GRADUATE DEGREE PROGRAMS
DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT BUFFALO
The Department of Biological Sciences at the State University of New York at Buffalo offers research and study programs leading to the degrees of Doctor of Philosophy, Masters of Science and Masters of Arts. The programs are designed for students who have completed a Bachelor's degree and wish to pursue in-depth study in the Biological Sciences. At present, the Department of Biological Sciences includes faculty working in the sub-disciplines of Cell and Developmental Biology, Molecular Biology and Genetics, Biochemistry, Physiology, and Ecology. These degree programs are designed to give the qualified student a comprehensive understanding of living organisms and the background and experience required for carrying out independent research. Students can concentrate in one subspecialty or expand their course of study by performing research in two or more areas.
Ph.D. and M.S. students initially spend two 10-week periods during their first two semesters in research rotations with departmental faculty. They then begin an in-depth research project under the guidance of a mentor. Interdisciplinary research opportunities are abundant, because of extensive collaborations by departmental faculty. After graduation, our students obtain excellent research positions in academia or industry.
Research Facilities
The department is exceptionally well equipped for research and teaching. The research laboratories are housed in a modern building, with such adjunct facilities as instrument shops, animal quarters, and a greenhouse. Major instrumentation and equipment are available, including such items as a 750-MHz NMR spectrometer, fluorescence and electron microscopes, and multiple phosphorimaging systems.
The department has extensive computer resources. The Genetics Computer Group Programs for protein and nucleic acid primary sequence analysis and the Insight (MSI) suite of programs for molecular modeling and molecular dynamics simulations of macromolecules are accessible both through high quality graphics terminals and desktop microcomputers. Mainframe computer access is provided to all graduate students.
Financial Aid
Most graduate students qualify for financial assistance in the
form of fellowships, traineeships, and research or teaching
assistantships. For 2001-2002, Ph.D. appointments will provide
stipends that range from $17,000 to $23,000 per calendar year,
plus full tuition costs. In addition, all stipend-supported
students also receive health-care insurance covering medical,
dental, and vision services for themselves and their dependents.
Almon, Richard R.: endocrinology of skeletal muscle
Berezney, Ronald: molecular and cell biology of the nucleus
Berry, James O.: molecular and developmental biology of plant genes
Bisson, Mary A.: plant physiology: membrane transport and salt stress
Bruenn, Jeremy A.: molecular virology: viral-cellular interactions
Cullen, Paul: Signal transduction and cell polarity
DuBois, Deborah C.:Molecular mechanisms of muscle atrophy/hypertrophy
Ferkey, Denise: C. elegans Sensory Biology: G Protein-Coupled Signal Transduction and Regulation
Fourtner, Charles R.: neurobiology, ion channel activities
Free, Stephen J.: molecular genetics, cellular organization
Gollnick, Paul D.: RNA/protein interactions and prokaryotic gene expression
Hennessey, Todd M.: membrane biochemistry and cell physiology of ciliates
Herreid, C.H.: physiological ecology and exercise physiology
Ho, Kiong: Eukaryotic gene expression: RNA processing and repair
Hollingsworth, Margaret: RNA processing, chloroplast gene expression
Hudecki, Michael S.: drug therapy for hereditary muscular dystrophy
Koudelka, Gerald B.: DNA/protein interactions, transcriptional regulation
LaFountain, James R.: mechanism of chromosome segregation
Loretz, Christopher A.: epithelial ion transport
Medler, Kathryn: Physiology of Neuronal Cell Signaling Pathways
Medler, Scott : Skeletal Muscle Design and Plasticity
Monteiro, Antonia: Evolutionary developmental biology
Piel, William H. : Organismic and Evolutionary Biology
Pierchala, Brian : Neurotrophic Factors in Neural Development and Disease
Shortridge, Randall D.: molecular genetics of visual transduction
Snyder, Grayson H.: protein engineering, physical biochemistry
Taylor, Derek J.: molecular systematics and ecology of freshwater invertebrates
Wang, Jui R.: biochemistry and molecular biology of kinases
Xu-Friedman, Matthew: Synaptic physiology and neuronal computation
Yu, Michael: Biological Functions of Protein Methylation
Details of the Ph.D. and M.S. graduate program within the Department of Biological Sciences are described below, and the M.A. program at the M.A. page. Students are also encouraged to read the Guidelines of the Graduate School of the State University of New York at Buffalo for further information regarding the requirements for graduate degrees at SUNY/Buffalo.
General Admission Requirements
Entering students normally will have completed a Bachelor's degree with a strong emphasis on biological sciences. Applicants should have also completed chemistry through organic chemistry, mathematics through integral calculus, and at least one year of physics. If a student lacks courses in these areas the deficiencies must be made up prior to or during the first year of residency. Applicants are expected to have demonstrated, as undergraduates, the potential to perform well in graduate coursework and in a research setting.
Students are encouraged to apply on-line. Printable applications (Domestic and International) are also available. Application forms are also available by writing to: The Department of Biological Sciences, 109 Cooke Hall, SUNY/Buffalo, Buffalo, New York 14260. Requests for applications and information may also be made by e-mail. The completed application includes: the completed application form, GRE scores in the verbal, quantitative, and analytical tests, and letters of recommendation. Applicants who do not use English as their first language are required to demonstrate proficiency in the English language (normally determined by the TOEFL test).
II. Requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree
A. Course Work
The Doctor of Philosophy degree program includes the satisfactory completion of at least 22 credit hours of formal course work. Eighteen (18) of these credits must be completed by the end of the fourth semester in the program. It is expected that Biology graduate students will complete their course requirements by enrolling in graduate courses offered by the Biology Department. Biology graduate students may petition the Graduate Affairs Committee to take courses outside our department, if these courses are considered by them and their advisor to be necessary for their research topic. In order to ensure that these courses are completed in the allotted time, a full-time first year graduate must enroll in and complete two formal courses in each of their first two semesters. Formal courses are defined as graduate level lecture courses in which a letter grade is given. Formal courses do not include seminars, directed readings, research rotations, graduate research, or supervised teaching. Failure to complete two formal courses in either of their first two semesters will result in the student being placed on academic probation for that semester. To be removed from probation, the student must complete two formal courses with an aggregate quality point average (QPA) of at least 3.0 in the subsequent semester. Failure to do so will result in dismissal from the graduate program. Throughout the program, the student must maintain a QPA of at least 3.0 in formal courses. A QPA of 3.0 is also required for all OTHER graduate courses taken (including rotations, seminars etc.). Failure to maintain the required QPA in either of these categories will result in a student being placed on probation. Failure to achieve the cumulative QPA of 3.0 by the succeeding semester after being placed on probation will lead to dismissal from the graduate program. Students will be immediately dismissed from the program if their QPA is so low as to preclude their achievement of a 3.0 QPA in formal courses within one semester of further course work.
Entering Ph.D. students will be assigned a faculty advisor, based on the student's interests, to assist the first year student in the selection of courses. Course selections must be approved by the advisor. Once a student has selected a research advisor, the research advisor will assume responsibility for student advisement. The research advisor should be selected by the end of the second semester of residence. The schedule for a typical Ph.D. program is shown at the end of this document.
After the successful completion of the formal course work the student will devote the major portion of his or her time to graduate research.
B. Rotations
Incoming students will be required to perform two 10-week research rotations with different faculty members prior to entering a laboratory and embarking on a Ph.D. research project. Research rotations consist of miniprojects carried out in the laboratory of and under the supervision of a faculty member. After an orientation in which students hear about all of the research opportunities in the department, students pick their advisors for research rotations. These rotations will normally take place during the first two semesters in the program and will include the intersession period between the fall and spring semester and/or the summer months. Students in the Ph.D. Program will have the option, but not a requirement, of performing a third research rotation. Students that opt to not perform a third rotation must immediately begin their thesis research in the laboratory they choose after their second rotation.
Rotation Periods
Students entering in:
| Fall Semester | Spring Semester |
| First rotation | |
| 1 week after classes start through Week 11 | 1 week after classes start through Week 11 |
| Second Rotation | |
| Week 12 through week 5 of spring semester | Week 12 through 1st week of June |
| Third Rotation | |
| Week 6 of the spring semester through Week 15 of spring semester | 2nd Week of June through 1st week of July (Full time) |
The Director of Graduate Affairs will coordinate the assignment of research rotations and the assignments will be made, in so far as is possible, into the laboratories requested by the student. Students will prepare a written report describing the experiments completed during each rotation, a copy of which must be submitted to the Graduate Affairs Committee. Laboratory rotations will be graded on either an A-F or S/U basis, at the discretion of the faculty research supervisor. The grades will be based on BOTH the laboratory work and the written report. Students must receive passing grades or higher in all laboratory rotations to complete the research rotation requirement. After completing their rotations, students choose a laboratory in which to do their thesis research and immediately commence their thesis work.
C. Seminars
Ph.D. students will be required to enroll in and attend Departmental Seminar (BIO 614) every semester they are in residence. They are also required to enroll in a Graduate Student Seminar (BIO 610) during their first two years in the program. Each Ph.D. student is required to present two seminars in BIO 610 and will receive a letter grade for these seminars. In order to fulfill the seminar requirement the student must achieve at least a B grade in each seminar. Students may present additional seminars to make up for unsatisfactory presentations.
D. The Ph.D. Advisory Committee
Upon choosing a faculty member as an advisor the student and advisor will assemble a Ph.D. Advisory Committee, consisting of the advisor and at least three other faculty members from the Department. The membership of each Ph.D. Advisory Committee must be approved by the Graduate Affairs Committee and any changes in the Committee's members (including a change in advisor) must be approved by petition to the Graduate Affairs Committee. The Ph.D. Advisory Committee will: (1) meet with the student at least four weeks before the candidacy examination (see below) to define the nature of the examination, (2) administer the candidacy examination, (3) be responsible for meeting with the student every semester to ascertain whether the student is making adequate progress towards completion of the research project and for reporting said progress to the Graduate Affairs Committee by letter signed by all of the Ph.D. Advisory Committee members, (4) attend the student' s informal presentation of thesis data and determine whether the student may commence writing the Ph.D. thesis, and (5) approve the thesis and certify the completion of the requirements for the Ph.D. degree. All meetings of the Ph.D. Advisory Committee will be called and chaired by a member of the Committee designated by the student. The research advisor may not chair the Committee.
E. The Candidacy Exam
Each student is required to take a candidacy exam, conducted by his or her Ph.D. Advisory Committee. All Committee members must be in attendance for candidacy examinations. A candidacy exam will consist of two parts.
I. A grant proposal. Each student will prepare an original grant proposal on a topic selected by the student and approved by the Ph.D. Advisory Committee. The purpose of the written exam is to judge the student's ability to design a line of inquiry into a specific scientific topic. As such, the proposal should be based on a seminal paper or papers in the field of interest. This paper should be presented, along with the topic of the proposal to the Ph.D. Advisory committee for approval prior to initiating the writing of the proposal. The background of the proposed work will be presented in graduate student seminar (BIO 610) during the third semester of residence. The Ph.D. Advisory Committee must be invited to the seminar. The topic of the grant proposal must be different from the planned thesis research or other research in progress in the department. The proposal will follow the format used by a major granting agency, such as NSF or NIH (excluding cover page, budget, C.V., and facilities), and will include Specific Aims, Background, Significance, Experimental Procedures and a discussion of how the anticipated results are related to the questions set forth in the aims. To ensure the student has a clear idea of the requirements of their committee, the research advisor and committee must consult with the student during selection of the proposal topic and the writing of the original draft of the proposal. This proposal must be submitted to the Ph.D. Advisory Committee no later than the fifth week of the fourth semester of residency (i.e., February 28 for students entering in fall or October 1 for students entering in spring). This proposal will be read by the Committee members, who will make comments and return a copy of the proposal to the student at least two weeks prior to the candidacy exam.
II. An oral examination. The Ph.D. Advisory Committee will question the student about the grant proposal and in the subdiscipline the student has chosen for his or her Ph.D. research project. Approximately half of the exam will be devoted to questions relating to the submitted grant proposal. The remaining half will consist of questions in the general field in which the Ph.D. research project will be conducted. Students are expected to exhibit breadth in their major area of interest and in ancillary fields.
The student will be required to take his or her candidacy exam no later than March 31 (October 31) of the 4th semester in the program. Following the oral questions and answers, the student and thesis advisor will leave the examination room. The remaining members of the Ph.D. Advisory Committee will determine if the student has passed the oral examination. The student will pass the exam if there is no more than one dissenting vote. Should a student fail the exam, he or she will have the option of taking a second candidacy examination, which must be passed by June 15 (for those students taking their first candidacy exam in the Spring semester) or by January 15 (for those students taking their first candidacy exam in the Fall semester). Failure to pass this exam on two occasions will lead to the student's dismissal from the Ph.D. program.
F. Graduate Research and Thesis Requirements.
After successfully passing the candidacy exam the Ph.D. student will meet with the Ph.D. Advisory Committee each semester to report on the progress being made in their research. The Ph.D. Advisory Committee will keep a record of these meetings.
When a student and his or her advisor agree that sufficient research has been successfully completed to comprise a Ph.D. thesis, an informal presentation of this work will be made to the Ph.D. Advisory Committee. This presentation is intended to avoid a situation in which the Committee rejects a written thesis because of inadequate or unacceptable content, obligating the student to resume further experimentation. The Committee must give unanimous permission to the student before completion of the thesis. Under normal circumstances, the target for completion of the Ph.D. thesis is four to five years after entrance into the graduate program.
The thesis shall be written by the student with the advice and criticism of the research advisor. It shall be a scholarly effort that conforms in all respects with the principles of good grammar, organization, and style. A near final draft of the thesis shall be submitted to each member of the Ph.D. Advisory Committee at least three weeks before the defense of thesis.
