m.s. program

B.A./M.S. AND B.S./M.S. PROGRAMS IN MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR BIOLOGY

The Biology Department offers a B.A./M.S. (or B.S./M.S. if the student has completed the
requirements for the B.S. degree) degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology. The B.A./M.S. degree provides Hopkins Biology majors with advanced training in preparation for careers in science and medicine.

Admission

Admission to the Molecular and Cellular Biology Masters program is selective. Hopkins Biology majors and Molecular and Cellular Biology majors who have achieved an overall grade-point average of 3.0 or higher and have had at least two semesters of previous research experience may apply for admission during the junior or senior years. Students with a GPA below 3.0 might be considered for admission to the program under special circumstances if the MCB Program Committee judges the student to be capable of completing the requirements for the Master's program. Admission decisions are made by the MCB Program Committee, on the basis of (a) the student's academic record, (b) a written proposal for a project to be completed in the Mentored Research Program, (c) letters of support and recommendation, and (d) an interview with the student.
Qualified Biology majors and Molecular and Cellular Biology majors who are considering the M.S. program should consult with their academic advisors for purposes of identifying potential mentors for the research year. Research mentors must be Johns Hopkins faculty (regular or adjunct), but may located at at the Homewood campus, the Carnegie Institution, the School of Medicine (including both the East Baltimore and Bayview campuses), Bloomberg School of Public Health or the School of Nursing.  After securing the agreement of a research mentor to oversee her or his work during the research year, the student prepares, in cooperation with the mentor, a research proposal detailing the rationale, methods, and timetable for a proposed project.  The proposal will be evaluated by the MCB Program Committee with respect to the quality and feasibility of the proposed research, and the adequacy of the plans for supervision of the work.
The research year typically begins in the Fall semester of year 5. Application for admission to the B.A./M.S. program must be submitted by March 1 of the fourth year, and admission decisions will be made by April 15 of that year. In some instances students entering with substantial advanced placement credit may be able to complete the Bachelors/Masters program in 4 or 4 1/2 years, and so may begin the research year prior to their fourth year. In such instances applications for admission to the program will be due in the semester preceding the beginning of the research year (March 1 for a research year starting in the fall, November 1 for a research year starting in the spring).

Application Instructions

Application Deadlines:
March 1st for applicants wishing to start in September
November 1st for students wishing to start in January

Materials to be submitted to the Biology Office (144 Mudd Hall):

□          JHU Application for Graduate Admission – Concurrent Programs
Blank forms are available from the Biology office or from http://grad.jhu.edu/concurrent/ .

□          Research Proposal
This should be about three pages in length, and should be developed by the applicant in cooperation with his or her research mentor.  The proposal should detail the rationale, methods, and timetable for the proposed project.  When creating the timetable, please bear in mind that the final draft of the thesis will be due in mid-April for students who start in September, and mid-November for students who start in January.  

□          Undergraduate Transcript

□          Letter of Support from the Research Supervisor
In the letter, the supervisor should both agree to take on the applicant
as a Masters student and outline plans for the supervision of the student’s work.

□          Letter of Recommendation
This can be one in the same as the Letter of Support, and should be accompanied by the JHU Letter of Recommendation form (available from the Biology office or from http://grad.jhu.edu/concurrent/ ).

Upon receipt of all application materials, the student will be contacted to schedule an interview. 

Requirements

Students in the B.A./M.S. program must complete all requirements for the B.A. degree (students who complete the requirements for a B.S. degree and then enroll in the M.S. program, will be awarded a B.S./M.S. degree). In addition, students enrolled in the combined Bachelor's/Master's program must complete the following requirements:

