Prerequisites for admission include a bachelor's or master's degree in a physical or life science with a strong background in chemistry and biochemistry. A minimum of 2.75 overall quality point average on a 4.0 scale is required. The GRE general test is required and a minimum combined score of 1500 (verbal plus quantitative plus analytical) is considered to be competitive. It is recommended that the student also take the GRE advanced test in Biochemistry, Cellular, and Molecular Biology or Chemistry. It is required that International students have a TOEFL score of 550 or better in order to be considered. Letters of recommendation will also be considered in the admissions decision.
The Ph.D. degree is primarily a research degree. However, a minimum of 30 to 40 hours of course work and 30 hours of research beyond the B.S. degree is required. A student entering the program with a master's degree will be required to take 30 to 40 hours past that degree. The courses shall come from the offerings of the Department and from supporting programs. If the student desires a specific minor, 12 hours should be in that field. The selection of courses is left to the student in consultation with the major professor and graduate committee.
It is required that all students take a core of General Biochemistry I, General Biochemistry II (or their equivalents), Protein Methods, Molecular Biology Methods, Molecular Biology or Molecular Genetics, and Intermediary Metabolism. An entrance exam will be provided to students wishing to bypass General Biochemistry I and General Biochemistry II. If students have successfully completed any of these courses as undergraduates at Mississippi State, they need not repeat them. Students must have a 3.0 average or better in all core courses taken. Students will not be allowed to drop a core course.
Students are required to show technical proficiency in one skill area not directly or routinely related to their research area. This proficiency must be demonstrable by successful completion of a course taken at Mississippi State (including directed individual study courses) approved by the student's graduate committee that is not part of the Program of Study. Such proficiencies could include (but are not limited to) statistics, computers, electron microscopy, plant transformation, tissue culture, production of monoclonal antibodies.
Students are required to present two formal (full length, graded) seminars and one informal seminar (one-half length, non-graded). The informal seminar will be presented in the second semester in residence. The first formal seminar should be after the student has been in residence for 1.5 years. The final seminar will be a presentation of the final research results of the student. Students are required to attend all Departmental seminars.
The student's graduate committee will consist of five total members with at least three from the Department. The student will submit a research proposal to the committee. No time limit is imposed but it is suggested that the proposal be submitted within the first 1.5 years. The student will have yearly reviews with the graduate committee. The student is expected to produce publishable research.
The student must pass a written and oral preliminary examination dealing with their program of study. Students not passing the preliminary exams on a second attempt will be given the option of completing the research required for an MS (provided the course work is also adequate). All students must also pass a final oral defense of the dissertation upon completion of the research program.
Students will be given a copy of this information along with other ancillary information (safety, faculty interests, etc.). They will also be required to take the radiation safety seminar.
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology has the following standards for graduate students in both the M.S. and Ph.D. programs. Students are allowed only two C's. Any third C or the first grade below C is grounds for dismissal.