Catalog Navigator : Programs

The Rutgers-Newark/New Jersey Institute of Technology Federated Department of Biological Sciences offers programs leading to the master of science (M.S.), master of business and science (M.B.S.), and doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees.

M.S. Program
The M.S. in biology is designed to provide students with an opportunity to develop both depth and breadth of understanding in present-day biological disciplines. The program requires a minimum of 30 credits and includes a capstone thesis that is the result of either a laboratory/field or a library research project. All students are required to successfully complete a core curriculum that consists of at least one 3-credit course in each of four of the following five core areas: (1) cell biology/biochemistry, (2) molecular biology, (3) computational biology, (4) ecology/evolution, (5) plant biology. In addition to the minimal 12-credit core requirements, students must complete an additional 12-15 credits of elective coursework, 6 credits of laboratory or 3 credits of library research, and successfully prepare a written thesis. During the initial phase of graduate study, the student works with the M.S. program coordinator to select a course of study geared toward his or her career goals and to identify a prospective thesis adviser. In consultation with his/her thesis adviser, the student will prepare a plan for completion of the research phase of the program, which serves as the foundation for writing and defending the thesis.

M.B.S. Program
The M.B.S. in urban eco-sustainability is designed to help students identify, analyze, and better understand connections among social, environmental, technological, and economic systems. Urban eco-sustainability covers issues of sustainable resources, carbon sources/sinks, brownfield recovery, and utilization. Students enrolled in the program have the opportunity to take courses at both the Newark and New Brunswick campuses of Rutgers. For greater details about the program, please see the catalog link provided at the beginning of this paragraph and visit the program's homepage at http://psm.rutgers.edu/content/sustainability.

Ph.D. Program
The Ph.D. program in biology offers students an opportunity to work in three specific fields of research in biology namely, cell and molecular biology, ecology and evolution, and computational neuroscience. Each of the three options requires 36 credits of coursework, including core courses, and a minimum of 36 credits of research. The following is a brief summary of major program requirements:

A. Program Core Course Requirements
1. Critical Thinking for Life Sciences (48:120:630 or NJIT:BIOL:630)
2. Quantitative Analysis (48:120:615 or NJIT:MATH:615)
3. Effective College Teaching (26:120:560)

B. Discipline-Specific Core Course Requirements
Cell and Molecular Biology
1. Cell, Molecular, and Developmental Biology (26:120:524)
2. Molecular Biology of Eukaryotes (26:120:515)
3. Biochemistry (26:160:581)
Ecology and Evolution
1. Biodiversity (26:120:523)
2. Evolution (48:120:622 or NJIT:BIOL:622)
3. Ecophysiology (26:120:593)
Computational Neuroscience
1. Foundations of Mathematical Biology (48:120:502 or NJIT:MATH:637)
2. Analytical and Computational Neuroscience (NJIT:MATH:635) or Systems Computational Neuroscience (NJIT:MATH:636)
3. Systems Neuroscience (48:120:641 or NJIT:BIOL:641)

C. Elective Courses
All graduate students have the opportunity to add to their knowledge base by properly selecting elective courses. In addition to course offerings in the biology graduate program, elective courses may be taken from offerings in other graduate programs at Rutgers-Newark, NJIT, UMDNJ, Rutgers-New Brunswick, and Rutgers-Camden.

D. Laboratory Rotations
Laboratory rotations provide opportunities for research and independent study with graduate faculty members. Students are required to complete a minimum of two semester-long rotations; it is expected that one of the rotations will be completed in the laboratory where the student plans to complete his or her thesis work. Students start the first of two laboratory rotations in the spring semester of their first year and the second in the summer between first and second years of study.

E. Qualifying Exam
After the fourth semester in the program, each student must successfully complete the qualifying exam, which is intended to examine a student's preparedness to initiate a scholarly Ph.D. dissertation project. The qualifying examination will consist of written and oral components. The written component of the exam requires students to prepare a research proposal using a format typical of a pre-/postdoctoral grant application submitted to the National Science Foundation. The oral component of the exam will consist of a question-and-answer period related to the material in the written proposal as well as knowledge gained through coursework, seminar participation, and general participation in program activities. After completing successfully the qualifying examination, the student is admitted to candidacy for the doctoral degree.

F. Dissertation and Thesis Defense
Once a student has attained candidacy status, he or she chooses an adviser, begins research for the dissertation, and forms a dissertation committee. The dissertation committee is composed of the adviser, at least two other members of the graduate faculty, and one member from outside the program. The dissertation committee is responsible for reviewing student progress and for conducting the final examination at the formal thesis defense.

Bridge Courses
Students who hold baccalaureate degrees in an academic discipline that differs markedly from the programs offered by the Federated Department of Biological Sciences may be required to take additional courses to remedy any gap in preparation for graduate work. These courses must be completed before 12 credits of graduate-degree courses are earned. Bridge courses are not counted as degree credits. They do count, however, in the graduate GPA calculations if the course is numbered 500 or above.

Departmental Facilities
The department's Analytical Microscopy Facility is second to none in the state of New Jersey. Facilities include a FEI Tecnai 12 TEM equipped with a Gatan high-resolution CCD camera, a Zeiss IM35 fluorescence microscope and low-light level CCD cameras, Perkin-Elmer Ultra View Spinning Disc Confocal Microscope, Bio-Rad MRC 1024 Laser scanning confocal microscope, Zeiss 510 Meta Confocal Microscope equipped for multi-photon imaging and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy, and multiple image analysis and processing workstations. In addition, the department has a FACS Calibur fluorescent cell sorter, an AutoMACS immunomagnetic cell separator, an Applied Biosystems real-time PCR apparatus, a typhoon scanner, scintillation and gamma counters, FPLC, an AAALAC approved animal facility, and a greenhouse. Individual research laboratories house tissue culture facilities. electrophysiological equipment, fluorescence microscopes, thermal cyclers, and digital plant canopy and root analyzer. A student also can take advantage of additional facilities that are available at neighboring institutions. Rutgers Graduate School–Newark maintains affiliations with the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, New Jersey Institute of Technology, and various industrial research laboratories.