Department of

Biological Science

College of Arts and Sciences

Web Page: http://www.bio.fsu.edu/

Interim Chair: Thomas M. Roberts; Associate Chair (Graduate Studies): Bates; Associate Chair (Undergraduate Studies): L. Keller; Associate Chair (Curriculum Development): Epstein; Professors: Abele, Bates, Chase, Ellington, Erickson, D. Fadool, Fajer, Gaffney, Gilbert, Houle, Houpt, Levitan, Meredith, Miller, Roux, Taylor, Travis, Tschinkel; Associate Professors: Bass, Epstein, Deng, J. Fadool, Hughes, Inouye, L. Keller, T. Keller, Mast, Steppan, Tang, Trombley, Underwood, Winn, Wulff, Zhu; Assistant Professors: Chadwick, Cui, Dennis, DuVal, Jones, Lee, Lemmon, Lenhert, Lyons, McGinnis, Rokyta, Stroupe, Yu; Professors Emeriti: Anderson, Caspar, DeBusk, deKloet, Elam, Freeman, Heard, Herrnkind, Hofer, Homann, James, Livingston, Mariscal, Outlaw, Quadagno, Reeves, Roeder

The program of graduate study in the Department of Biological Science is designed to transform an individual from student to professional scholar. Awarding of the degree signifies that the individual is qualified to join the community of scholars and is recognized as an authority in the discipline. Our graduates are employed as faculty in colleges and universities or as researchers in industry or government laboratories.

The Department of Biological Science offers graduate programs leading to the degree of Master of Science (MS) or Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). There are strong graduate research programs in both experimental and theoretical biology. Special research programs are available in biophysics and molecular biology; cell biology; biochemical and molecular genetics; ecology; evolution; developmental biology; microbiology; virology; immunology; plant and animal physiology; comparative physiology; reproductive physiology, endocrinology, and neuroendocrinology; sensory physiology; population biology/genetics; marine biology; plant and animal systematics; tropical biology; conservation biology. In addition, many of the departmental programs are associated with research and graduate programs of the departments of Oceanography, Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Psychology, as well as with specific advanced-study programs of the Molecular Biophysics Program. The Program in Neuroscience provides interdisciplinary training in the use of biological and behavioral methods in the study of the nervous system function.

Fully equipped research laboratories and classrooms for biological science are located in five buildings on the Tallahassee campus (King Life Sciences Building, Biological Science Unit 1, Biomedical Research Facility, Molecular Biophysics, and Milton Carothers Hall) and at the Florida State University Coastal and Marine Laboratory, forty-five miles south of Tallahassee. A modern imaging center includes both state-of-the-art light and electron microscopes. Students have access to molecular biology facilities, including a DNA microarrayer, special culture facilities, a hybridoma laboratory, greenhouses, machine and electronics shops, animal quarters, ultracentrifuges, cold laboratories, analyzer laboratories, sterile laboratories, shielded electrophysiological laboratories, an isotope laboratory, photographic laboratories, and spectrophotometric instrumentation, as well as the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory and a supercomputer. Herbarium facilities contain about 175,000 specimens. Vans, cars, and boats are provided for field research.

The Department of Biological Science is a comprehensive basic science department consisting of forty-seven faculty members. The current faculty members hold contracts and grants totaling millions of dollars. Faculty members are represented on the editorial boards of numerous professional journals and hold a number of national offices in professional societies. Three current members of the faculty are Fellows of the American Academy of Sciences and three former faculty members are Fellows of the National Academy of Sciences, and many others serve on governmental task forces and national advisory boards of research institutions and public and private foundations.

Admission Requirements

Application for admission is to be submitted on-line to the Office of Admissions at https://admissions.fsu.edu/gradapp/. The Biological Science application deadline and submission of all supporting documents is December 15 for the Fall semester. All applicants will meet the minimum criteria of a 3.0 undergraduate grade point average (GPA) for the last two years; GRE scores [the average entering graduate student has a verbal GRE score of 550 (156 on the new GRE, 72%) and a quantitative score of 690 (154 on the new GRE, 67%). We do not have a minimum GRE score for admission, but applicants with GRE scores below 500 (153) verbal and 550 (146) quantitative need to have strong research backgrounds, a GPA > 3.2 on upper division courses, and excellent letters of recommendation]; three current letters of recommendation from individuals who are able to assess the applicant’s academic and research potential; a one to three page statement on research interest; and official transcripts. Foreign students, in addition to the above, must also score a minimum of 600 on the paper-based, 250 on the computer-based, or 92 on the Internet-based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Applicants are required to advise the associate chair of their area(s) of interest so that applications can be circulated to the appropriate faculty members. Students are encouraged to contact individual faculty about the details of their research activities.