• Four additional advanced or specialized courses. At least two of these courses must be at the 600 or 700-level or above. The eligible courses are listed in Appendix II.
• 020.401 and 020.402 Advanced Seminar in Molecular and Cellular Biology (3 credits each). All B.A./M.S. students will participate in this 3-credit weekly seminar during their year in the program. The seminar involves student presentations of research, and discussion of topics of current interest in the field.
• 020.551, 020.552 and 020.553 Mentored Research Program in Molecular and Cellular Biology. The Mentored Research Program provides B.A./M.S. students with intensive research experience for a full academic year. Students in the program work under the direction of a research mentor on an original research project approved by the Molecular and Cellular Biology (MCB) Program Committee, produce a written report in the form of a thesis, and makes a presentation of the work to the Biology department. Monitoring the progress of the students during the research year is the responsibility of the research mentors. Students register for 020.551 in the fall, 020.552 in the intersession and 020.553 in the spring. Students receive 9 credit hours per semester for research during the fall and spring semesters of the research year, and 3 credit hours for the intersession. This aspect of the program will require a waiver of the usual limit of 6 research credits per year. This assignment of credits is quite conservative for the expected full-time research work. The usual formula for assigning credits for independent research is 3 hours of work per week per credit hour. According to this formula, 9 credit hours would correspond to 27 hours per week of research, somewhat less than will be expected of the M.S. students during the research year. The evaluation of the mentor takes into account the progress of the student on the research project. Mentor evaluations must be submitted to the MS Program Academic Advisor by the last day of classes each semester. (Click here to see form)
• Writing Requirement. Writing is an integral part of scientific work. Accordingly, one aim of the mentored research program is to train students in scientific writing. As described below, B.A./M.S. students prepare a research proposal for admission to the program, and a final report in the form of a short thesis. Both the initial proposal and the final report are major pieces of work, involving a process of preparing drafts, receiving evaluations from a supervisor, and making revisions until an acceptable version is produced.
• Teaching Requirement.  Teaching is an integral component of the Masters degree.  The teaching requirement is generally fulfilled as a Teaching Assistant for the General Biology and General Biology Laboratory courses for two semesters.

Thesis and Presentation

The mentored research program culminates in the preparation of a written report (approximately 20 pages) of the research project in the form of a thesis. This report, to be completed by the end of the research year, is first submitted to the research mentor. The mentor will meet with the student to discuss the content and writing, and will request revisions if necessary. This process continues until the mentor approves the report, by submitting the Readers' Letter to Dr. Horner.  A sample Readers' Letter is available here.
The student then submits the report to the MS Program academic advisor.  The academic advisor and the student’s mentor comprise the two-member Thesis Committee, and are responsible for approval of the final thesis.  After the thesis is submitted, each B.A./M.S. student makes an oral presentation of the work. The written report and oral presentation are evaluated by the Thesis Committee. Passing performance, as judged by the committee, is required for the M.S. degree. A student who does not receive a passing evaluation for the final report and presentation will not be awarded the M.S. degree, but may nevertheless receive a B.A. in Biology or a B.S. in Molecular and Cellular Biology if the requirements for these degrees have been fulfilled.

Awarding of the M.S. Degree

Students admitted to the B.A./M.S. program will be awarded the M.S. degree if they complete the above-described requirements, maintain an overall grade-point average of 3 or better during their year in the program and achieve passing performance on the final written report and oral presentation of the research project completed during the research year as judged by the Thesis Committee.

M.S. Program Administration

The B.A./M.S. program is administered by the Biology Department. A Molecular and Cellular Biology Program Committee coordinates course offerings, oversees the coursework, makes decisions about admission to the B.A./M.S. program, approves proposed research programs and mentors for students in the B.A./M.S. Mentored Research Program. A Thesis Committee evaluates the final reports and presentations from the research year. See Academic Program Coordinator for an application.

APPENDIX II. Courses fulfilling the advanced course requirements for the B.A./M.S. program

020.309 Cellular and Molecular Neurophysiology
020.310 Developmental Neurobiology
020.312 Introduction to the Human Brain
020.311 Enzymes and Proteins
020.331 Human Genetics
020.332 Plant Biochemistry
020.333 Adaptations of Plants to Their Environment
020.335 Landmarks in Biochemical Research
020.342 Proteins
020.344 Virology
020.346 Immunobiology
020.347 AIDS
020.368 Mammalian Evolution
020.376 Molecular Evolution
020.379 Evolution
020.380 Molecular Biology
020.395 Advanced Electron Microscopy
020.609 Cellular and Molecular Neurophysiology
020.610 Developmental Neurobiology
020.612 Introduction to the Human Brain
020.630 Human Genetics
020.634 Chromatin and Transcription
020.637 Advanced Developmental Biology and Genetics
020.638 Regulation and Mechanisms of the Cell Cycle
020.639 Macromolecular Assemblies in Biology
020.642 Proteins: Structure, Folding and Interaction with Partners
020.644 Virology
020.646 Biological Spectroscopy
020.665 Advanced Biochemistry
020.667 Bioconjugate Techniques
020.668 Advanced Molecular Biology
020.671 Molecular Biophysics
020.673 Conformational Equilibrium in Biological Macromolecules
020.679 Advanced Biological Electron Microscopy
020.686 Advanced Cell Biology
080.304 Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience

Click here for MS Handbook

Robert Horner, Undergraduate Advising Coordinator
Macaulay Hall, Room 313
410.516.8067
rdhorner@jhu.edu

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