Graduate Catalog | 2005-2007
College of Natural Sciences

Biological Sciences

Master of Arts
Doctor of Philosophy

Graduate degrees in the biological sciences are offered by the School of Biological Sciences. The three degree programs--ecology, evolution, and behavior; micro-biology; and plant biology--are described below. Each program is administered by its own Graduate Studies Committee.

Facilities for Graduate Work

The primary facilities for graduate instruction and research are provided in the Biological Laboratories building, the Experimental Science Building, the Louise and James Robert Moffett Molecular Biology Building, and the J. T. Patterson Laboratories Building, and at the Marine Science Institute at Port Aransas. Additional facilities include the Life Science Library, the Brackenridge Field Laboratory, the Stengl "Lost Pines" Biological Station, the Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology, the Plant Resources Center, the Texas Memorial Museum, the Culture Collection of Algae, the Institute of Reproductive Biology, the Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, the Institute for Neuroscience, the Environmental Science Institute, and the Animal Resources Center.

Areas of Study

Graduate study supervised by the School of Biological Sciences is available in areas of specialization that cross the boundaries between the biological disciplines as classically defined. Among the broad areas of specialization are behavioral biology, biological chemistry, biophysics, cellular and molecular biology, cytology and cytogenetics, developmental biology, ecology, population biology, evolution, host-parasite biology, human biology, immunobiology, genetics, molecular genetics, neurobiology, nutrition, paleontology, physiology, systematics, and virology. Additional areas of specialization are listed in the sections for the three graduate programs below.

Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior

The graduate program in ecology, evolution, and behavior is large and diverse. Research ranges from the molecular level to the ecosystem, with approaches that include fieldwork, laboratory analyses, and mathematical modeling.

Graduate Studies Committee

The following faculty members served on the Graduate Studies Committee in the spring semester 2004-2005.

Degree Requirements

Master of Arts

The graduate program is focused on the doctoral degree; this degree is designed for those who anticipate careers in research, possibly combined with teaching or other activities. Students seeking only the master's degree are rarely admitted. If a master's degree student is admitted, his or her proposed program must be approved by the Graduate Studies Committee. Supporting work is chosen most commonly from plant biology, chemistry, geological sciences, marine science, mathematics, microbiology, psychology, physics, or education.

Doctor of Philosophy

For the Doctor of Philosophy, preliminary training should have provided a working core of knowledge in general biology and the history of biology; other helpful areas are plant biology, vertebrate and invertebrate zoology, embryology, genetics and evolution, and physiology.

The student must take two core courses in his or her first year in the program; information about the core courses is given in the ecology, evolution, and behavior student handbook. Preliminary and parallel training is required in other natural sciences. Supporting areas are commonly chosen in plant biology, chemistry, computer sciences, geological sciences, marine science, mathematics, microbiology, molecular biology, psychology, or physics, as needed to support the area of specialization chosen. With the approval of the supervising committee, relevant courses in these fields may also be included as a part of the major.

Students are expected to fulfill all requirements for admission to candidacy by the end of the fifth long semester.

The School of Biological Sciences provides information on graduate work and on available fellowships and assistantships online.

For More Information

Campus address: J. T. Patterson Laboratories Building (PAT) 141SB, phone (512) 232-2716, fax (512) 471-9651; campus mail code: C0900

Mailing address: The University of Texas at Austin; Graduate Coordinator for Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior; School of Biological Sciences; 1 University Station C0900; Austin TX 78712

E-mail: eeb@biosci.utexas.edu

URL: http://www.biosci.utexas.edu/graduate/eeb/

Microbiology

Microbiology offers a focused program of study encompassing disciplines in bacteriology, virology, immunology, genetics, and biochemistry, using both prokaryotic and eukaryotic model systems.

Graduate Studies Committee

The following faculty members served on the Graduate Studies Committee in the spring semester 2004-2005.

