Cell and Molecular Biology
- Master of Arts
- Doctor of Philosophy
Facilities for Graduate Work
Facilities of this interdisciplinary program include those maintained by the participating programs in biochemistry; ecology, evolution, and behavior; microbiology; nutritional sciences; and plant biology.
Areas of Study
Cell and molecular biology encompasses disciplines in biochemistry, biology, and nutrition. Physics, mathematics, chemistry, and computer sciences support the degree programs in cell and molecular biology. University programs in pharmacy, chemical engineering, and biomedical engineering also include study in cell and molecular biology.
Graduate Studies Committee
The following faculty members served on the Graduate Studies Committee in the spring semester 2006–2007.
- Creed W. Abell
- Seema Agarwala
- Richard W. Aldrich
- Orly Alter
- Eric V. Anslyn
- Dean R. Appling
- Karen Artzt
- Nigel S. Atkinson
- Chandrajit L. Bajaj
- Susan Bergeson
- George D. Bittner
- Henry R. Bose Jr.
- Shawn B. Bratton
- R. Malcolm Brown Jr.
- Karen Browning
- Jim Bull
- Clarence S. M. Chan
- Zengjian J. Chen
- David P. Crews
- Maria Croyle
- Kevin N. Dalby
- Arturo De Lozanne
- Jaquelin P. Dudley
- Charles F. Earhart Jr.
- Andrew Ellington
- Walter Fast
- Janice Fischer
- Ernst-Ludwig Florin
- George Georgiou
- Nace L. Golding
- Andrea Gore
- Ellen Gottlieb
- David E. Graham
- Jeffrey M. Gross
- Robin Gutell
- Marvin L. Hackert
- Adron Harris
- Rasika M. Harshey
- Graeme A. Henkelman
- David L. Herrin
- David M. Hillis
- David W. Hoffman
- Johann Hofmann
- Jon M. Huibregtse
- Enamul Huq
- Stephen D. Hursting
- Brent L. Iverson
- Vishwanath R. Iyer
- Robert K. Jansen
- Makkuni Jayaram
- Arlen W. Johnson
- Kenneth A. Johnson
- Daniel Johnston
- Christopher Jolly
- Thomas E. Juenger
- Klaus O. Kalthoff
- Sean M. Kerwin
- G. Barrie Kitto
- Kimberly Kline
- Robert M. Krug
- Alan M. Lambowitz
- Michelle A. Lane
- Hung-Wen (Ben) Liu
- Alan Martin Lloyd
- Paul MacDonald
- Lara K. Mahal
- Dmitrii E. Makarov
- Edward M. Marcotte
- Mia Markey
- Stephen F. Martin
- John T. McDevitt
- Mona Mehdy
- Richard J. Meyer
- Lauren A. Meyers
- John Mihic
- Edward M. Mills
- Daniel P. Miranker
- Ian J. Molineux
- Hitoshi Morikawa
- Richard A. Morrisett
- Theresa O’Halloran
- Tanya T. Paull
- Shelley M. Payne
- Martin Poenie
- George D. Pollak
- Pengyu Ren
- John H. Richburg
- Austen Fox Riggs II
- Mendell Rimer
- Jon D. Robertus
- Stanley J. Roux Jr.
- Krishnendu Roy
- Rick Russell
- Bob G. Sanders
- Christine E. Schmidt
- Marty Shankland
- Jason B. Shear
- John C. Sisson
- David Stein
- Scott W. Stevens
- Laura J. Suggs
- Christopher S. Sullivan
- Paul J. Szaniszlo
- Wesley J. Thompson
- Ming Tian
- Philip W. Tucker
- Carla L. Van Den Berg
- James R. Walker
- John B. Wallingford
- Tandy Warnow
- Marvin Whiteley
- Christian P. Whitman
- Claus O. Wilke
- Y. Whitney Yin
- Harold H. Zakon
- Muhammad H. Zaman
- Bing Zhang
- Zhiwen Zhang
Admission Requirements
Applicants must provide evidence of strong accomplishment in the natural sciences, documented by undergraduate grades and a bachelor’s degree or the equivalent in an area such as one of the biological sciences, chemistry, or physics. Preparation should include at least one semester each of cell biology and molecular biology, and one year each of calculus, organic chemistry, and general physics. Coursework in genetics and biochemistry is also required. Deficiencies in undergraduate work should be corrected before application to the program.
Because the graduate program is focused on the doctoral degree, students seeking only the master’s degree are not admitted.
Degree Requirements
Master of Arts. The master’s degree is only granted under special circumstances. The student must have the approval of the graduate adviser.
Doctor of Philosophy. The doctoral degree program requires the student to accomplish creative, independent research and to document the research in a scholarly dissertation. In preparation, the student must acquire a strong foundation in biochemistry, molecular genetics, and cell biology and a working knowledge of the area of biology in which he or she intends to conduct research. This preparation is provided by the core courses and electives required for the master’s degree. The student must earn a grade of at least B- in each core course. To be admitted to candidacy for the degree, the student must formulate a feasible research program and pass a qualifying examination.
Dual Degree Program
Doctor of Philosophy/Doctor of Medicine
The graduate program in cell and molecular biology participates in a dual degree program with the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (UTMB). Applicants must apply separately to and be admitted to both the PhD program in cell and molecular biology at the University of Texas at Austin and the medical school at UTMB. Students accepted into the dual degree program spend their first two years in the medical school at UTMB, followed by three to four years of doctoral work at UT Austin and eighteen months of clinical rotations. The degrees are conferred separately by each institution. Additional information about the MD/PhD program may be found online.
For More Information
Campus address: Louise and James Robert Moffett Molecular Biology Building (MBB) 1.220F, phone (512) 471-0957, fax (512) 471-2149; campus mail code: A4810
Mailing address: The University of Texas at Austin, Graduate Program in Cell and Molecular Biology, 1 University Station A4810, Austin TX 78712
E-mail: grad.program@icmb.utexas.edu