A Message from Department Chair Lekan Latinwo, Ph.D
On behalf of Biology faculty, staff, and students, I am delighted to welcome you to the department of Biological Sciences at Florida A&M University, and to also provide you with a brief overview of our department through this electronic medium. The department offers Bachelors and Masters Degree programs and currently has an enrollment of 850 majors with low attrition rate. The undergraduate degree program consists of three tracks: 1) General Biology, 2) Pre-Medicine/Pre-Dentistry, and 3) Cellular and Molecular Biology. The M.S. degree is offered in the following three areas: 1) Cell and Molecular Biology, 2) Physiology, 3) Ecology and Plant Physiology.
We are fortunate in our department to have a dynamic group of faculty, staff and students whose strength reside in our abilities to appreciate old ideas, while eagerly willing to investigate and advance new ideas, and promote enduring knowledge. In addition, we are aiming at creating an academic environment in which both young and old students and scholars from all races and ethnic backgrounds can congregate for educational challenges and opportunities to perform their ultimate best. In our department, we strive to shape the agenda and totally refuse to let it shape us. We also engage in necessary dialogues to define and reinforce the goals and values of our department as it relates to the university mission of Excellence with Caring.
OUR MISSION
The Department of Biological Sciences' Mission parallels the mission of Florida A&M University’s, which is to provide an enlightened and enriched academic, intellectual, moral, cultural, ethical, technological and student-centered environment, conducive to the development of highly qualified individuals who are prepared and capable of serving as leaders and contributors in our ever-evolving society. The department is dedicated to providing contemporary quality undergraduate and graduate education in several areas of Biological Sciences including Pre-medical Biology to Science Education. The structure of our programs ensures that students are exposed to courses that will prepare them for careers in all areas of the field of biology. The laboratory experiences offered by the department require that students develop competencies in the use of modern biological techniques, and in the analysis, interpretation and presentation of data. Part of our mission is to create opportunities for our students to gain research experience. Many of our talented faculty members serve as mentors to our undergraduate students conducting research. Our students are well prepared to enter graduate or professional schools, such as medical, dental and pharmacy school, or to enter immediate employment after graduation. It is our goal to produce graduate students who conduct publishable research. We also prepare our graduate students to continue their education in doctoral or medical programs. The department serves non-majors as well, exposing this population of students to biological concepts which impact their lives. The Faculty and Staff of the Department of Biological Sciences strive to always provide Excellence with Caring.
The Department of Biological Sciences Encourages Students to:
* Expand their appreciation for biological diversity
* Form an understanding of Morphology and Physiology of Living systems
* Retain laboratory competency for future careers in the sciences
* Obtain research and presentation experience
* Acquire internship and volunteer experience
* Gain teaching and tutorial experience
* Prepare for Graduate school (M.S. or Ph.D.), Professional School, and Employment in the Sciences
The Master of Science in Biology is designed to provide students with advanced knowledge of both plant and animal biology and microbiology. The program requires a minimum of 30 credits of graduate work. These must include at least one 3-credit course in four of the following five areas: cell biology/biochemistry, molecular biology, computational biology, ecology/evolution, and plant biology.
To fulfill the written thesis requirement, students may conduct laboratory, field work, or bibliographic research. Students selecting the experimentally-based research thesis option must complete a minimum of 24 credits of course work and 6 credits of research with a graduate faculty member of the department. Students choosing the bibliographic-based research thesis option are required to take 27 credits of course work and 3 credits of independent study with a graduate faculty member of the department. For both experimentally-based and bibliographic-based research thesis options, the thesis will be defended publicly followed by a question-and-answer session with the thesis committee. The thesis committee must be approved by the Graduate Program Director and consist of the primary advisor and at least one other reader who is a member of the graduate faculty.
Federation is a formal agreement between Rutgers University-Newark and NJIT to coordinate many activities. The goal is to increase the quality of teaching and research by drawing from the larger, combined resource base. In particular, the curriculum and requirements of the various Graduate options are the same for both institutions, and students may take courses on both campuses to fulfill those requirements. Federation also involves the sharing of office and laboratory facilities, the coordination of research, and long-term strategic planning.
-Biologist
-Botanist
-Biomedical Engineer
-Entomologist
-Evolutionary Biologist
-Environmental Scientist
-Food Scientist
-Herpetologist
-Mammologist
-Ornithologist
-Pharmacist
-Zoologist
-Geographer
-Forensic Scientist
-Microbiologist
-Hydrologist
-Biological Technician
-Attorney
-Genetic Counselor
-Physician Assistant
-Nurse Practitioner
The Graduate Program in Pharmaceutical Sciences at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) School of Pharmacy in Amarillo, Texas, is accepting applications from highly competent college graduates for admission into the M.S. program in Pharmaceutical Sciences (deadline for fall is January 31). Qualified candidates must have a four-year undergraduate degree and meet all additional requirements stated under the Admission Guidelines for Prospective Students at http://www.ttuhsc.edu/sop/graduateprogram/prospective/default.aspx.
The M.S. program in Pharmaceutical Sciences is a competitive 24- to 30-month program that involves 18 months of coursework plus 6 to 12 months of research work in the biomedical and pharmaceutical aspects of drug development and discovery. Students may choose to do master’s research in cancer biology and therapy, neuroscience, medicinal chemistry, or drug delivery. Students who successfully complete the master’s degree may either find jobs as junior scientists in pharmaceutical industries or apply for our doctoral program in pharmaceutical sciences. Although no research or teaching assistantships are available for master’s students, doctoral students are eligible for $25,000/year research assistantship and master’s students are eligible for competitive scholarships to waive tuition and fees. Many of our alumni with doctoral degrees are highly successful professionally, working in pharmaceutical industries, academia, government (FDA), and other research institutes. College graduates interested in the M.S. program in Pharmaceutical Sciences at TTUHSC School of Pharmacy may contact Ms. Teresa Carlisle ([email protected]) with their queries and obtain more information about the program at http://www.ttuhsc.edu/sop/graduateprogram/default.aspx.
