Biology (BIOL)

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The University of Maryland recently reorganized its graduate programs in the biological sciences, and BIOL is no longer accepting applicants. Please see the new Biological Sciences (BISI) program link at (http://www.gradschool.umd.edu/catalog/programs/bisi.htm) or bisi.umd.edu

Abstract

The Graduate Program of the Department of Biology is designed to provide students with individualized training in their area of research interest (within the broad range of expertise of its research faculty). We recognize that the student's faculty mentor is primarily responsible for supporting, training, and guiding the student in performing cutting-edge research. Thus we have outstanding faculty in performing internationally-recognized research in the areas of behavior, membrane biophysics, cell biology, ecology, estuarine and marine biology, ethology, evolutionary biology, evolutionary developmental biology, neurobiology, physiology, population ecology, and population genetics. There are no "one size fits all" courses. The supporting coursework plan is designed specifically for each student. The primary aim of the Program is to provide students with the best preparation for their future career as independent investigators (Ph.D. degree) or a variety of other positions (Master's degree).

Admissions Information

The Biology (BIOL) Graduate Program is no longer accepting applictions.

Application Deadlines

	Fall	Spring
Domestic Applicants: U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents
Domestic Applicant Deadlines

Application Requirements

[not applicable]

Degree Requirements

Master of Science (M.S.)
The master's program enables a student to engage in advanced study and to undertake a research project. As in the Ph.D. program, a committee helps the student to select coursework that fits best with the student's long-term goals. This program serves many functions: students unsure of their long-term research goals, students interesting in working as technicians in industry or government labs, students interested in a teaching career, etc. The student is required to complete at least 24 hours of advanced coursework and 6 credit hours of thesis research. The master's degree requires less than three years to complete. The master's thesis generally consists of one solid publishable paper. Students must successfully defend their thesis to earn their degree.

Master of Science Non-Thesis (MSNT)
Students may not apply for direct admission to the non-thesis program. This program is designed to allow students in the thesis Master's or Doctoral program to leave with a degree that reflects their level of achievement. After at least a year in a Master's or Doctoral program, a student may transfer to the non-thesis Master's degree program. The requirements for earning a non-thesis Master's are described in the Graduate Handbook of the Biology Department.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
The Ph.D. program in Biology is a research program providing maximum opportunity for the student to develop his or her capacity for scholarship and independent work. The focus is on research and any coursework is specifically designed to complement the student's research. An advisory committee help to guide each student in selecting coursework and other learning experiences. A formal preliminary examination is given to all doctoral students within the first two and a half years of enrollment to ensure that the student is progressing appropriately in knowledge and in research direction. Students are encouraged to present their research at national and international meeting and funding is available to help defray travel expenses. Seminar series featuring prominent scientists from across the country also help students to develop contacts nationwide. On the day that students defend their doctoral dissertation, they also present their work to the Department. This is a celebration of their achievements.

Facilities and Special Resources

For cellular/molecular research: In addition to the specialized equipments in the laboratories of the faculty, the Departments maintains shared instrumentation including autoclaves, scintillation counters, superspeed and ultraspeed centrifuges, spectrophotometer and spectrofluorometer, atomic absorption, large temperature-controlled shakers, constant-temperature rooms and sound-proof rooms. There are sophisticated electron microscope facilities including both scanning and transmission EM, as well as tissue preparation facilities such as microtomes and freeze/drying shadowing. There is also a confocal microscope and digitizing facilities. There is an animal care facility housing a variety of animals. Other facilites available to Biology students are NMR, mass spectroscopy, DNA sequencing, cell sorting, and X-ray diffraction. There is also access to the manufacture of specialized equipment by mechanical and electronic shops in the Physics Dept.

For research at the organismal level: Access to unparalleled collections of living and preserved organisms, and access to temperate and tropical field sites involving diverse habitats and a wide range of organisms are available to Biology students to conduct their research. Specialized equipment on campus available for student use include a laboratory for evolutionary molecular sequence analysis, scanning, transmission and confocal microscopes, gas source stable isotope mass spectrophotometer, bioacoustic lab, flume lab, GIS lab, and high-speed network access to a wide range of desktop and super-computing facilities. Greenhouses for research are available.

Library Facilities: The library facilities on campus are outstanding. However, they are not used as much by researchers as they used to be because the library makes most of the journals available on line. If a journal is not available on campus because of low demand, the library will obtain pdf's of articles and send these directly to ones's computer. In addition there are other libraries with specialized collections within a few miles. The most important are the National Agricultural Library, the Library of Congress, the National Library of Medicine and the Smithsonian Institution Library. Thus our area contains perhaps the most comprehensive collections of books and journals in the world. Computer Facilities: The entire campus is wired for high-speed computing using fiber optic cabling. In addition many buildings, including all Biology labs and offices, have wireless access. There is also access to supercomputing facilities.

Students can also acquire training and conduct research at several sites off campus, including the following:

1. The National Institutes of Health is divided into 27 institutes and centers that oversee a vast amount of intramural research. Collaboration with intramural researchers is common and some NIH investigators have adjunct
   appointments in the Department.
2. The National Zoological Park has laboratories at the National Zoo for the study of animals. It also has a field station, the Conservation and Research Center, for the study of endangered species.
3. The Laboratory of Molecular Systematics is a research unit of the National Museum of Natural History specializing in genetic data analysis.
4. The Smithsonian Environmental Research Center near the Chesapeake Bay is focused on population studies.
5. The Center for Advanced Research and Biotechnology (CARB) in Rockville, MD, is focused in the area of protein structure.
6. The Center for Biosystems Research (CBR) is located on campus and is focused on bioinformatics.
7. The National Cancer Institute, in Frederick, MD..
8. The Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Beltsville, MD, and the adjacent Patuxent Wildlife Refuge and Research Center provide access to animal habitats and administer thousands of acres of cultivated lands for research purposes.

Financial Assistance

Students are supported through fellowships, research assistantships, or teaching assistantships. Each form provides a salary, tuition remission, and heath benefits. This support is meant to help the student shed the cares of life and focus of their research. Fellowships are offered by the Program on a competitive basis. Students are also urged to work with their prospective research advisor to apply for fellowships from granting agencies such as NIH, NSF, and DOD. Research assistantships are provided by the prospective advisor from his/her research funds. Teaching assistantships are provided by the Program and require the students to assist a faculty member in teaching a course. These involve supervising lab sections and grading. A side benefit of this work is valuable teaching experience. Historically all graduate students have been supported throughout their graduate career.

Contact Information

Students are urged to communicate directly with the faculty in the area of their interest, but additional general information and a statement of particular Departmental requirements may be obtained by contacting:

Marco Colombini, Director of Graduate Studies; Lois Reid, Academic Program Manager
2231 Biology-Psychology Building,
University of Maryland, College Park,
MD  20742
Telephone: (301) 405-6905
Fax: (301)314-9358
biol-grad@deans.umd.edu

http://www.life.umd.edu/biology

Courses: BIOL

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