Faculty
Professor and Director, J. Nilson; Professors, R. Brosemer, H. Grimes, M. Griswold, T. Hassold, H. Hosick, P. Hunt, M. Kahn, C. Kang, K. Kim, A. Kleinhofs, P. Lurquin, N. Magnuson, J. Nilson, M. Pall, K. Postle, R. Reeves, M. Skinner, M. Smerdon, D. von Wettstein, L. Xun; Associate Professors, L. Gloss, M. Konkel, E. Shelden, S. Sylvester (Vancouver), L. Taylor; Assistant Professors, J. Dahl, W. Davis, C. Her, J. Wyrick; Associate Faculty, M. Black, J. Browse, B. Bruce, H. Granzier, J. Harding, J. Hurst, J. Jones, S. Jones, D. Kramer, B. Lawrence, N. Lewis, J. Lindsey, F. Muehlbauer, T. Okita, J. Paznokas, B. Rodgers, J. Schenk, L. Thomashow, G. Thorgaard, S. Zhou; Instructors, C. Helmick, N. McCabe, P. Mixter, M. Sanchez-Lanier.
Program
Degrees Granted: Master of Science in Biochemistry, Master of Science in Genetics and Cell Biology, Master of Science in Microbiology; Master of Science (non-thesis) in Biotechnology; Doctor of Philosophy (Biochemistry, Genetics and Cell Biology, Microbiology)Molecular biosciences can be best viewed as a dynamic continuum in which approaches derived from chemistry, physics and biology are utilized to address the fundamental mechanisms of living organisms. The School of Molecular Biosciences (SMB) offers many exciting opportunities for students who want to explore the possibilities of a wide range of future career paths in the life sciences. With 47 active research and teaching faculty members, and many research associated faculty members who have earned national and international reputations as experts in their respective areas of research, the School provides unlimited opportunities for a rich and varied experience.
The School offers programs leading to B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in Biochemistry, Genetics and Cell Biology, and Microbiology. In addition, a Masters of Science (non-thesis) in Biotechnology is available. Options within these degrees offer flexibility to add emphasis in chemistry, molecular biology, physics, and biotechnology. A hallmark of the graduate education in Molecular Biosciences is the flexibility offered, in terms of both research and course work, to individual students.
Students graduating from the School have numerous career opportunities available to them including technical positions in food, pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, private or government laboratories and departments, and nonprofit institutions such as clinical and hospital laboratories and institutes whose main activity is research. Graduates are also well prepared for advanced degree work in medicine, dentistry, veterinary science, and other fields. With the advent of the “biological revolution” which will continue well into the 21st century, new opportunities with links to the worlds of business, law and government are ever expanding.
The School is well equipped for state-of-the-art teaching and research in many fields. Equipment for ultracentrifugation, recombinant DNA techniques, HPLC, protein analysis and purification, DNA sequencing and synthesizing, etc. is available. In addition, many excellent support facilities are available on campus including the Electron Microscopy Center, Bioanalytical Laboratory, Nuclear Radiation Center, NMR Center, X-ray Crystallography Laboratory, Science Instruction Learning Center and the adjoining seven-story Owen Science and Engineering Library.
Washington State University’s Pullman campus is situated in the rich agricultural area known as the Palouse in eastern Washington. Pullman is only eight miles from University of Idaho at Moscow, Idaho, approximately 1.5 hours south of Spokane, Washington, and 5.5 hours from Seattle, Washington. The Pullman environs offers many recreational activities including skiing, fishing, hunting, whitewater rafting, camping, hiking, and rock climbing. Pullman is near the Bitterroot Wilderness in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, and near numerous rivers and lakes; Snake, Salmon, Clearwater, and Columbia rivers and Coeur d’Alene, Pend Oreille, and Priest lakes, to name a few.
Students who anticipate graduate study in Molecular Biosciences should strive to include in their undergraduate work basic courses in chemistry, physics, calculus, genetics, cell biology, biology, as well as courses (e.g. microbiology or biochemistry) that may be pertinent to a specific degree program. Students applying to Molecular Biosciences are required to submit a formal application (to both SMB and the Graduate School), three confidential letters of recommendation, official transcripts of all college work, scores of the general aptitude portion of the Graduate Record Examination (the Advanced Biology or the Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology tests are not required but are recommended). International students from non-English speaking countries must submit a TOEFL score of 550 or better to be eligible for admission. All SMB students are supported on Research Assistant or Teaching Assistant positions throughout their graduate education.
