Biochemistry and Biotechnology MS
Degree Paths
The Biochemistry and Biotechnology Program offers three types of Master of Science degrees.
Non-Thesis
One option is a 30-credit-hour non-thesis option suitable for those with laboratory research experience or for others, such as educators, who do not require research experience.
Thesis
The second option is 30 credit hours, but it includes laboratory-based research under the supervision of one of the program faculty members, leading to a written thesis. All students admitted to the graduate program are considered to be in the non-thesis program. They may transfer into the thesis program after they have been accepted as a thesis student by one of the faculty.
Professional Science
The third option is a 32-credit-hour Professional Science emphasis area that includes a strong business component for students who are interested in learning more about the business aspects of companies. This track may not be appropriate for students who are interested in pursuing a PhD or working primarily as laboratory scientists. For more information go to the Professional Science program page.
Admission Requirements
Applicants to the M.S. program must submit a completed application and personal data forms, and transcripts of all previous postsecondary academic work. Submission of Graduate Record Examination scores and letters of recommendation, although not required, will be considered. Admission as a regular graduate student requires graduation from an accredited college with a minimum grade point overall and in biology and chemistry courses of 3.0 (where A=4.0). Students will generally be expected to have completed a major in biology, chemistry, biochemistry or biotechnology. In addition to the Graduate School admission requirements, applicants should have completed undergraduate courses in biochemistry, organic chemistry, cell biology, and genetics. Applicants may be asked to make up any deficiencies in these areas as a condition of enrollment.
All international applicants, except those from countries where English is the primary language, must show English proficiency by submitting according to UMSL's International Student and Scholar Services requirements.
Degree Requirements
Both the thesis and non-thesis options require a total of 30 graduate credit hours, of which at least half must be at the 5000-level or above. A maximum of 12 credit hours of Graduate Research (BIOL 6905 or CHEM 6905) may be applied toward the thesis option and a maximum of 5 credit hours toward the non-thesis option. Students must have a 3.0 GPA in non-research courses.
| Required Courses | ||
| CHEM 5722 | Advanced Graduate Biochemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 5774 | Bioinformatics | 3 |
| or BIOL 5436 | Advanced Applied Bioinformatics | |
| BIOL 6615 | Advanced Biotechnology Laboratory II | 4 |
| BIOL 6602 | Advanced Molecular Biology | 3 |
| or BIOL 6608 | Advanced Synthetic Biology | |
| or BIOL 6632 | Advanced Nucleic Acid Structure and Function | |
| or BIOL 6642 | Advanced Plant Biology and Biotechnology | |
| BIOL 6889 | Graduate Seminar | 2 |
| Elective Courses | 15 | |
| Biochemistry Laboratory | ||
| Advanced Instrumental Analysis | ||
| Special Topics in Analytical Chemistry | ||
| Foundations of Physical Chemistry | ||
| Advanced Organic Chemistry II - Reactions And Synthesis | ||
| Spectroscopic Identification of Organic Compounds | ||
| Advanced Physical Biochemistry | ||
| Special Topics in Organic Chemistry (when relevant) | ||
| Bioinformatics | ||
| Special Topics in Biochemistry | ||
| Problem Seminar in Biochemistry 1 | ||
| Graduate Research in Chemistry | ||
| Biostatistics | ||
| Immunobiology | ||
| Advanced Genetics | ||
| Topics in Cellular and Molecular Biology 1 | ||
| Biology Colloquium 1 | ||
| Advanced Applied Bioinformatics | ||
| Advanced Synthetic Biology | ||
| Advanced Developmental Biology | ||
| Advanced Bacterial Pathogenesis | ||
| Advanced Molecular Biology | ||
| Advanced Cellular Basis of Disease | ||
| Advanced Nucleic Acid Structure and Function | ||
| Advanced Plant Biology and Biotechnology | ||
| Advanced Virology | ||
| Graduate Internship in Biotechnology | ||
| Graduate Seminar (when relevant) | ||
| Graduate Research in Biology | ||
| Advanced Topics in Biology (when relevant) | ||
| Total Hours | 30 | |