Curriculum and Requirements

This 30-credit hour program combines interdisciplinary coursework with diverse, hands-on laboratory research.

You will gain the experience and knowledge needed to explore your own research through a required master’s thesis or project.  

We strongly recommend that you identify a faculty member whose lab you are interested in before applying to our program. Learn more about our participating faculty.

Year 1

Fall (12-14 crs.)

  • BMS 501 Cell Biology I, 4 credits
  • GGB 502 Essentials of Genetics and Genomics, 3 credits
  • BCH 503 Biochemical Principles
  • GGB 701 Research, 1-3 credits

Spring (12-14 crs.)

  • GGB/BCH 519 Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, 3 credits
  • GGB 701 Research, 1-12 credits
  • GGB 607 Presentation Seminar, 1 credit

1 - 2 Required Electives (0-6 credits)

  • GGB/MIC/BCH 611 Advanced Microbial Genetics, 2 credits OR
  • BCH 508 Gene Expression, 2 credits OR
  • EEH 674 Fundamentals of Genetic Epidemiology, 3 credits OR
  • STA 525 Stats for Bioinformatics, 3 credits

Year 2

Fall (3-11 crs.)

  • GGB 701 Research, 1-6 crs
  • Electives & Special Topics, 0-6 crs.

1-2 Required Electives (0-6 credits)

  • GGB/BCH 512 - Developmental Genomics and Stem Cell Biology, 3 credits OR
  • BCH/MIC 506 - The Human Microbiome, 2 credits OR
  • BCH/MIC 607 DNA Replication and Repair, 2 credits OR
  • BIO 550 Human Evolutionary Genomics, 3 credits OR
  • PHC 509 Pharmacogenomics in the Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2 credits (offered in even years) OR PHC 517 Pharmacogenomics, 2 credits

Spring (3-6 crs.)

  • GGB 607 Presentation Seminar, 1 credit
  • GGB 701 Research, 1-6 crs.
  • Electives and Special Topics, 0-6 crs.

Elective and Special Topic Courses

(1-2 courses, 5-6 credits total)

Preapproved options are listed below. GGB Students may also elect other GGB courses or 500-600-level courses in computer science, biostatistics, neuroscience, microbiology and biology, with permission from your adviser and the program.

Biochemistry (BCH):
  • BCH 507 Protein Structure and Function, 2-3 credits
  • BCH 508 Gene Expression, 2 credits
  • BCH 607 DNA Replication and Repair, 2 credits
Biological Sciences (BIO):
  • BIO 526 Human Genetic Diseases
  • BIO 550 Human Evolutionary Genomics, 3 credits
  • BIO 502 Advanced Cell and Developmental Biology I, 4 credits
  • BIO 556 Evolutionary Genetics, 3 credits
Computer Science and Engineering (CSE):
  • CSE 536 Computational Biology, 3 credits
  • CSE 601 Data Mining and Bioinformatics, 3 credits
  • CSE/BMI 577 Processing of Strings and Sequences
Epidemiology and Environmental Health (EEH): 
  • EEH 674 Fundamentals of Genetic Epidemiology, 3 credits
Microbiology and Immunology (MIC):
  • MIC 512 Fundamentals of Immunology, 2 credits
  • MIC 603 Viruses and Cancer, 2 credits
  • MIC 607 DNA Replication and Repair, 2 credits
  • MIC 627 Molecular Parasitology, 2 credits
Neuroscience (NRS):
  • NRS 521 Neuroscience Intro 2, 4 credits
  • NRS 524 Quantitative Neuroanatomy, 4 credits
Oral Biology (ORB):
  • ORB 510 Saliva and the Oral Microbiome, 2 credits
Physiology (PGY): 
  • PGY 505 Cell and Membrane Physiology, 4 credits
  • PGY 607 Cellular and Molecular Basis of Disease, 3 credits
Pharmaceutical Sciences (PHC):
  • PHC 509 Pharmacogenomics in the Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2 credits
  • PHC 517 Pharmacogenomics, 2 credits
Pharmacology and Toxicology (PMY):
  • PMY 527 Modern Approaches to Drug Discovery, 2 credits
  • PMY 627 Target Organ Toxicity, 2 credits
Biostatistics (STA): 
  • STA 509 Statistical Genomics, 3 credits
  • STA 525 Stats for Bioinformatics, 3 credits
  • STA 545 Statistical Data Mining, 3 credits
Structural Biology (STB):
  • STB 530 Mathematics and Physics Topics for Structural Biologists, 2 credits