The defense of the thesis shall be conducted by the Ph.D. Advisory Committee, with the designated chairman presiding. It shall be open to all students and faculty, who shall have the right to pose questions. Notice of the defense of thesis shall be mailed to Faculty and Graduate Students of the Department and to other interested parties at least two weeks prior to the defense. After the presentation and question period, the Committee will meet to discuss and vote on the outcome of the thesis defense.
III. Requirements for the Masters of Science degree
A. Course Work
The Masters of Arts (M.S.) program includes the satisfactory completion of 32 credits, 18 of which must be formal courses (lecture courses receiving a letter grade). It is expected that Biology graduate students will complete their course requirements by enrolling in graduate courses offered by the Biology Department. Biology graduate students may petition the Graduate Affairs Committee to take courses outside our department, if these courses are considered by them and their advisor to be necessary for their research topic. It is expected that the formal course work requirement will be completed within four semesters. In order to ensure that these courses are completed in the allotted time, a full-time first year master's candidate must enroll in and complete two formal courses in each of their first two semesters. Failure to complete two formal courses in either of their first two semesters will result in the student being placed on academic probation for that semester. To be removed from probation, the student must complete two formal courses and have an aggregate quality point average (QPA)of at least 3.0 in the subsequent semester. Failure to do so will result in dismissal from the graduate program. Throughout the program, the student must maintain A QPA of at least 3.0 in formal courses. A quality point average for all other graduate courses must also be 3.0 or higher. Students whose QPA in either category falls below 3.0 will be placed on probation. Failure to achieve a cumulative QPA of 3.0 by the succeeding semester after being placed on probation will result in dismissal from the graduate program. Students will be immediately dismissed from the program if their QPA is so low as to preclude their achievement of a 3.0 QPA in formal courses within one semester of further course work.
Selection of course work will be made by the student and a faculty advisor. The advisor will be assigned by the Graduate Affairs Committee according to the students interests. Once the M.S. student selects a research advisor, the research advisor will assume responsibility for student advisement.
M.S. students will enroll in the Departmental seminar (BIO 614) and the Graduate Student Seminar (BIO 610) every semester. Each M.S. student is required to give one seminar in BIO 610 and will receive a letter grade for this seminar. In order to fulfill the seminar requirement the student must achieve at least a B grade in each seminar. Students may present additional seminars to make up for unsatisfactory presentations.
B. Research Experience
The M.S. student must complete two 10 week research rotations (see Ph.D. requirements for a description of research rotations). The student is also required to complete a research project in one laboratory. One of the research rotations may be used as part of the research project. A written report of the project's research results must be approved by the faculty member in whose laboratory the research was performed and by an additional faculty member approved by the Graduate Affairs Committee. The reviewing faculty member must be identified to the graduate affairs committee before the end of the third semester of residence on an approval form. The written report should have the format of a research article. It must include sufficient background to understand the rationale for the project, the objectives of the project, the methods used, the results of the investigation and interpretation of these results. An approved copy of the report must be submitted to the Graduate Affairs Committee before the degree is conferred.
The Graduate Affairs Committee is responsible for monitoring the progress of graduate students. Each student will meet either with the Ph.D. Advisory Committee or, where a Ph.D. Advisory Committee has not been established (e.g., M.S. candidates), with a faculty advisor so that the student's standing and progress can be assessed. Graduate students will be in good standing provided that the requirements outlined above are met in a timely fashion and that the research project is judged to be progressing satisfactorily. Unsatisfactory performance in any phase of the degree program may lead to the student's dismissal from the graduate program.
Graduate students have the right to petition any decision regarding their standing in the Department or for a change in any of the requirements set forth above. Such petitions shall be addressed to the Graduate Affairs Committee and must clearly state what requirements are being petitioned and the reason for the petition. The Graduate Affairs Committee will meet and decide upon such petitions in a prompt manner.
Graduate students are eligible to be supported by Departmental funds through the first four academic semesters of graduate training. Continuing support during this period shall be contingent upon the student's carrying a full course load. An unsatisfactory grade in the teaching assignment or a complaint by a supervising faculty member can result in immediate loss of support. However, such loss will not occur without a thorough investigation by the Graduate Affairs Committee.
After the 4th semester and during the first summer of residence, it is expected that the student will be supported by research grants or fellowships. Students who do not have a predoctoral fellowship and are working with a research advisor who does not have grant support may request support from departmental funds. These requests will be considered on an individual basis with no guarantee of support. A faculty member may serve as research advisor for only one departmentally supported student at a time. Departmental support for M.S. AND Ph.D. students will be available ONLY for students in good standing.
SCHEDULE AND DEADLINES (First four semesters)
| Ph.D. | M.S. | |
| First Semester | 6-8 hours lecture courses | same as Ph.D. |
| Attend student seminar | ||
| Research rotations | ||
| Attend Departmental Seminar |
End