Molecular & Cellular Biology (MOCB)

Arabidopsis thaliana flower
Participating Faculty
Cell & Molecular Biology Training Program
Virology Program
Plant Systems 
Host-Pathogen Interactions (HPI) Program
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The Molecular & Cellular Biology concentration area is a highly mentored program within a large and diverse University. Graduate training is individualized to meet the needs of our students with the goal of providing the most rigorous training and preparation for a career in biosciences. Our faculty members have a broad spectrum of expertise and represent some of the most outstanding investigators on campus.

Example Research Areas:

Students that choose the Molecular and Cellular Biology Concentration Area pursue research that reaches across a multitude of fields, some of which are listed here:

Admissions, Financial Aid, FAQs

Please see the BISI Program main site for information on how to apply to the program and other related questions.

MOCB Rules & Regulations

The Concentration Area Director, with the approval of the MOCB faculty, have drafted this document that outlines the rules and regulations for the MOCB Concentration Area. This document provides guidance for students with off-campus advisors, guidelines for faculty committee memberships, and other important information for the Concentration area.

Courses and Degree Requirements

The First Year:
The Concentration Area Director, with the assistance of the Graduate Program Committee, serves as the initial advisor for all entering MOCB students for their first year. For most students, the core requirements plus several advanced courses serve as the primary academic load during the first year of study. The core courses are:
  • Cell Biology I: Structure/Function (2 credits, 7 weeks) - Fall Semester
  • Nucleic Acids (2 credits, 7 weeks) - Fall Semester
  • A choice of one (1) of the following:
    • Genetics I: Transcription/Translation (2 credits, 7 weeks) - Spring Semester
    • Genetics II: Genomics/Molecular Genetics (2 credits, 7 weeks) - Spring Semester
    • Protein Structure/Function: (2 credits, 7 weeks) - Spring Semester
  • Bioethics (2 credits) - Fall or Spring
  • Research Experiences (2 credits) - both Fall and Spring
  • Teaching Science (1 credit) - Fall Semester (required for all teaching assistants
virus

The Research Experiences course consists of credits for laboratory rotations (see below), and attendance of the departmental seminar series. . In addition to the core courses, students must choose 3 electives offered by the MOCB Concentration Area or 2 from MOCB and 1 from one of the other Concentration Areas in BISI. Additional courses within BISI or from other programs may be taken at the discretion of the student’s adviser and dissertation committee. Current elective offerings include: Virology, Microbial Pathogenesis, Microbial Genetics, Immunology and Host Defense, Bioinformatics, Cell Biology II (Signal Transduction), Plant Biology: Plant Development and Physiology, Developmental Biology, and Microscopy. Students must attain a grade of "B" or better in the lecture courses, and a grade of "S" in Research Experiences, Bioethics, and Teaching Science. These grades are mandatory for continued enrollment in the graduate program.

In addition to course offerings, students are expected to attend department seminars on a regular basis and one journal club a year. There are currently several journal club options available in areas including: virology, pathogenesis, genetics and bioinformatics, and plant biology among others.

Laboratory Rotations
The MOCB Concentration Area requires a total of three lab rotations: Two laboratory rotations in the first semester that last 7 weeks each, and a third rotation to be completed during the winter break. After these rotations and with the agreement of the lab mentor, students may declare a lab to perform their Ph.D. research in. An email to the BISI administrative assistant from the mentor is required to confirm that a student is joining the lab. Additional rotations can be performed in the spring semester if the student remains undecided after the required rotations. Rotations are set up by each student after meeting with faculty performing research that interests the particular student.

ribosomes

The Second Year:
Students will generally complete elective courses and any other course work by the end of the second year. The University has no formal course credit requirements for Ph. D. students other than the completion of at least 12 credits of Ph. D. Dissertation Research (898 and 899 credits). Before the end of the fourth semester, the adviser and the student should also submit to the Graduate Director the names of other faculty members who will serve as the student's Research Committee. The student's research advisor serves as the chairman of this committee, and it becomes the responsibility of the committee to guide the student through the remainder of the graduate program.

Ph.D. Program Candidacy Exam Procedure:
The Ph. D. student has two important meetings with the student's research committee in the third year. Specific details regarding the preliminary committee meeting and the requirements for the qualifying exam can be found here

It is expected that the student should be able to complete the research necessary for writing the Ph. D. dissertation within two to three years following the candidacy examination. The student is required to meet with the Research Committee on a yearly annual basis. The research for the Ph. D. degree must establish the student's ability to perform independent and creative scholarly research that makes a substantial contribution to our knowledge about an important question in biology. The ability to do high-quality research must be demonstrated by the submission and the defense of a Ph. D. dissertation.

 Diploid Strawberry Flower

Affiliated Institutions and Research Partnerships

Institutions and Centers

  • College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences (CMNS)
  • College of Agriculture & Natural Resources (CANR)
  • Food and Drug Administration Laboratories (FDA)
  • Institute for Genomic Research (IGR)
  • National Institutes of Health (NIH)
  • Smithsonian Institution Museum of Natural History (NMNH)
  • USDA Beltsville Agricultural Research Center
  • Maryland Pathogen Research Institute (MPRI)
  • Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology (CBCB)

Associated Research Clusters

Students may join a research cluster once on campus, and are encouraged to explore the examples listed below to better understand potential opportunities

Funding Opportunities

Please see the BISI Program’s main site for general funding information. In addition, the MOCB Concentration area runs 2 training grants funded by the National Institutes of Health. One is associated with the Virology Program and the other with the Molecular and Cellular Biology general training program . Several students are supported by these grants. Students can apply for funding from these grants after entering the program. In some cases exceptional students are offered training grant position upon entering the program. In addition, there are several awards and fellowships offered through the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences and various affiliated departments that students can apply for.

Degree Requirements for Students Enrolled Before July 2009