Cellular and Molecular Biomedical Science

Degree Offered

MS

Program Description

The Cellular and Molecular Biomedical Science (CMBS) MS Program at the University of Maryland emphasizes medically-relevant scientific research and education, utilizing state-of-the-art resources. The program is designed as a 2-year curriculum for full-time students, but may be completed over 5 years for part-time, working students. Students will become fluent in the study and implementation of biomedical research and will be well prepared as skilled researchers for careers in academic research centers, government, and industry, including biotechnology firms and pharmaceutical companies.

The CMBS MS Program combines traditional areas of biomedical study, including molecular and cell biology, neuroscience, pharmacology, physiology, cancer biology, and genomics into a unique interdisciplinary graduate training program. Specifically designed to develop scientists for the post-genomic era, CMBS students will gain knowledge, research skills, and familiarity with the state-of-the-art biomedical tools and methodologies to solve important and timely questions in biomedical science.

Graduate students from the program have gone on to enter PhD, MD, MD/PhD, and DO programs, and become research assistants or project managers.

Program Admission

Applicants should have a bachelor’s degree and have undergraduate experience or training in the biological sciences, chemistry, mathematics, and general physics. Research experience in the biomedical sciences is desirable, but not required. The Admissions Committee evaluates the entire application packet from a holistic standpoint. Applicants are encouraged to have very strong letters of recommendation, and a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or above.

Additionally, all international students must meet the Graduate School’s minimum requirements for scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) exam. The Graduate Programs in Life Sciences (GPILS) requires international applicants to provide a transcript evaluation from a NACES member evaluation agency in addition to official, translated transcripts or mark sheets. The deadline for priority and international applicants is March 1. Admission to the program is highly competitive, and offers of admission are made on a monthly basis and will start going out at the beginning of April. It is highly recommended that all documentation and materials are submitted as early as possible so that a complete application is available for review. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed, and applicants will have to apply for the following application cycle.

Degree Requirements

In the first semester, students participate in an innovative and intensive core course, Mechanisms in Biomedical Sciences (GPLS 601), or Cellular and Molecular Basis of Translational Research (GPLS 600) depending on the student’s goals upon completion of the program. These courses are supplemented with material in one of the following: Current Topics in Vascular/Stem Cell Biology (GPLS 690), Current Topics in Neuroscience (GPLS 691), Current Topics in Genome Biology (GPLS 692), or Current Topics in Microbiology (GPLS 693).

Students in the program must complete a course in ethics and in biostatistics. Subsequent coursework and laboratory rotations are tailored to meet each student’s research interests and career goals from the rich opportunities available. Students can pursue a thesis or nonthesis track.

Students pursuing an MS degree in the CMBS program must maintain a GPA of 3.0 or better in a total of 30 credit hours. Of the 30 credits, approximately 20 to 25 will be directly from coursework (see below). A minimum of 3, and a maximum of 6, credits are generated from laboratory research rotations (graded as pass/fail) lasting approximately eight to ten weeks each. For students pursuing the thesis MS, one of the rotation labs usually becomes the thesis lab. Selection of courses, rotations, and thesis labs should be in consultation with the program director.

For students seeking a thesis MS, a faculty mentor is selected in consultation with the program director. The mentor, who must be a member of the graduate faculty, is responsible for supervising the research. The thesis defense consists of a public presentation of the thesis work followed by a closed oral examination by the thesis defense committee, which determines whether the student has presented an acceptable thesis.

Laboratory Rotations

Graduate faculty in many GPLS programs are interested in mentoring CMBS-MS students for laboratory rotations and thesis research. To facilitate selection of rotation and/or thesis laboratories, and to ensure student exposure to the range of research opportunities, students attend weekly informal luncheon meetings during the first semester. These meetings invite members of the graduate faculty give brief presentations describing the research activities of their labs, and potential projects that students would be able to contribute to.

Required Courses

one of the following:

and: