Graduate Programs

The Department of Biological Sciences graduate programs lead to M.S. and Ph.D. degrees. The objectives of the graduate programs are to train and develop scholars and to promote research by providing students with contemporary concepts in the fields of biochemistry, cellular biology, and molecular biology. Each student receives thorough intellectual training in a particular specialty and mastery of the methods that are requisite for productive scholarly endeavors in that specialty. Some of the research faculty participate in the Center for Cancer Research and Therapeutic Development that is supported by the NCRR at the National Institute of Health and other biomedical research programs. Collaborations are fostered and maintained at national academic, industrial and governmental research facilities. For more information contact:

Mr. Ejae McLeoud
(404) 880-6790 phone; (404) 880-8065 fax
email: emcleoud@cau.edu

Admission Requirements

Students who enter the graduate programs in the department must meet the general requirements of the University and the School of Arts and Sciences. In addition, they should have broadly based experiences in the sciences, generally 24 semester credits in biology, and one year each of general chemistry, organic chemistry, physics, and mathematics courses through calculus.

Master of Science Degree

To earn the M.S. degree, a student must take a minimum of 24 course credit hours, including the required core courses. The graduate core curriculum is summarized below:

Graduate Program Core Courses

• Biology 501, Seminar.
• Biology 502, Seminar.
• Biology 504, Molecular Genetics.
• Biology 506, Cell Biology.
• Biology 509, Methods & Techniques in Biology.
• Biology 511, Biochemistry I or Chemistry 551.
• Biology 512, Biochemistry II or Chemistry 552.
• Biology 551, Biostatistics.

Master of Science students must take one advanced course (600 level) in the area of specialization and 6 hours of research, for a total of 30 hours. Students must demonstrate competency in one foreign language or in computer applications. Continuous enrollment in the departmental seminar is required. Students must submit and defend a thesis based on original research supervised by the student's major advisor and approved by the Thesis Committee and the Department. For students who desire practical experience in applied biology, arrangements can be made for research internships in the biological industry, a national laboratory, or other setting of applied biological research.

Doctor of Philosophy Degree

To earn the Ph.D. degree, a student must complete a total of 72 hours. This consists of a minimum of 40 credit hours of graduate courses, including all of the core courses; two or more advanced courses (600 level) required for specialization in one of the major areas of concentration and passing of the qualifying examination for admission into candidacy. In addition, a dissertation resulting from 32 credit hours of original research conducted under the supervision of the major advisor and the Dissertation Committee must be submitted and defended. Continuous enrollment in the departmental seminar and proficiency in one foreign language or computer applications are also requirements for the doctoral degree. As part of the comprehensive training program, each candidate is required to serve as a Teaching Assistant in an undergraduate course for at least one semester.