• MCB 5225 Molecular Biology of Disease (3 credit hours)
• MCB 5505 Molecular Virology (3 credit hours)
• MCB 5527 Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (3 credit hours)
• MCB 5654 Applied Microbiology (3 credit hours)
• MCB 5932 Current Topics in Molecular Biology (3 credit hours)
• MCB 6226 Molecular Diagnostics (3 credit hours)
• BSC 6407C Laboratory Methods in Molecular Biology (5 credit hours)
• MCB 6417C Microbial Metabolism (3 credit hours)
• PCB 6528 Plant Molecular Biology (3 credit hours)
• MCB 6938 Seminar (1-2 credit hours)
• MCB 6971 Thesis (1-6 credit hours)
• PCB 5238 Immunobiology (3 credit hours)
• PCB 5239 Tumor Biology (3 credit hours)
• PCB 5275 Signal Transduction Mechanisms (3 credit hours)
• PCB 5937 Special Topics: Human Endocrinology (3 credit hours)
• PCB 6596 Bioinformation and Genomics (3 credit hours)
• ZOO 5745C Essentials of Neuroanatomy (4 credit hours)

Examinations

A written comprehensive examination to test the understanding of the basic concepts in the field and relevant applications is required of all students in the M.S. program. This comprehensive examination will use questions provided by the Program Faculty. The comprehensive examination will be offered once each in the Fall and Spring semesters, and may be taken for a maximum of two times.

An oral thesis defense is required. The defense will be in the format of:

• A 50-minute presentation of the thesis work, including a 5-minute introduction
• A 10-minute free period for the general audience to ask questions
• A 1-hour close-door examination by the Thesis Advisory Committee and the program faculty present

The oral thesis defense will be evaluated by the Thesis Advisory Committee. Approval will require a majority consenting vote from the Thesis Advisory Committee and consenting votes from the Graduate Director and the Department Chair.

Students will be evaluated on the progress in thesis research by the thesis advisory committee for Fall and Spring. Two consecutive unsatisfactory evaluations will result in reversion to non-degree status.

Financial Support

Graduate students may receive financial assistance through fellowships, assistantships, tuition support, or loans. For more information, see Financing Grad School, which describes the types of financial assistance available at UCF and provides general guidance in planning your graduate finances. The Financial Information section of the Graduate Catalog is another key resource.

Key points about financial support:

• If you are interested in financial assistance, you are strongly encouraged to apply for admission early. A complete application for admission, including all supporting documents, must be received by the priority date listed for your program under “Admissions.”
• You must be admitted to a graduate program before the university can consider awarding financial assistance to you.
• If you want to be considered for loans and other need-based financial assistance, review the UCF Student Financial Assistance website at http://finaid.ucf.edu and complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) form, which is available online at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov. Apply early and allow up to six weeks for the FAFSA form to be processed.
• UCF Graduate Studies awards university graduate fellowships, with most decisions based on nominations from the colleges and programs. To be eligible for a fellowship, students must be accepted as a graduate student in a degree program and be enrolled full-time. University graduate fellowships are awarded based on academic merit and therefore are not affected by FAFSA determination of need.
• Please note that select fellowships do require students to fill out a fellowship application (either a university fellowship application, an external fellowship application, or a college or school fellowship application). For university fellowship applications, see Financing Grad School.
• For information on assistantships (including teaching, research, and general graduate assistantships) or tuition support, contact the graduate program director of your major.

Contact Info

Karl X. Chai, Ph.D., Associate Professor
Phone Number: 407-823-6122
kxchai@mail.ucf.edu