Microbiology, M.S.

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Priority Admission Application Deadlines: http://www.grad.usf.edu/majors

Contact Information

College: Arts and Sciences
Department: Cell Biology, Microbiology and Molecular Biology

Contact Information: http://www.grad.usf.edu/majors

The M.S. in Microbiology is administered by the Department of Cell Biology, Molecular Biology and Microbiology. The mission of the Department of Cell Biology, Microbiology and Molecular Biology (CMMB) is to prepare graduate students for professional careers in academia, government or industry in the areas of Cell Biology, Microbiology, and Molecular Biology. We pursue excellence in the following programmatic research areas: genome integrity and mechanisms of aging, bacterial pathogenesis and resistance, structural and computational biology.

Due to the interdisciplinary aspect of most Research projects, faculty and graduate students often work together on broad ranging research projects that bring together many of the traditionally separate areas of biology.

Because of the many undergraduate courses that require hands-on experimental laboratories, CMMB support many graduate students as Teaching Assistants. CMMB values high quality teaching at all levels of support. Research Assistant positions may also be available to support research with specific faculty members depending on an individual faculty members funding. Numerous scholarship opportunities are also offered on a competitive basis through the USF Office of Graduate Studies.

Applying to the Department of Cell Biology, Microbiology and Molecular Biology
Students interested in attending graduate studies within the CMMB Department should visit the CMMB website that can be accessed from the main USF site and review the current CMMB faculty. It is recommended that potential students consider at least tw)o to three (2-3 CMMB faculty that they would be interested in working with and communicate this information in their letter of application. It is also recommended that potential students contact the CMMB Graduate Director as well as the individual faculty members they are interested in working with via email. Such communication will facilitate the assignment of the laboratory rotations that CMMB students will participate in during their first semester of residency and also allow the applicant to determine whether the desired faculty member has positions available in the laboratory.

General Information - All students admitted to the Masters in Microbiology must establish a supervisory committee. The supervisory committee shall constitute the major professor and at least two additional credentialed faculty. At least one of the committee members must be a faculty member at USF. Supervisory committee must be formed within two semesters after matriculation. The CMMB Graduate Director and CMMB Chair must approve the Supervisory Committee. Once a major professor has been assigned and/or a student occupies or utilizes significant space or facilities for research or analogous scholarly activity directly pertinent to the generation of a thesis, the student shall enroll for a minimum of two (2) hours of research credit each semester (other than summer semester), until eligible to enroll in thesis credits.

Major Research Areas: Applied Microbiology, Pathogenic Microbiology, Cellular Microbiology, Molecular Microbiology, Ecological Microbiology

Admission Information

Must meet University Admission and English Proficiency requirements as well as requirements for admission to the major, listed below.

Preferred minimum scores of 153V (500V on the old test; 61st percentile), and 148Q (600Q on the old test; 30th percentile), 4.5 AW on GRE
It is expected that candidates for the M.S. degrees will have completed courses equivalent to those required for the B.S. in Microbiology at U.S.F.
Three letters of recommendation from faculty in sealed envelopes (on their university letterhead) with the envelope seal signed by the recommender. Students shall complete a Student Recommendation Form that can be found on the Department website and submit it to the recommenders.
A brief essay stating your intended field of research and professional goals. Please indicate your specific research interests, in order that the application may be referred to appropriate faculty members. In the essay please list 2-3 CMMB faculty members that you would like to have review your file.
Applicants must complete the Application for Teaching Assistantship (TA) Form that can be found on the Department website if they wish to be considered for a TA position. Applicants who do not return this form will not be consider for a teaching position. Applicants should attach a resume to the Application for Teaching Assistantship (TA) Form that highlights any previous teaching experience.