Molecular Bioscience
501 Cell Biology 3 Prereq MBioS 301, 303. Graduate-level counterpart of MBioS 401; additional requirements. Credit not granted for both MBioS 401 and 501. Cooperative course taught by WSU, open to UI students (Genet/PlSc 550).
503 Molecular Biology I 3 Prereq MBioS 301, 303. DNA replication and recombination in prokaryotes and eukaroytes; recombinant DNA methods and host/vector systems; genome analysis; transgenic organisms.
504 Molecular Biology II 3 Prereq MBioS 301, 303. Gene expression and regulation in prokaryotes and eukaryotes, including transcription, RNA processing, and translation; chromatin structure; DNA repair.
506 Molecular Techniques in Microbiology 4 (2-6) Prereq graduate level biochemistry or molecular biology course or instructor consent. Current molecular biology techniques applied to DNA and protein isolation and characterization: southern and western blots, PCR, PAGE, computer cloning. Cooperative course taught by WSU, open to UI students (MMBB 529).
513 General Biochemistry 3 Graduate-level counterpart of MBioS 413; additional requirements. Credit not granted for both 413 and 513. Cooperative course taught by WSU, open to UI students (MMBB 541).
514 General Biochemistry 3 Graduate-level counterpart of MBioS 414; additional requirements. Credit not granted for both 414 and 514. Cooperative course taught by WSU, open to UI students (MMBB 542).
520 Eukaryotic Molecular Genetics 3 Prereq MBioS 301, 303. Graduate-level counterpart of MBioS 420; additional requirements. Credit not granted for both 420 and 520.
521 Cell Biotechnology V 1-3 Prereq MBioS 303, 401. Contemporary cell biotechnology; techniques including: cell culture, immunology (including preparation and use of monoclonal antibodies), nucleic acid hybridization (including in situ).
522 Genetic and Molecular Aspects of Plant Reproduction 2 or 3 Graduate-level counterpart of MBioS 422; additional requirements. Credit not granted for both MBioS 422 and 522.
523 Fundamentals of Oncology 3 Same as
P/T 572.
524 Cellular and Molecular Aspects of Development 3 Same as Biol 573.
525 Advanced Topics in Genetics V 1-2 May be repeated for credit. Prereq MBioS 520 or 511. Recent research in selected areas of genetics.
526 Advanced Topics in Cell Biology V 1-3 May be repeated for credit; cumulative maximum 7 hours. Current research in cell structure and function. Cooperative course taught by WSU, open to UI students (Genet/PlSc 592).
527 Perspectives in Biotechnology 3 Graduate-level counterpart of MBioS 427; additional requirements. Credit not granted for both MBioS 427 and 527.
528 Molecular and Cellular Reproduction 3 (2-2) Course will review the state of the art concepts of the molecular, cellular, and physiological aspects of mammalian reproduction.
530 Plant Molecular Genetics 3 Prereq MBioS 520. Plant molecular genetics with emphasis on systems specific to plants and plant genetic engineering. Cooperative course taught by WSU, open to UI students (Genet 570/PlSc 571).
537 (531) Plant Cell Biology 3 Same as Biol 537.
532 Plant Transmission Genetics 3 Same as CropS 504.
534 Fungal Genetics 4 (3-3) Same as Pl P 534.
535 Molecular Genetics of Plant and Pathogen Interactions 2 Same as Pl P 535.
536 Molecular Genetics 3 Prereq MBioS 513; MBioS 301, 502, or MBioS 302. Biochemical description of genetic processes in microorganisms.
540 Immunology 4 The immune system at the animal, cellular, and molecular levels. Credit not granted for both MBioS 440 and 540. Cooperative course taught by WSU, open to UI students (MMBB 512).
