Biotechnology MS Degree – UCF Graduate Catalog 2016-2017

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Master of Science in Biotechnology program in the College of Medicine will prepare students to function in the industrial biotechnology environment. This program is designed to give students broad knowledge and training in the scientific and practical aspects of biotechnology.

The Master of Science in Biotechnology program in the College of Medicine will prepare students to function in the industrial biotechnology environment. This program is designed to give students broad knowledge and training in the scientific and practical aspects of biotechnology.

It involves innovative, hands-on and multidisciplinary learning approaches to educate and train students in scientific aspects of biotechnology. The courses and research training required of all students in this program are designed to develop independent thinking, team work and communication skills, which are highly desirable in the biotechnology industry. Students will be provided an industrial perspective and an understanding of product development at the same time as they are trained in the biotechnology techniques required for such development.

The Master of Science in Biotechnology program consists of a minimum of 30 semester credit hours of graduate courses offeredby the Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences inthe College of Medicine that includes 21 credit hours minimum of required courses, 3 credits of restricted electives,and 6 credit hours of thesis research as detailed below.

What makes this program unique is the focus on practical training offered to graduate students through masters thesis research in molecular biotechnology to perform jobs in laboratory environment that require scientific talent.

Students must take the following courses plus at least two credit hours of graduate seminar.

MCB 5722C Methods in Biotechnology (4 credit hours) or BSC 6407C Laboratory Methods in Molecular Biology (3 credit hours)

BSC 6432 Structure-Function-Relationships of Biomedical Sciences I (5 credit hours)

BSC 6433 Structure-Function-Relationships of Biomedical Sciences II (5 credit hours)

BSC 6431 Practice of Biomedical Sciences (3 credit hours)

PCB 5527 Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (3 credit hours) or one of the following: BSC 5418 Tissue Engineering (3 credit hours), MCB 6417C Microbial Metabolism (3 credit hours), PCB 5025 Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology (3 credit hours)

Students will participate in at least two graduate seminar courses thatwill prepare them for making professional presentations with emphasis in biotechnology. The courseswill involve participation of speakers from the biotechnology industry with emphasis on an industrial perspective on biotechnology applications and product development.

Students willselect three credit hours of restricted electives from the list below.

Students will take a minimum of six credits of thesis research (MCB 6971) to complete their research and submit their thesis specializing in biotechnology research. Students are expected to have an in-depth discussion with at least three faculty members before choosing alaboratory for thesis research.The student and the Thesis Adviser/Major Professor will jointly recommend an advisory committee comprised of at least three members. The committee composition must reflect expertise relevant to the students thesis research and must be approved by the Graduate Committee. Students switching to change the composition of the Thesis Advisory Committee must also obtain approval from the Graduate Committee.

The thesis proposal defense requirement should be met and passed successfully no later than the end of the summer of the first year in the program. Students will not be allowed to register for courses for the Fall semester of their second year until this requirement is fulfilled. The Thesis Proposal requirement includes: 1) a written 5-page thesis proposal; 2) a thesis proposal defense in front of the thesis committee; and 3) questions by the thesis committee to test the student's understanding of the basic concepts in the field and relevant applications. The student will be evaluated on performance in all three sections. Should the student fail, a second opportunity will be provided within 2 weeks of the first attempt. A second failure will result in dismissal from the program.

An oral thesis defense is required. The defense will be in the format of:

A 50-minute presentation of the thesis work, including a 5-minute introduction

A 10-minute free period for the general audience to ask questions

A 1-hour closed-door examination by the Thesis Advisory Committee and the program faculty present

The thesis should be of significant scope and depth such that the work has made advances in the area of biotechnology. The MS thesis research must generate sufficient quantity and quality data to support the submission of a minimum of one manuscript. Approval of the final thesis will require consent from the majority of the Program Faculty who choose to review the thesis, inclusive of the Thesis Advisory Committee. Faculty members with dissenting vote on the thesis must provide written justification. Scientific journal review criteria will be used as guidelines by the faculty to evaluate the final thesis for its appropriateness for publication in the target journal.

Students will be evaluated on the progress in thesis research by the thesis advisory committee for fall and spring. Two consecutive unsatisfactory evaluations will result in dismissal from the program.

Students must pass a comprehensive exam to qualify for the Master of Science degree.

Students must successfully pass an oral comprehensive examination to test the understanding of the basic concepts in the field and relevant applications. The Comprehensive Examination will be conducted during the thesis proposal defense.The exam will be administered by the thesis committee. Should the student fail this exam, a second opportunity will be provided within 2 weeks of the first attempt. A second failure will result in dismissal from theprogram.

For information on general UCF graduate admissions requirements that apply to all prospective students, please visit theAdmissions section of the Graduate Catalog.Applicants mustapply online. All requested materials must be submitted by the establisheddeadline.

In addition to thegeneral UCF graduateapplication requirements, applicants to this program must provide:

Personal interviews are helpful but not required. Applicants whodo not have a competitiveGPA or GRE may occasionally be accepted if there is other convincing evidence of potential for high achievement and success.

Applicants who hold a BS degree in unrelated fields are expected to have the equivalent of 16 semester hours of credit in the biotechnology/biological sciences including a course in general microbiology, biochemistry or molecular biology or cell biology, plus one year of organic chemistry, one year of physics, basic university mathematics and statistics, and laboratory skills equivalent to the minimum required of our own undergraduates. Minor deficiencies may be remedied after acceptance by enrollment at the first opportunity in an appropriate course.

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Fellowships are awarded based on academic merit to highly qualified students. They are paid to students through the Office of Student Financial Assistance, based on instructions provided by the College of Graduate Studies. Fellowships are given to support a students graduate study and do not have a work obligation. For more information, see UCF Graduate Fellowships, whichincludes descriptions of university fellowshipsand what you should do to be considered for a fellowship.

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Biotechnology MS Degree - UCF Graduate Catalog 2016-2017