B.S. Degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology

 

The Biology Department offers a B.S. degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology. This degree will increase the breath of undergraduate training and afford current Hopkins majors a greater range of educational possibilities and career options. The B.S. program is designed to provide a more rigorous preparation for advanced study in the Biomedical Sciences. The program is tailored not only to students planning to enter Ph.D. programs or obtain employment in the biotechnology industry, but also for premedical students. The B.S. program in Molecular and Cellular Biology is administered by the faculty of the Biology department and is open to all Hopkins undergraduates.

Requirements

The four-year B.S. program in Molecular and Cellular Biology requires additional specialized coursework with respect to the B.A. program and a two semester (6 credits) laboratory research experience. Students completing these requirements will be awarded a B.S. degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology only, not double B.A. in Biology/B.S. in Molecular and Cellular Biology degrees. The major emphasis of the B.S. degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology is the participation of the students in an original research project. A B.S. degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology requires, in addition to the present requirements for the B.A. degree in Biology, two upper level courses from the list in Appendix I and six credits of research supervised by a faculty member in Biology, Biophysics or basic science departments in the School of Medicine currently involved in graduate Ph. D. programs.

The supervised research will include participation in group meetings and writing a summary of accomplished work at the end of the year. Supervised research is initiated by an agreement between the student and the faculty member with whom she/he wishes to work. This agreement specifies the obligations of the student in terms of amount and scheduling of time dedicated to laboratory work, as well as a commitment from the mentor in terms of supervision, readings, guidance in pursuing the project, etc. For help in finding a research supervisor, students would discuss their interests with their advisor or other faculty. Information on the research interests of the faculty is also available at the web sites of each participating department. Students would then contact researchers with whom they might like to work and discuss possible research opportunities. Students are urged to make these arrangements well before the end of the semester prior to the beginning of the work. If the research supervisor is not a full-time member in the Biology Department, students must find a sponsor among the full-time Biology faculty. The sponsor must decide whether the work is relevant to the Molecular and Cellular Biology major and must agree to serve as the sponsor. When registering for research, students must submit an Undergraduate Research/Independent Study/Internship Supplemental Registration Form that has been signed by the faculty sponsor. Forms and other information can be obtained from the Registrar.

In addition to six credits of supervised research, 020.503-504, 020.513-514, 020.572 (intersession) or 020.597 (summer), and the University's core requirements, the course requirements for the B.S. in Molecular and Cellular Biology degree are as follows:

Mathematics

 

Calculus I & II

110.106-107 or 110.108-109

   

Chemistry

 

Introductory Chemistry I & II
Introductory Chemistry Lab I & II
Introductory Organic Chemistry I & II
Introductory Organic Chemistry Lab

030.101-102
030.105-106
030.205-206
030.225

   

Biology

General Biology I & II
Biochemistry
Cell Biology
Biochemistry Lab
Cell Biology Lab
Genetics
Developmental Biology
Genetics Lab or
Developmental Biology Lab

020.151-152
020.305
020.306
020.315
020.316
020.330
020.363
020.340
020.373

   

Physics

 

General Physics
General Physics Lab

171.103-104 or 171.101-102
173.111-112

   

At least five courses totaling thirteen (13) credits or more from additional upper level sciences courses in Appendix I.

 
APPENDIX I. Courses fulfilling the advanced course requirements for the B.S. program (revised 04/08)
 

Biology

020.304 Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience
020.310/610 Developmental Neurobiology
020.311 Enzymes and Proteins
020.312/612 Introduction to the Human Brain
020.313/623 Neurobiology of Sensation
020.317/614 Signaling in Development and Disease
020.324 DNA Microarray Technology (Bioinformatics)
020.325 Introduction to the Protein World
020.326 Introduction to Glycobiology
020.331/630 Human Genetics
020.332 Plant Biochemistry
020.333 Adaptations of Plants to Their Environments
020.335 Landmarks in Biochemical Research
020.336 Stem Cell Biology (in Development and Disease)
020.342 Proteins
020.346 Immunobiology
020.347 AIDS
020.349 Microbial Pathogenesis (Epidemics and Pandemics)
020.352 Topics in Virology and Bacteriology
020.365 Introduction to the Human Skeleton
020.366 Human Evolution
020.367 Primate Behavior and Ecology
020.368 Mammalian Evolution
020.375 Human Anatomy
020.376/606 Molecular Evolution
020.379 Evolution
020.380/650 Eukaryotic Molecular Biology
020.629 Human Cancer Biology and Treatment
020.634 Chromatin and Transcription
020.637 Genomes and Development
020.638 Regulation and Mechanisms of the Cell Cycle
020.639 Macromolecular Assemblies in Biology
020.642 Proteins: Structure, Folding, and Interaction with Partners
020.646 Biological Spectroscopy
020.651 Retroviruses
020.665 Advanced Biochemistry
020.667 Bioconjugate Techniques
020.668 Advanced Molecular Biology
020.674 Grad Biophysical Chemistry
020.676 Functional Interpretation of Biological Structures
020.680 Molecular Basis of Drug Discovery
020.682 Molecular Recognition and Signaling
020.686 Advanced Cell Biology