Curriculum Requirements

Total Minimum Hours: 30 Credit Hours

Core Requirements - 6 Credit Hours
Additional Required Courses - 3 Credit Hours Minimum
Elecctives - 7 Credit Hours Minium
Thesis/Non-Thesis - 14 Credit Hours

Core Requirements (6 Credit Hours)

MCB 5206 Public Health and Pathogenic Microbiology Credit Hours: 3
MCB 5208 Cellular Microbiology Credit Hours: 3

Additional Required Courses (3 Credit Hours)

BSC 6930 Lectures in Contemporary Biology Credit Hours: 1 (Taken three times)

Electives (7 credit Hours Minimum)

Select from the following or other graduate courses approved by the supervisory committee:

BSC 5931 Selected Topics in Biology Credit Hours: 1-4 (3 credits for this program) (Molecular Microbial Ecology)
BSC 5931 Selected Topics in Biology
Credit(s): 1-4 (3 credits for this program) (Prokaryotic Molecular Genetics)
BSC 5931 Selected Topics in Biology Selected Topics in Biology Credit(s): 1-4 (3 credits for this program) (Bacterial Pathogenesis)
MCB 5655 Applied and Environmental Microbiology Credit Hours: 3
PCB 6930 Current Topics in Cancer Biology Credit Hours: 2 Principles of Immunology Credit(s): 3 (Proposed as PCB 5335)
PCB 6236 Advanced Immunology Credit Hours: 4
MCB 5815 Medical Mycology Credit Hours: 3
PCB 5616 Molecular Phylogenetics Credit Hours: 3
PCB 6525 Molecular Genetics Credit Hours: 3
BSC 5425 Genetic Engineering and Recombinant DNA Technology Credit Hours: 3
Note: Additional courses not on the list may be substituted with the approval of the thesis committee and CMMB Graduate Director.

Lab Rotations

Where appropriate, students must complete three laboratory rotations during their first semester of residency.

Comprehensive Examination

A final comprehensive oral examination is required for all master’s students. This examination is open to all departmental faculty. Students must take their comprehensive exam within two years of matriculation and the exam is normally taken after the completion of all formal course work. For non-thesis students, the comprehensive qualifying exam is taken after all course work has been completed at the end of the program of study. Thesis students must take the examination at least one semester before the thesis is presented. The examination is administered and evaluated by the student’s graduate committee.

Non-Thesis Option (14 Credit Hours)

Students in the non-thesis option complete an additional fourteen (14) hours of electives.

For students enrolled in the non-thesis option, 21-hours of elective courses (7 hours of electives and 14 hours of additional electives) and a review paper of a topic approved by the supervisory committee are required, as well as successful completion of the comprehensive oral qualifying exam after all course work has been completed. For non-thesis master’s students, this exam will occur at the end of the program of study.

Thesis Option (14 Credit Hours)

Thesis students are required to take the following 4 Credit Hours:

PCB 6920 Advances in Cell and Molecular Biology Credit Hours: 1
PCB 6956 Scientific Grant Writing Credit Hours: 3
And complete the Thesis Seminar (1 Credit Hour minimum)
BSC 6935 Graduate Seminar in Biology Credit Hours: 1
All thesis students must present a seminar to the Department and must be enrolled in BSC 6935, during the final semester. The seminar should be a concise summary of the research completed to satisfy the requirements for the M.S. Degree. The seminar is open to the general public and must be announced two weeks prior to the presentation. Upon completion of the seminar, the general public will be invited to ask questions. At the discretion of the student’s graduate committee, members of the committee may continue to question the graduate student after the general public has departed the seminar room. Each student is expected to defend his/her research to the unanimous satisfaction of the graduate committee. Students should present posters or oral presentations based on their thesis research at national/regional professional meetings.
And complete the Thesis (9 Credit Hours minimum)
BSC 6971 Thesis: Master’s Credit Hours: 2-19
Submission of a thesis proposal and approval by the major professor, graduate committee and graduate director is required. A minimum of nine (9) thesis research credit hours (BSC 6971 Thesis: Master’s ). Thesis research should be publishable and students are encouraged to publish their findings.

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