Biological Sciences (Ph.D.)

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Admissions Information

Doctor of Philosophy: Total 72 credit hours beyond the bachelor’s degree

Biology courses 60-72 credit hours to include:

Topical seminar BIOL 792 - TOPICS IN BIOLOGY (C) or NSCI 792 - TOPICS (C) (minimum of four different 1+ credit hour topic courses required, if specializing the courses at least 2 credit hours must be theme related)
Graduate Seminar BIOL 890 - Ph.D. SEMINAR IN BIOLOGY 4-5 credit hours (no more than 5 credit hours will count toward program of study)
Dissertation research BIOL 898D - Ph.D. DISSERTATION RESEARCH 24-40 credit hours
Select Optional Specialization or electives (Specializations: Bioinformatics, Neuroscience, or Integrative Biology): 15-16 cr.
Supporting courses subject to approval of student’s dissertation advisory committee 0-12 credit hours

Note:

NSCI 792/other topics courses will fulfill the four course topics requirement. Courses taken under a different prefix will be considered supporting coursework and will not count toward the required 60 credit hours of BIOL courses.
50% of the program of study must be at the 700-level or above.
Up to 18 credit hours from a previous master’s degree can be applied towards Biology or supporting courses.

Bioinformatics Specialization (16 credit hours Optional)

BIOL 720 - BIOSTATISTICS 3 cr
BIOL 720L - BIOSTATISTICS 1 cr
BIOL 769 - PROGRAMMING FOR BIOLOGY 3 cr
BIOL 780 - BIOINFORMATICS COMPUTING AND APPLICATIONS 3 cr
Choose 6 credit hours of the following:
BIOL 770 - COMPUTATIONAL GENOMICS AND SYSTEMS BIOLOGY 3 cr
BIOL 781 - DATA MINING IN BIOINFORMATICS 3 cr
Advisory committee approved elective in Bioinformatics 3-6 cr hrs

Integrative Biology Specialization (16 credit hours Optional)

BIOL 720 - BIOSTATISTICS 3 cr
BIOL 720L - BIOSTATISTICS 1 cr
BIOL 725 - INTEGRATIVE ORGANISMAL BIOLOGY 3 cr
Choose 3 credit hours of the following areas:
Sub-Organismal Group:
BIOL 743 - CELL BIOLOGY 3 cr
Advisory committee approved elective
Organismal Group
BIOL 730 - NEUROBIOLOGY 3 cr
Advisory committee approved elective
Super-Organismal Group
BIOL 711 - FOUNDATIONS OF ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION 3 cr
Advisory committee approved elective

Neuroscience Specialization (15 credit hours Optional)

A Neuroscience Specialization is available if the dissertation topic is in the neuroscience area. The course requirements are as follows:

Select a minimum of 15 credit hours from the courses listed below, or courses approved by advisor/committee (at least 3 credit hours must be from the BIOL prefix).

ANAT 732 - ADVANCED NEUROANATOMY 5 cr
BIOL 727 - ENDOCRINOLOGY 3 cr
BIOL 730 - NEUROBIOLOGY 3 cr
BIOL 732 - BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 3 cr
BIOL 792 - TOPICS IN BIOLOGY (C) 1 to 6 cr (if neuroscience topic) *
NSCI 710 - NEUROPHARMACOLOGY 3 cr
NSCI 711 - DISCOVERIES IN NEUROSCIENCES 3 cr
NSCI 720 - NEUROBIOLOGY OF DISEASE 4 cr
NSCI 731 - MEDICAL NEUROSCIENCE 3 cr
NSCI 792 - TOPICS (C) 1 to 4 cr *
* BIOL 792 and NSCI 792 may be taken more than once for credit (if different material is covered in different offerings). Credit ranges indicate possible number of credits for a single section of the course and do not limit the total credits from BIOL 792 or NSCI 792 that can be applied to the specialization or degree.

Dissertation Research

The area of concentration for this degree may be selected from the various biological specialties (e.g., ecology, cell biology, developmental biology, molecular biology, evolution, neuroscience, physiology). Completion of the degree requires a demonstrated ability to conduct original and independent research. Each doctoral student is required to take a comprehensive oral examination before the beginning of the third year, after completion of most of the coursework. Candidates for the Ph.D. degree present a departmental seminar and take a final oral examination that addresses the dissertation as well as evaluates the student’s knowledge of broader aspects of biology. See http://www.usd.edu/arts-and-sciences/biology/phd for a description of the advisory committee, the annual progress report, the comprehensive oral examination, the dissertation proposal, and recommended timetable for completion of the degree.