BMS Graduate Program
BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES (BMS)
Program Director: Richard F. Murphy
Department Office: Criss II, Room 313
MASTER OF SCIENCE (M.S.) AND DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (PH.D.)
The Department of Biomedical Sciences offers a program of study culminating in the Ph.D. degree. Completion of this program prepares individuals for research careers in academia, institutes or industry.
The program is flexible and fosters a multi-disciplinary approach using our research, courses and facilities, as required, to cater to the career needs and research interests of individual students, in providing research training in a diverse range of areas of study in:
Biochemistry
Bioorganic Chemistry
Cell and Development Biology
Molecular Biology
Neurobiology
Physiology
Some examples of the wide variety of research specialties of the faculty are: design, chemical synthesis, theoretical and spectroscopic characterization of analogs of regulatory peptides; the role of peptides in the regulation of gastrointestinal and cardiovascular functions, regulation of bone cell differentiation and function and promotion of cancer; signal transduction in carcinogenesis; the molecular biology of collagen synthesis; the regulation of gene expression; the engineering of allosteric RNA catalysts for regulation of mRNA splicing; the cellular and genetic basis for differentiation of the brain and cardiovascular system; comparative neuroanatomy; respiratory mechanics and control; and environmental physiology. The Department encourages collaborative research interaction with faculty in the Departments of Pharmacology, Medicine and Surgery; the Osteoporosis Research Center, The Boys Town National Research Hospital and the Veteran’s Administration Hospital.
The program is geared towards integration of structure and function, from cells to the organismic level. Students are educated mainly through participation in research, so emphasis is given to placing students in their research laboratories in the first semester. Didactic courses will be selected from cores of foundation and advanced courses, as required, to meet the educational needs of individual students and to support the training in their selected areas of research. For example, it is expected the students will take lectures in fundamentals of biochemistry and cell and molecular biology, in either course BMS 521 or course BMS 604 and Introduction to Biostatistics and its Applications (BMS 525), taking into consideration past coursework taken by the student as well as the depth of a particular subject required for the selected area of research.
Other foundation courses include: Physiology (BMS 601), Human Neuroanatomy (BMS 624), and Cytochemistry and Histochemistry (BMS 627).
The Advisory Committee will determine which foundation courses are most appropriate and can also determine that any course need not be taken depending on the previous education of the student and the research area chosen. The Advisory Committee will similarly select courses from our core of more specialized or advanced courses, including Proteins: Peptides (BMS 720), Advanced Cell Biology (BMS 703) and Advanced Molecular Biology (BMS 704), The Cardiovascular System (BMS 641), Cancer Biology (BMS 705), Molecular Genetics (BMS 706), Physiology of Smooth Muscle (BMS 636), and Advanced Gastrointestinal Physiology (BMS 721), so as to best meet the research training objectives for the individual student. Thus, the Committee will play a major role both when preparing the initial Plan of Study and when responding to any further course needs arising during the progress of the student in the program. Students in the Biomedical Sciences program may also register for didactic courses of the Pharmacology and Medical Microbiology graduate programs, including the receptor pharmacology course (PHR 711). A compulsory core of research courses includes: Directed Independent Research (BMS 795), Seminar (BMS 791), and either Master’s (BMS 799) or Doctoral (BMS 899) Dissertation. The Graduate School requires all students to take the Responsible Conduct of Research course (IDC601).
Prerequisites for Admission
1. A bachelor’s degree or equivalent, preferably with satisfactory completion of course work in a biological, chemical or physical science.
2. A GPA of 3.0 overall.
3. GRE scores in the 50th percentile or above for the quantitative and verbal parts of the examination.
4. The Graduate School requires all students from countries in which English is not the native language to demonstrate competence in English by a score of 550 in the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) examination.
Goals and Objectives
At the completion of their graduate program, the student will:
1. Demonstrate an appreciation for the use of specialized knowledge in a field of study in service to others;
2. Identify and suggest possible solutions to ethical dilemmas that occur in their work and in their field of study;
3. Analyze, interpret, and critique advanced knowledge in structural and functional biology;
4. Effectively communicate research findings at scholarly fore and in the literature alike, both orally and in writing.
Program Requirements
The general requirements of the Graduate School listed under Administration and Policies Governing Graduate Study are met.
The student will select an advisor. The student and his/her advisor will formulate a plan of study which will be presented to an Advisory Committee formed by the student and supervisor. The Advisory Committee will assist the student during the entire program. Courses can be selected from the list below or from related subjects, according to the individual needs of the student.
Doctoral students may be given the opportunity to participate in the teaching activities of the Department. Neither the M.S. nor the Ph.D. degree will be conferred upon any student with an overall GPA of less than 3.0.
Comprehensive Examinations
Students are required to pass comprehensive examinations according to the guidelines of the Graduate School.
Thesis/Dissertation
M.S. and Ph.D. candidates must present and defend a thesis or dissertation. The defense of the Ph.D. dissertation is open to the faculty but only the examining committee may participate directly in the examination. Copies of the thesis or dissertation are to be presented to committee members and the Graduate Dean at least 30 days prior to the defense.