Financial Aid

Graduate assistantships (teaching, research, and/or service) are available at approximately $20,000-$21,000 per calendar year; up to twenty hours per week are required for instruction and related duties. Research assistantships involve working on the research program of an individual faculty member with whom the applicant should correspond directly. Matriculation and out-of-state tuition waivers are available, subject to availability of funds, for graduate assistants who hold a minimum appointment of a quarter-time.

Degree Requirements

Please review all college-wide degree requirements summarized in the “College of Arts and Sciences” chapter of this Graduate Bulletin.

Master’s Degree

The master’s degree requirements should be met in two to three years. The Master of Science (MS) degree requirements include the following:

1. At least thirty semester hours of graduate credit (5000 level and above courses and those 4000 level courses recommended by the student’s committee, including a minimum of six semester hours of thesis credit), eighteen semester hours of which must bear letter grades (not “S” or “U”)
2. Teaching requirement: Teaching experience in at least one course recommended by the supervisory committee and approved by the associate chair
3. Seminar requirement: One departmental presentation, excluding the formal presentation of the thesis research. MS students are encouraged to give presentations at national and/or regional meetings. For further details, contact the department
4. Submission of a master’s prospectus, and approval by the major professor, supervisory committee, and associate chair
5. Submission of an acceptable thesis
6. Successful defense of the thesis

Doctoral Degree

The direction and supervision of graduate work at the doctoral level resides primarily with the major professor and supervisory committee. The University requires that the degree be completed within five calendar years from the time the student gains admittance to candidacy by passing the preliminary exam.

Overall requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree are as follows:

1. After admission to doctoral candidacy, a minimum of twenty-four semester hours of dissertation credit is required
2. Teaching requirement: teaching experience in at least two different courses recommended by the supervisory committee and approved by the associate chair
3. Seminar requirement: three presentations, excluding the dissertation defense. Students are encouraged to give presentations at national and/or regional meetings. For further details, contact the department
4. Submission and approval of a doctoral proposal by major professor, supervisory committee, and associate chair
5. Successful completion of the preliminary doctoral examination
6. Submission of an acceptable dissertation
7. Successful defense of the dissertation

For additional information, see http://www.bio.fsu.edu/index-grad.htm.

Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience

Director: Richard L. Hyson

The Program in Neuroscience provides interdisciplinary training leading to the degree of PhD in Neuroscience. Participating faculty members hold appointments in the Departments of Biological Science, Psychology, Mathematics, or Biomedical Sciences. Students enroll in the department of their initial faculty adviser/major professor but may take neuroscience courses offered by any of the participating departments. Several of the biological science faculty are members of the Program in Neuroscience.

Neuroscience courses offered through the Department of Biological Science include those with a PSB or PCB prefix. Interdisciplinary research training is available involving molecular, cellular, physiological, and behavioral approaches. Common areas of research include sensory biology (with special emphasis on chemical senses), neural plasticity and development, neural control of food intake, synaptic physiology, genetics of behavior, neuroendocrinology, circadian rhythms, neurological aspects of stress and drug addiction. The program has an NIH-funded training grant, in addition to other mechanisms for student support, and provides numerous colloquia, symposia, and special courses in areas of particularly active or rapidly developing research. Out-of-state and matriculation waivers for neuroscience students in biological science are available on the same basis as for the rest of the department. For more information, see the separate entry for neuroscience in this Graduate Bulletin and the program in neuroscience Web site at http://www.neuro.fsu.edu.

Definition of Prefixes

BCH—Biochemistry (Biophysics)

BOT—Botany

BSC—Biological Science

MCB—Microbiology

PCB—Process Biology

PSB—Psychobiology

ZOO—Zoology

Advanced Undergraduate Courses

Please refer to the General Bulletin for full course descriptions.

BSC 4613. Systematics (3).

BOT 4394. Plant Molecular Biology (3).

MCB 4403L. Prokaryotic Biology Laboratory (2).

PCB 4024L. Molecular Biology Laboratory (1).

PCB 4233. Immunology (3).

PCB 4233L. Laboratory in Immunology (1).

PCB 4253. Animal Development (3).

PCB 4253L. Animal Development Laboratory (3).

PCB 4723. General and Comparative Animal Physiology (3).

