We prepare students for academic, industrial, and government careers in research or teaching. Both Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in Biology are offered. Our small, interactive group offers individualized programs selected to meet each student's needs. A course of study for the Ph.D. is detailed below, though many variants are possible. To apply to our program, you'll need to submit application material to both the Graduate School and to the Biology Graduate Program. Be certain to mark your interest in the MCB Training Program on the BGP Application.

Lab Rotations in MCB:
During the summer prior to arrival, incoming graduate students are expected to generate a ranked list of laboratories in which they would like to rotate during the first semester. Students may learn about the research in MCB labs by visiting the website (MCB) and/or contacting professors by email. The ranked list should be communicated to the MCB graduate coordinator (Dr. Pete Mirabito, pmmira00@email.uky.edu) via email by July 1. Rotation assignments will be made before students arrive in Lexington. For second semester rotations, students will provide another ranked list of their preferences near the end of the Fall semester. New assignments will be made by the end of the Fall semester. Typically, students begin the second rotation on January 1, but this transition should be done in coordination with both rotation advisors.

Usually, students will choose a faculty supervisor (major professor) by the end of the Spring semester of the first year. However, some students may elect a third rotation over the first summer. This is permissible, but must be discussed beforehand with potential rotation advisors and the MCB graduate coordinator. It is expected that all students will be committed to a lab by the end of the first summer.

Course Requirements:
It is expected that entering students will have completed undergraduate courses in Biochemistry, Cell Biology, and Genetics. Students lacking this preparation will be advised by the MCB graduate coordinator as to appropriate foundational courses that should be taken. All Ph.D. students in the MCB Program are required to take the following graduate courses, unless equivalents have been completed. Additional courses or specific electives may be required by the student’s faculty advisor and/or advisory committee.

BIO 510 Recombinant DNA Lab (F)
BIO 520 Bioinformatics (S) or PGY 617 Physiological Genomics (F)
BIO 601 Special Topics in Molecular and Cellular Genetics (S)
BIO 621 Advanced Genetics (S)
IBS 603 Cell Biology (F)
BIO 770 First Year Seminar (1st semester)
BIO 770 Research Talk or Journal Club (1/sem)
Electives (12 credits minimum)

Recommended Course Sequence:
Below is the recommended sequence of courses to be taken by students in the MCB Program. This sequence completes all required courses in the first two years, prior to the qualifying exam. Courses with an asterisk are required, although previous equivalent graduate-level instruction may be substituted where appropriate, but approval by the MCB graduate coordinator must be obtained. Depending on the area of study, it may be desirable to make accommodations in schedule for courses that are offered infrequently. Requests for changes in course order should be discussed with your rotation advisor and requires the prior approval of the advisor and MCB coordinator. Some students may also be advised to register for a BIO 770 section associated with specific laboratory group meetings (e.g., the fly group).

1st Year - Fall semester

1st Year - Spring Semester

• (3 credits) *BIO 621 Advanced Genetics TR 11:15-12:30
• (3 credits) Required or Elective Course
• (1 credit) *BIO 601 Sp. Topics in Mol. and Cell. Genetics M 8-9; M 4-5:30
• (1 credit) *BIO 770 MCB Research Talks W 5-6
• (1 credit) *BIO 795 Research in Biology (rotation)
• Total credits = 9

Establish your Doctoral Advisory Committee at the end of your first year.

Second Year

• (3 credits) Remaining Required Courses
• Electives (minimum of 3 total)
• (1 credit) *BIO 601 Special topics in Molecular and Cellular Genetics (Spring)
• (1 credit) *BIO 770 MCB Research Talk (Fall or Spring)
• (1 credit) *BIO 795 Research in Biology (permanent lab) (Fall and Spring
• Total credits = 9 to 12

After Year Two:

• (1 credit) *BIO 770 MCB Research Talk (Fall or Spring)
• Optional Electives
• If pre-qualifying: BIO 795 (sign up for the # of credits needed to bring your total to 9)
• If post-qualifying or if you take qualifying by the sixth week of the semester: Students entering before Fall 2005- Two consecutive full-time semesters of enrollment including 6-9 hours each semester in BIO 769 must be completed following the completion of the Qualifying Examination. For students who entered the Graduate Program in the Fall of 2005 (or later), BIO 769 is not taken for residency. Rather, students register for 2 hours BIO 767 (Dissertation Residency Credit) each semester after the qualifying exam until graduation.

Electives:
Below is a list of recommended and approved electives from which to choose. Other courses may fulfill the elective requirement, but as always, selection of courses must be done in consultation with your research supervisor and advisory committee.

Course Number/Title (semester):

BIO 529 Developmental Biology (F)
BIO 535 Neurobiology (S of odd years only)
BIO 550 Advanced Comparative Physiology (periodically offered)
CHE 550 Biological Chemistry I (F)
STA 580 Biostatistics I (F/S)
BIO 582 Virology (S)
IBS 601 Biomolecules & Metabolism (F) or BCH 401G Biochemistry (F/S)
IBS 602 Biomolecules and Molecular Biology (S)
IBS 604 Cell Signaling (S)
BCH 604 Structural Biology (F)
BCH 610 Biochemistry of Lipids and Membranes (S)
BCH 611 Biochemistry and Cell Biology of Nucleic Acids (F)
BCH 612 Structure and Function of Proteins and Enzymes (S)
BIO 615 (=MI 615) Molecular Biology (S)
BIO 618 (=ANA 618) Molecular Neurobiology (F)
BIO 621 Membrane Biophysics (periodically offered)
BIO 638 Developmental Neurobiology (F of odd years only)
BIO 650 Neurophysiology Lab [2 credits] (periodically offered)
BIO 782 Advanced Virology (S)

The qualifying exam:
Students must complete at least 36 credit hours prior to the qualifying exam. This should coincide with the end of the fourth semester. After the fourth semester, you should meet with your Advisory Committee to make arrangements for your qualifying exam. You may take the qualifying exam in the summer without registering for the summer session if you pre-register for the following Fall semester. The BGP office will help you get this done. The qualifying exam procedures and format are discussed in detail elsewhere.

For questions regarding the MCB curriculum or advising of graduate students, please contact Dr. Pete Mirabito.

Download MS-WORD version of MCB graduate student curriculum