Applied Mathematics and Statistics

550.310 Probability and Statistics for the Physical and Information Sciences
550.311 Probability and Statistics for the Biological and Medical Sciences
550.420 Introduction to Probability
550.430 Introduction to Statistics
550.435 Bioinformatics and Statistical Genetics

Biomedical Engineering

580.321 Statistical Mechanics and Thermodynamics
580.421 Physiological Foundations for Biomedical Engineering I
580.422 Physiological Foundations for Biomedical Engineering II
580.425 Ionic Channels in Excitable Membranes
580.427 Calcium Signals in Biological Systems
580.440 Cell and Tissue Engineering
580.441 Cellular Engineering
580.442 Tissue Engineering

Biophysics

250.326 Biological Macromolecules: Structures and Function
250.332 X-ray Crystallography of Biological Molecules
250.345 Cellular and Molecular Physiology
250.351 Reproductive Physiology
250.353 Computational Biology (Biomolecular Dynamics and Ensembles)
250.372 Introduction to Biophysical Chemistry

Chemistry

030.301 Physical Chemistry I
030.302 Physical Chemistry II
030.425 Advanced Mechanistic Organic Chemistry I
030.426 Advanced Mechanistic Organic Chemistry II
030.441 Spectroscopic Methods of Organic Structure Determination
030.451 Spectroscopy
030.634 Bioorganic Chemistry

Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

540.402 Cellular and Molecular Biotechnology of Mammalian Systems
540.404/604 Therapeutic & Diagnostic Colloids
540.431 Biochemical Engineering/Biotechnology
540.435 Genome Engineering
540.437 Applications of Molecular Evolution to Biotechnology
540.441 Cellular Engineering

Computer Science

600.403 Computational Genomics: Sequence Modeling

Earth and Planetary Sciences

270.308 Population and Community Ecology
270.311 Geobiology
270.320 The Environment and Your Health (Global Change and Human Health)
270.321 Oceanography

Geography and Environmental Engineering

570.303 The Environment and Your Health
570.309 Microbiology
570.317 Paleoecology
570.328 Geography and Ecology of Plants
570.395 Principles of Estuarine Environment: The Chesapeake Bay
570.403 Ecology
570.411 Environmental Microbiology
570.443 Aquatic Chemistry
570.450 Molecular Biology for Engineering Applications

Neurosciences

080.304 Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience
080.305 The Nervous System I
080.306 The Nervous System II
080.310 Communication Between Cells: The Synapse as a Model System
080.330 Brain Injury and Recovery of Function
080.335 Neuroscience of Pain
080.340 Neuroplasticity
080.352 Primate Brain Function

Physics

171.310 Biological Physics
171.319-320 Intermediate General Physics for the Biosciences

Psychological and Brain Sciences

200.312 Imaging the Human Mind
200.314 Advanced Statistical Methods
200.329 Brain, Communication and Evolution
200.344 Behavioral Endocrinology
200.370 Functional Human Neuroanatomy
200.374 Behavioral Medicine
200.376 Psychopharmacology
200.378 Evolution of Behavior
200.386 Animal Cognition

Public Health

280.350 Fundamentals of Epidemiology


Joel Schildbach, Director of Undergraduate Studies
Mudd Hall, Room 235
410.516.0176
joel@jhu.edu


DISCLAIMER - Information on this page should be confirmed by the Registar's Office, the Department of Biology, or the course instructor. Information on this page is for the added assistance of students. It is not intended to replace official JHU publications. Mistakes should be reported to the Webmaster.


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