General Information

Director Dr. Susan Tonkonogy
Phone: 919-513-6252
Email: sue_tonkonogy@ncsu.edu

Degrees Offered
Ph.D.
M.S.

Introduction

North Carolina State University offers graduate training leading to the Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Immunology. The diversified faculty is drawn from the Colleges of Veterinary Medicine and Agriculture and Life Sciences as well as government agencies located in the Research Triangle Park. Interdepartmental cooperation provides a unique atmosphere for the study of immunology in a wide range of species. Coursework and laboratory research emphasize cellular and molecular biology studies in infectious disease immunology, mucosal immunity and inflammation, immunopathology, immunotoxicology, immunoparasitology, environmental immunology, and immunology of non-vertebrate species.

The program is designed to prepare students for professional research and teaching careers in applying molecular biology techniques to animal and human health problems associated with environmental stress such as infectious agents and toxins. Immunology graduates are extremely competitive for positions in universities, pharmaceutical companies and governmental institutions. North Carolina State University in Raleigh with close proximity to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Duke University, and the Research Triangle Park provides a unique biomedical and research environment for seminars, meetings, and interaction with other scientists. Graduate assistantships are available to qualified students.

Course offerings or research facilities are available in the following areas: immunopathology, immunotoxicology, immunoparasitology, mucosal immunology, molecular and infectious disease immunology, aquatic immunology. and environmental immunology.

Admission Requirements: Students will be accepted into the immunology program based on their academic records (GPA) as undergraduates and/or as veterinary or medical students, results of the GRE, letters of recommendation and expression of interest in immunology. For the Ph.D. program, special consideration will be given to students who have had research experience (either an M.S. degree or other laboratory experience), especially in immunology, microbiology, biochemistry or genetics, or students who are completing strong clinical residency programs. To be considered for financial aid, completed applications should be received by December 1 for fall admission.

To be admitted, a student should be a graduate of a major accredited biological science or medical science program. Students lacking appropriate courses may be considered for admission but will be required to make up certain undergraduate deficiencies without graduate credit.

Master's Degree Requirements: Courses must include at least two 700-800-level immunology courses and one 500-700-level biochemistry course.

Doctoral Degree Requirements: Courses include at least two 700-800-level immunology courses, two 500-700-level biochemistry courses, and one 500-level course in statistics. Additional course offered by the Departments of Microbiology, Genetics, Toxicology and the graduate programs in Physiology and Comparative Biomedical Sciences may be taken. The remaining credit hours should include journal club (IMM 816), seminar (IMM 807) and research credits.

Student Financial Support: Graduate assistantships are available to students in the Immunology Program through the affiliated departments and graduate training grants. In addition, there are graduate research assistantships provided by individual faculty of the program.

Other Relevant Information: The Immunology Program is an interdepartmental graduate program with faculty drawn from the College of Veterinary Medicine and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences' Departments of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Poultry Science. For administrative purposes, all students accepted into the program will also be student members of one of the participating departments.

Courses

IMM 685 Master's Supervised Teaching
IMM 690 Master's Examination
IMM 693 Master's Supervised Research
IMM 695 Master's Thesis Research
IMM 696 Summer Thesis Research
IMM 699 Master's Thesis Preparation
IMM(TOX) 705 Immunotoxicology
IMM(MB) 751 Immunology
IMM(CBS) 755 Immunoparasitology
IMM(PO) 757 Avian Immunology
IMM (MB) 783 Advanced Immunology
IMM(CBS) 807 Seminar in Veterinary Microbiology/ Immunology
IMM(CBS) 816 Advanced Topics in Immunology
IMM 885 Doctoral Supervised Teaching
IMM 893 Doctoral Supervised Research
IMM 895 Doctoral Dissertation Research
IMM 896 Summer Dissertation Research
IMM 899 Doctoral Dissertation Preparation

Affiliated Departments and Programs

Biochemistry
Biotechnology Program
Comparative Biomedical Sciences Program
Genomics Program
Immunotoxicology (Environmental Protection Agency)
Microbiology
Physiology Program
Poultry Science
Toxicology

Graduate Student Support

US Department of Education GAANN Fellowships
Biotechnology Fellowships
NCSU Teaching and Research Assistantships