541 Seminar 1 May be repeated for credit. Literature reviews and research reports.
542 General Virology 3 Graduate-level counterpart of MBioS 442; additional requirements. Credit not granted for both MBioS 442 and 542.
543 Advanced Pathogenic Mechanisms 3 Prereq by interview only. Detailed analysis of microbial virulence factors and host factors involved in infection and infectious disease. Cooperative course taught jointly by WSU and UI (MMBB 562).
544 Microbial Transformation 3 Prereq
MBioS 303, MBioS 450. Use of microbes in the
biodegradation of wastes and bioprocessing to produce
valuable chemical stocks. Cooperative course taught by
UI (MMBB 568), open to WSU students.
545 Advanced Immunology 3 Prereq introductory course in
immunology. Cellular and molecular regulation of the
immune response. Cooperative course taught by WSU, open
to UI students (VS 570).
546 Selected Topics in Microbiology 1 May be repeated for credit; cumulative maximum 2 hours. Prereq 9 hours 300-400-level Micro.
547 Advanced Topics in Microbiology V 1-3 May be repeated for credit.
548 Selected Topics in Virology 1 May be repeated for credit. Prereq MBioS 542 or c//; by interview only. Selected topics in virology using the current literature.
549 Selected Topics in Immunology 1 May be repeated for credit; cumulative maximum 2 hours. Prereq course in immunology. Seminar series on advances in immunology.
550 Basic and Applied Microbial Physiology 3 Graduate-level counterpart of MBioS 450; additional requirements. Credit not granted for both MBioS 450 and 550 .
552 Environmental Microbiology 3 Graduate-level counterpart of MBioS 452; additional requirements. Credit not granted for both MBioS 452 and 552.
554 Chromosome Structure and Function 3 Same as Crops 554.
561 Biochemical Signaling in Plants, Animals and Microorganisms 2 Prereq MBioS 513. New research on intra and extra cellular bio-chemical signaling, including communication in plants and hormone action in animals.
566 Physical Biochemistry 3 Graduate-level counterpart of MBioS 466; Prereq MBioS 456 or one year of Physical Chemistry. Techniques for the study of biological structure and function; spectroscopy, magnetic resonance, diffusion, sedimentation, electron microscopy, diffraction and scattering. Credit not granted for both 466 and 566.
567 Proteins and Enzymes 3 Prereq MBioS 513. Enzyme mechanisms; protein structure and function; protein evolution.
568 Advanced Topics in Biochemistry V 1-3 May be repeated for credit. Prereq MBioS 513 or c//. Recent research in selected areas of biochemistry.
570 Biological Membranes 2 or 3 Prereq MBioS 514. Structure and function of biological membranes; composition, transport, receptors, and sensory phenomena.
571 Advanced Topics in Plant Biochemistry 2 Prereq MBioS 514; basic botany. Biochemistry unique to plants; new research advances.
574 Protein Biotechnology 3 Biotechnology related to the isolation, modification and large scale commercial production, patenting and marketing of useful recombinant proteins and products.
576 Molecular Biology Techniques I 1 (0-3) Prereq MBioS 514 or c//. Modern laboratory technique in the sequencing of nucleic acids.
577 Molecular Biology Techniques II 1 (0-3) Prereq MBioS 514 or c//. Modern laboratory techniques in the use of plasmids as cloning vehicles.
578 Bioinformatics 3 (2-3) Graduate-level counterpart of MBioS 478; additional requirements. Credit not granted for both 478 and 578. Cooperative course taught by WSU, open to UI students (MMBB 578).
579 Biochemistry Seminar 1 or 2 May be repeated for credit; cumulative maximum 10 hours. Required of all graduate students in biochemistry.
581 Seminar in Animal Physiology 1 Same as A S 540.
593 Research Proposal 2 May be repeated for credit; cumulative maximum 4 hours. Written and oral presentation of an area of bio-chemistry.
600 Special Projects or Independent Study Variable credit. S, F grading.
700 Master’s Research, Thesis, and/or Examination Variable credit. S, F grading.
702 Master’s Special Problems, Directed Study, and/or Examination Variable credit. S, F grading.
800 Doctoral Research, Dissertation, and/or Examination Variable credit. S, F grading.