芝加哥洛約拉大學

The M.S. program in Integrative Cell Biology trains students in the basic science and contemporary methodologies to interrogate the biology of the cell. The fundamental knowledge obtained during the study to apply this knowledge in pursuit of a Ph.D. graduate level of education. The program also prepares students for a career in research laboratories in the biomedical industry, or as primary or secondary educators. Students graduating with an M.S. degree are competent and competitive in pursuit of a Ph.D. or MD education.

Curriculum

The two-year curriculum includes the first year focusing on coursework and second year beginning in the summer with thesis work. The primary courses for the first semester of the first year include Cell Biology, Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, Methods in Biomedical Science, Bioethics in Biomedical Science; and in the second semester, Histology, Biostatistics. Students also take an elective course in the second semester depending on their research topics such as Immunology, Neuroscience, Signal Transduction or Molecular Oncology. In addition to coursework, students also register for journal club and a seminar series.

During the first year, students also select up to three laboratories to do their rotations. Students will discuss with their potential mentor and select their laboratory by the summer of the first year Beginning of the summer of the first year, students will focus on their thesis work. Students are awarded the MS degree upon successfully defend the thesis work.

Environment

MS students in ICB will take classes with MS students from other MS programs as well as Ph.D. students from the IPBS. The graduate classes are small, and there is a strong emphasis on critical thinking and solving biological problems.

The ICB program holds a weekly Journal Club where students present seminars on recent high impact research articles of their choice. Journal Club is designed to strengthen students presentation skills, professionally interact with their peers, critically analyze and interpret data as well as broaden their overall scientific knowledge.

The ICB seminar series is scheduled throughout the academic year with guest speakers from other institutions. The seminar is the platform for students, both MS and Ph.D., to present their research in progress.