PCB 4843. Fundamentals of Neuroscience (3).

ZOO 4204C. Biology of Higher Marine Invertebrates (5).

ZOO 4343C. Biology of the Lower Vertebrates (4).

ZOO 4353C. Biology of the Higher Vertebrates (4).

ZOO 4513. Animal Behavior (4).

ZOO 4753C. Histology (4).

ZOO 4823. Insect Biology (3).

ZOO 4823L. Insect Diversity of North Florida (2).

Graduate Courses

Biochemistry

BCH 5886r. Special Topics in Biochemistry and Cell Biology (1–3). Prerequisite: Completion of introductory biochemistry courses. May be repeated up to a maximum of four times or to a maximum of twelve semester hours within the same term.

BCH 5887r. Special Topics in Biochemistry and Cell Biology (1–3). Prerequisite: Completion of introductory biochemistry courses. May be repeated to a maximum of four times or to a maximum of twelve semester hours.

Botany

BOT 5938r. Selected Topics in Botany (1–4). May be repeated to a maximum of sixteen semester hours.

BOT 6936r. Seminar in Botany (2). (S/U grade only.) May be repeated to a maximum of eight semester hours.

Biological Science

BSC 5409. Biophysical Principles of Biological Techniques (3). This course analyzes physical principles behind modern laboratory methods used in biological research.

BSC 5476C. Introduction to Scientific Diving (3). Prerequisites: Open water diver certified by national organization, clear diving medical exam, and ability to pass swimming exam. This course is designed for the graduate student who plans to use SCUBA diving as a tool for underwater research. Skills covered include dive planning, emergency management, underwater navigation, survey techniques, and instrument deployment and recovery. Students learn to plan and lead scientific expeditions in any environment, and to write proposals that effectively outline using diving as a tool in research.

BSC 5900r. Directed Individual Study (1–12). (S/U grade only.) May be repeated to a maximum of fifty semester hours.

BSC 5932r. Graduate Tutorial in Biological Science (1). (S/U grade only.) Prerequisite: Graduate standing. Selected topics in contemporary biological science; reading and analysis of primary literature. May be repeated to a total of fifteen semester hours within the same term.

BSC 5936r. Selected Topics in Biological Science (1–4). May be repeated to a maximum of sixteen semester hours within the same term.

BSC 5945r. Supervised Teaching (1–2). (S/U grade only.) May be repeated to a maximum of five semester hours.

BSC 5971r. Thesis (1–6). (S/U grade only.) After a graduate student meets minimum requirements and is working on thesis research, registration for Thesis is required. A minimum of six semester hours of credit must be earned.

BSC 6921r. Colloquium in Biological Science (1). (S/U grade only.) Required of all graduate students throughout their residence.

BSC 6980r. Dissertation (1–12). (S/U grade only.) Prerequisite: BSC 8964r passed. Must register for dissertation research hours while working on dissertation. A minimum of twenty-four semester hours of credit must be earned.

BSC 8964r. Preliminary Doctoral Examination (0). (P/F grade only.) A comprehensive examination. Students with a master’s degree should take it during the second semester in residence; those without a master’s degree should take it during the fourth semester in residence. Passing exam required for admission to doctoral candidacy.

BSC 8976. Master’s Thesis Defense (0). (P/F grade only.) Oral defense of master’s research and thesis. Students should register during the term in which they intend to defend their master’s thesis.

BSC 8985r. Dissertation Defense (0). (P/F grade only.) Oral defense of dissertation research. One-time registration during the term in which student expects to defend.

Microbiology

MCB 5408. Prokaryotic Biology (3). Prerequisite: PCB 3063 or instructor permission. This course introduces graduate level general microbiology, including material on prokaryotic cell structure and function, the molecular biology and genetics of microorganisms including viruses, and biotechnological applications of microbial physiology.

MCB 5505. Virology (3). Structure and replication of the bacteriophage, plant and animal viruses, with an emphasis on comparative molecular biology and infectious disease.

MCB 5936r. Selected Topics in Microbiology (1–4). May be repeated to a maximum of sixteen semester hours.

Process Biology

PCB 5137. Advanced Cell Biology (3). Principles of cell organization; membrane structure and transport; cyto skeleton; signaling; organelle structure and function; energy metabolism; cellular aspects of cancer and immunity.

PCB 5425. Population Ecology (3). Theory of population growth and regulation, demographic theory and analytical methods, life history variation and evolution.