Degree Requirements

Master of Arts

The microbiology graduate program does not accept applications for the master's degree. However, a student accepted into and in good standing with the doctoral program may, at the discretion of the graduate adviser, be permitted to pursue a master's degree in lieu of the PhD. The student must complete thirty semester hours of coursework, including Biology 395F, 395G, 395H, 395J, 698, and 398T, and six hours in related fields outside the microbiology program. He or she must earn a grade of at least B in Biology 395F, 395G, 395H, and 395J. Each semester, he or she must register for a weekly journal club that is offered by a member of the Graduate Studies Committee or approved by the graduate adviser. No more than nine semester hours of upper-division coursework may be counted toward the degree, and no more than six of these nine may be in any one field of study. In addition to the above requirements, a master's degree student must either successfully complete Part A of the doctoral preliminary examination or pursue original research under the direction of a faculty member and submit an approved thesis.

Doctor of Philosophy

To be admitted to candidacy for the doctoral degree, the student must complete during the first three years a two-part preliminary examination. Part A, taken in the spring of the student's second year, consists of presentation and defense of a mock National Institutes of Health grant proposal. Part B, taken about six months later, consists of presentation of a proposal for dissertation research. Individual programs of study are tailored to the student's interests, but each student must complete Biology 395F, 395G, 395H, 395J (with a grade of at least B in each), 398T, and at least six additional hours in graduate lecture courses approved by the graduate adviser. He or she must attend a weekly journal club each semester. The student must also pursue independent, original research under the direction of a faculty member; the results of this research constitute the dissertation, which fulfills the requirements of the required courses Biology 399R and 399W. Each student must serve as a teaching assistant for two long-session semesters; two six-week summer terms are considered equivalent to a semester. A well-qualified student can usually complete the doctoral degree program in five to six years.

For More Information

Campus address: Experimental Science Building (ESB) 216, phone (512) 471-4181, fax (512) 471-7088; campus mail code: A5000

Mailing address: The University of Texas at Austin, Graduate Coordinator for Microbiology, School of Biological Sciences, 1 University Station A5000, Austin TX 78712

E-mail: microbiology@biosci.utexas.edu

URL: http://www.biosci.utexas.edu/graduate/micro/

Plant Biology

Graduate study in plant biology is available in the following areas: algal physiology, plant biochemistry, cell biology, development, ecology, evolution, molecular biology, natural products chemistry, photobiology, phycology, plant anatomy, plant biogeography, plant morphology, plant physiology, population biology, systematics, and ultrastructure.

Graduate Studies Committee

The following faculty members served on the Graduate Studies Committee in the spring semester 2004-2005.

Admission Requirements

The undergraduate training of students planning to undertake graduate study in plant biology should ordinarily include at least twenty-four semester hours in plant biology and/or other biological sciences. At least twelve of these must be in upper-division work. This requirement in the major should be supported by coursework in the other sciences, especially chemistry, physics, and mathematics.

Degree Requirements

Master of Arts

At least thirty semester hours of coursework, including Biology 698, or thirty-three semester hours, including Biology 398R, are required. The coursework must include a minor of six to nine hours of work acceptable for graduate credit in another area or areas. In general, at least one full year (including the summer) is needed to meet the requirements for the master's degree.

Doctor of Philosophy

Mastery of an integrated and meaningful program of graduate study is deemed more important than the completion of a prescribed number of semester hours. Most programs include at least four graduate courses in plant biology. Further supporting work in related sciences augments the program.

Admission to candidacy for the Doctor of Philosophy degree requires approval of the Graduate Studies Committee and is based on the total record of the student, performance in graduate courses, and such further examinations as the committee may require. An oral examination covering the major area of study is administered by the student's Qualifying Examination Committee no later than the end of the student's fourth long-session semester of residence.

For More Information

Campus address: Biological Laboratories (BIO) 316, phone (512) 471-8490, fax (512) 471-3878; campus mail code: A6720

Mailing address: The University of Texas at Austin, Graduate Coordinator for Plant Biology, School of Biological Sciences, 1 University Station A6720, Austin TX 78712

E-mail: plantbio@biosci.utexas.edu

URL: http://www.biosci.utexas.edu/graduate/plantbio/