Biological and Biomedical Sciences

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Overview

The mission of the graduate program in biology is to provide students greater depth and breadth in course work and to introduce them to the nature of creative and productive inquiry for careers in teaching, research in governmental, industrial and academic organizations, and entrance into doctoral programs. The Master of Science in Biological and Biomedical Science requires the completion of two semesters of residence and at least 30 credits of graduate-level courses for the thesis and non-thesis project options. Graduate courses at NCCU are numbered above 5000, and these courses in Biological and Biomedical Sciences provide the graduating MS students automatically with a minor in Biomedical Sciences.

There are two options for obtaining the M.S. degree in Biological and Biomedical Sciences: thesis and non-thesis project options. The two options require a minor, the internal minor is Biomedical Sciences and there are arrays of courses that can be used to fulfill this minor. Some students may choose an external minor which can be done in areas such as Pharmaceutical Sciences and Education.The master’s degree also requires successful completion of a written Comprehensive Examination that examines the student’s comprehension of advanced cellular and genetic mechanisms as well as their biochemical basis.

Option 1: M.S. in Biological and Biomedical Sciences with Thesis: For this option, laboratory research (BIOG 5800) and writing of a master’s thesis are required. Students must present a seminar on the research and pass a final oral examination in defense of the thesis BIOG 5900). The total credits required for the master’s with thesis option is 30.

Option 2: M.S. in Biological and Biomedical Sciences with Non-thesis Project: This program of study is designed primarily for individuals using non-laboratory-based projects as scholarly research. While students in this option are not required to perform laboratory research leading to a thesis, they can conduct laboratory teaching activities through three credits each of BIOG 5800 and BIOG5810 (Graduate Project). The graduate project can focus on obtaining teaching experience and preparing the student for careers in teaching at high school or community college levels. It can also address bioinformatics, genomics, and/or library research on a focused area of interest that has been approved by the department. The total credits required for the non-thesis project master’s program is 30.

Graduate Faculty

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