PCB 5447. Community Ecology (3). Prerequisites: General ecology and statistics. Introduction to community concepts; species richness models; matrices and communities; competition and species packing; predation and dominance.

PCB 5525. Molecular Biology (3). Prerequisites: PCB 3063 or equivalent or instructor permission. Introduction to molecular biology and molecular genetics. The emphasis will be on the activities of DNA, RNA, regulation of gene expression, gene cloning, bioinformatics, and biotechnology.

PCB 5595. Advanced Molecular Biology (3). Prerequisites: PCB 4024 or PCB 5525 or instructor permission. Gene regulation and its relationship to differentiation and development.

PCB 5672. Evolution (3). Prerequisites: PCB 3063 or equivalent undergraduate coursework. This course provides instruction in evolution as a unifying framework for biological science. The course shows how two primary aspects of evolution, shared phylogenetic history and the modification of populations and species, interact to produce the similarities and differences among all organisms.

PCB 5675. Advanced Evolutionary Biology (3). Prerequisites: PCB 3063 or PCB 4674 or equivalent or instructor permission. Topics in this course include population genetics, quantitative genetics, and optimality approaches to the study of evolution. Emphasis is on basic theory and how this relates to empirical applications.

PCB 5785. Biology of Muscle (3). Prerequisites: BCH 4053 and PCB 3743. Muscle biophysics, biochemistry, and physiology; an emphasis on contractile function, experimental methods, and specialization of muscular systems in vertebrates and invertebrates.

PCB 5795. Sensory Physiology (3). Prerequisite: General physiology/cell biology background. Mechanisms of sensory transduction; higher level processing of sensory information; comparative aspects of sensory physiology.

PCB 5845. Cell and Molecular Neuroscience (4). In this course, students are introduced to basic principles of neurophysiology, including intracellular signaling, membrane potentials, synaptic communication, sensory and motor systems and neural development and plasticity.

PCB 5936r. Selected Topics in Genetics and Cell Biology (1–4). May be repeated to a maximum of sixteen semester hours.

PCB 5937r. Selected Topics in Physiology (1–4). May be repeated to a maximum of sixteen semester hours.

PCB 5938r. Selected Topics in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (1–4). May be repeated to a maximum of sixteen semester hours in the same term.

PCB 6936r. Seminar in Genetics and Cell Biology (2). (S/U grade only.) May be repeated to a maximum of eight semester hours.

PCB 6938r. Seminar in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (2). (S/U grade only.) May be repeated to a maximum of eight semester hours in the same term.

Neuroscience

PSB 5057. Neuroscience Methods: Molecules to Behavior (2). (S/U grade only.) This course exposes graduate students to a broad array of current techniques and methodologies in the neurosciences from a molecular to behavioral level of analysis.

PSB 5077. Responsible Conduct of Research (2). (S/U grade only.) This course is an introduction to survival skills and ethics in scientific research. The focus is on basic principles of scientific conduct and practice for graduate students pursuing careers in biomedical research.

PSB 5341. Systems and Behavioral Neuroscience (4). This course covers integrated neural systems that ultimately lead to the behavior of organisms. Topics include fluid and energy balance, reproduction, sleep, emotions, cognition and neurological disorders.

PSB 5347 Neuropharmacology (3). Prerequisite: PCB 5845. This course provides an in-depth description of basic principles in pharmacology and the cellular and molecular bases of drug effects in the central nervous system.

PSB 6070r. Current Problems in Neuroscience (2). (S/U grade only.) Detailed examination of a current area of neuroscience research. May be repeated to a maximum of eight semester hours.

PSB 6920r. Neuroscience Colloquium (1). (S/U grade only.) Lectures and discussions on research in neuroscience. May be repeated to a maximum of four semester hours.

PSB 6933r. Seminar in Neuroscience (1–2). (S/U grade only.) This course will provide a research-oriented seminar for graduate students in neuroscience. Content will include a wide variety of current topics in nervous system research. May be repeated to a maximum of eight semester hours.

Zoology

ZOO 5935r. Selected topics in Zoology (1–4). May be repeated to maximum of sixteen semester hours.

ZOO 6933r. Seminar in Marine Biology (2). (S/U grade only.) May be repeated to a maximum of eight semester hours.

ZOO 6934r. Seminar in Zoology (2). (S/U grade only.) May be repeated to a maximum of eight semester hours.

BIOMEDICAL MATHEMATICS:

see Mathematics

BOTANY:

see Biological Science

CELL BIOLOGY:

see Biological Science