Cell Biology
GRADUATE COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
Graduate students will be enrolled as full-time students. A total of 72 credit hours is required to obtain a PhD degree, with the majority of these credits being derived from dissertation research. See the Graduate School web page for specific credit hour and residency requirements.
CBS Core Courses Required of all Students:
- CBS 565 Fundamentals of Comparative Biomedical Sciences (3 credits)
- ST 511 Experimental Statistics for Biological Sciences (3 credits)
- CBS 662 Responsible Conduct of Research (1 credit)
- CBS 800 Seminar series (1 credit; minimum 3 credits total for doctoral students; minimum 2 credits total for master's students)
Courses Required for Cell Biology Concentration:
- GN701 Molecular Genetics (3 credits)
- CBS 770 Cell Biology (4 credits)
- CBS 810C Seminar in Cell Biology (1 credit; minimum 3 credits total for doctoral students; minimum 2 credits total for master's students)
Other Courses:
- CBS 890 Doctoral Preliminary Exam (1 credit)
- CBS 893 Doctoral Supervised Research (variable credit)
- CBS 895 Doctoral Dissertation Research
- CBS 896 Summer Dissertation Research (variable credit)
- CBS 899 Doctoral Dissertation Preparation
Elective Courses
Elective courses are selected by the student and mentor, and must be approved by the student's graduate advisory committee. Possible elective course include, but are not limited to, the following:
- BCH 701 Macromolecular Structure
- BCH 703 Macromolecular Synthesis and Regulation
- BCH 705 Molecular Biology of the Cell
- BIT 810 Biotechnology Core Technology
- GN 701 Molecular Genetics
- GN 702 Cellular and Developmental Genetics
- GN 761 Advanced Molecular Biology of the Cell
- GN 710 Eukaryotic Regulatory Mechanisms
- GN 750 Developmental Genetics
- GN/MB 758 Prokaryotic Molecular Genetics
- GN/BCH 768 Nucleic Acids: Structure and Function
- GS 735 Introduction to Genomic Science
- CBS 770 Cell Biology
- CBS 861 Bacterial Pathogenic Mechanisms
- CBS/IMM/MB 783 Advanced Immunology
- CBS/IMM 816 Advanced Topics in Immunology and Biotechnology
- MB 718 Introductory Virology
- MB/IMM 751 (Immunology; Spring)
- IMM/TOX 705 Immunotoxicology
- IMM 751 Immunology
- IMM /PHY 756 Immunogenetics
- PHY 702 Reproductive Physiology
- PHY 503, 504 General Physiology I and II
- PHY 513 Comparative Physiology
- PHY 780 Mammalian Endocrinology
- ST 701 Experimental Statistics II
- TOX 501 General Toxicology
- VMM 877 Clinical Laboratory & Necropsy
GRADUATE ADVISORY COMMITTEE:
Before the end of the first year of the MS program and second year of the PhD program, the student is expected to select a graduate committee. This Committee will serve to direct and guide the student through the PhD program. The Committee will consist of the Supervisor (Chairperson) and a minimum of three other members of the Graduate Faculty. A member of the graduate faculty from outside of the degree program appointed by the Graduate School will serve to monitor the student's oral examinations. The Graduate School representative is to ensure that the process is conducted in a manner that is fair to the student.
PRELIMINARY EXAM:
It is expected that after the first year, and before the beginning of the third year, the doctoral student will take a comprehensive preliminary examination. The Graduate School of NCSU requires that this exam be taken not earlier than the end of the second year, and not later than one semester (four months) before the final oral examination. The student should schedule this examination at a convenient time after consulting with his/her supervisor. This examination is intended to be comprehensive and assess the student's preparations to be a scholar in the discipline of cell biology. The Preliminary Examination will consist of a written examination followed approximately a week later by an oral examination. The written examination will consist of questions prepared by members of the student's Graduate Committee. It is a closed-book exam consisting of a series of essay questions or problems that generally takes one day to complete. Satisfactory completion of the written examination is required before a candidate can sit for the oral preliminary examination. The oral examination will cover the same breadth and depth as the written examination. It is designed to test the student's ability to relate factual knowledge to specific circumstances, to use this knowledge with accuracy and promptness, and to demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the field of specialization. It will consist of questions asked by members of the student's graduate committee.
DISSERTATION PROPOSAL:
Graduate students are required to submit a Plan of Work in the MyPack Portal in consultation with their advisory committee. Master's students should complete the plan of work once they've competed half of the credits required for their degree. Doctoral students should complete the on-line plan of work once they've completed 18 hours of coursework. The Plan of Work must be approved by the student's advisory committee, Director of the Comparative Biomedical Sciences (CBS) Program, and the Graduate School. Students should meet with their advisory committee prior to submitting the on-line plan of work to present a written proposal. This written proposal should include a list of proposed courses, a brief description of the proposed field of study and research focus area, and a list of the members selected for the Graduate Advisory Committee. The selection of a dissertation must follow the guidelines imposed by the Graduate School. The publication, Thesis and Dissertation Guide is a helpful guide. During the second year, the student should be in preparation of research proposals to define the scope of work for the dissertation. This proposal can be used to submit to granting agencies for research funding. Description of research project should include a background of the proposed study area (literature review), hypotheses to be tested, description of studies to be conducted, methods to be used, methods of analysis, and a time-line that includes significant milestones.
FINAL ORAL EXAMINATION:
The final oral examination will take place after the dissertation is complete, except for revisions that the committee feels are necessary. This examination must take place not earlier than one semester after the Preliminary Examination. The examination consists of oral questions concerning methods and conclusions reached in the research and as reported in the dissertation.
CODE OF CONDUCT:
All graduate students are required to adhere to the NCSU Code of Student Conduct.