Detailed Information
Programs of Study
The Department of Biological Sciences at Fordham University offers programs of study leading to the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees. Requirements for the M.S. are 30 credits beyond the B.S. or B.A., knowledge of a foreign language or computer language, and a comprehensive examination. A student may elect to earn 6 credits by writing a thesis. Opportunities for part-time students are also available. Requirements for the Ph.D. are 30 credits beyond the M.S., completion of a program of study and research as recommended by a committee, knowledge of a foreign or computer language, a comprehensive examination, and a dissertation based on original research. Upon registration, students are assigned an interim adviser. Comprehensive exams are usually taken before the end of the second year.
Areas of specialization are cell and molecular biology and ecology. Research areas in cell and molecular biology include immunomodulators and cancer immunology; eukaryotic gene expression; ion channel physiology; genetic basis of aging; genetic toxicology; cytogenetic and molecular analysis of chromosomes; spermatogenesis and early development; cellular differentiation; regeneration in invertebrates; neuronal differentiation; electron microscopy and trace-element analysis; neurophysiology; and growth factors. Research areas in ecology include population and community ecology; conservation biology; microbial ecology and physiological ecology of plants, terrestrial insects, and aquatic organisms; and thermal biology. Emphases include insect-parasitoid interactions, paleoecology, trace-element biogeochemistry, freshwater ecology, systematics and evolution of mammals and insects, behavioral ecology of mammals, and extinction dynamics. Opportunities are available for collaborative research projects at the nearby Wildlife Conservation Society (Bronx Zoo) and New York Botanical Gardens.
Research Facilities
The Department of Biological Sciences is housed in a renovated 27,000-square-foot building containing sixteen modern laboratories and a central animal-care facility. The laboratories are equipped for broad-based research employing modern technologies. Items of particular interest for graduate research are tissue culture facilities, microorganism culture facilities, transmission and scanning electron microscopes, fluorescence microscopes, microinjection equipment, ultracentrifuges, a fluorometer, high-performance liquid chromatography equipment, scintillation counters, a video densitometer, DNA sequencing equipment, and an oligonucleotide synthesizer. The Department also maintains the Louis Calder Conservation and Ecology Center, a research, teaching, and conference facility comprising 113 wooded acres, a 10-acre lake, wetlands, research labs, a greenhouse, animal facilities, a conference center, and student housing. Research at the center concentrates on applied environmental sciences, basic ecological research (with emphasis on aquatic studies), and conservation biology. The University maintains a computing center and a separate science library.
Financial Aid
Financial support in the form of assistantships and teaching fellowships is available for full-time graduate students. Tuition remission scholarships are usually held jointly with these awards. In 2007–08, stipends ranged from $25,250 to $27,250. Opportunities for support in the form of research assistantships are also available.
Cost of Study
For 2007–08, tuition was $1020 per credit. The general activities fee was $168 per semester. The technology fee was $100 per semester.
Living and Housing Costs
On-campus housing is available for unmarried students at approximately $9000 per nine-month lease (2007–08). Most students live in off-campus housing near the University or elsewhere in the New York City area. Rents vary widely.
Student Group
The total enrollment of Fordham University is approximately 12,000 students. The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences has an enrollment of approximately 1,150 students. Sixty graduate students are enrolled in the Department of Biological Sciences. These students have diverse ethnic, cultural, and religious backgrounds. Most graduates of the program are engaged in teaching, research, or both.
Location
The Department is housed in Larkin Hall on the Rose Hill campus, which is in the North Bronx, adjacent to the New York Botanical Gardens and the Wildlife Conservation Society (Bronx Zoo). The 85-acre wooded and picturesque campus is conveniently near public transportation and parkways. The Louis Calder Conservation and Ecology Center is located 25 miles north of the campus in suburban Armonk, New York. Opportunities for cultural and social enrichment in New York are virtually unlimited.
The University and The Department
Fordham University, founded in 1841, consists of ten colleges and schools. The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences offers a wide range of master’s and doctoral degree programs and participates in the New York City Doctoral Consortium.
The Department of Biological Sciences maintains an atmosphere that is demanding, yet friendly and human. It sponsors weekly seminars by outside speakers, and students have many opportunities to participate in journal clubs and other forms of scientific discussion. The Louis Calder Conservation and Ecology Center, with its conference center, provides an outstanding resource for urban ecological research and Departmental events.
Applying
Applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree in the biological sciences or the equivalent, have a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale), submit GRE scores (including the Subject Test in biology), and arrange for official transcripts and two letters of recommendation to be sent to the University. TOEFL scores are required of most international students. Early application is encouraged. The deadlines are April 2, 2009, for the fall term and October 31, 2009, for the spring term. Applications for financial aid must be received by January 5, 2009. The fee for an online application is $80.
The Faculty and Their Research
- Sergio Abreu, Ph.D., Connecticut. Biochemical, physiological, and morphological basis of pattern formation; metabolic analysis of early embryonic differentiation events; modeling of cellular and biochemical systems.
- Elizabeth Archie, Ph.D., Duke. Behavioral ecology, population genetics, disease ecology, and conservation biology; understanding the evolution of social behavior and its genetic causes and consequences; using molecular tools to understand how social relationships shape patterns of disease transmission in wild animals.
- J. Alan Clark, Ph.D., Washington (Seattle); J.D., Michigan. Animal behavior and its role in biodiversity conservation; the evolution of behavior; avian ecology; the role of avian vocalizations in delineating individual identity and quality; endangered species law and policy.
- Edward Dubrovsky, Ph.D., Institute of Cytology and Genetics (Novosibirsk). Hormonal regulation of insect development.
- Silvia C. Finnemann, Ph.D., Free University of Berlin. Cell biology of phagocytosis; control of interactions between pigment epithelium and photoreceptor neurons in the retina by integrin and tyrosine kinase receptor signaling.
- Craig Frank, Ph.D., California, Irvine. Integrative mammalian ecology; foraging; nutrition; plant-herbivore relationships; thermal biology.
- Steve Franks, Ph.D., Georgia. Plant ecology and evolution; conservation biology; ecological genetics; population dynamics; coastal dunes; facilitation; climate change; invasive species; herbivory.
- Masaaki Hamaguchi, M.D., Ph.D., Tokyo. Molecular biology and cancer biology; analysis of tumor suppressor genes for breast and lung cancers.
- Gerard Iwantsch, Ph.D., Penn State. Physiological and developmental interactions of the insect and its insect parasites.
- Levente Kapás, M.D., Szeged (Hungary). Physiology and biochemistry of sleep regulation; characterization of endogenous sleep-promoting substances; the role of the endocrine system in the regulation of vigilance.
- James Lewis, Ph.D., Duke. Plant physiological and community ecology, focusing on mechanisms regulating responses to climate change, invasive species, and pollution.
- Gordon Plague, Ph.D., Georgia. Ecological genetics; genomic interactions between bacterial endosymbionts and their insect hosts; speciation; evolution and ecology of aquatic invertebrates.
- Robert Ross, Ph.D., Cornell. Role of cellular phenotype and the proto-oncogene N-myc in human neuroblastoma cell malignancy and differentiation; regulation of N-myc amplification and expression.
- Berish Rubin, Ph.D., CUNY Graduate Center. Biology and biochemistry of immunomodulators, with primary emphasis on the study of their mechanisms of action and their efficacy as anticancer agents.
- William Thornhill, Chair; Ph.D., California, Santa Barbara. Molecular and cellular neurobiology; gene expression and regulation of ion channel expression, trafficking, and function in membranes.
- Amy Tuininga, Ph.D., Rutgers. Community structure and ecosystem function; response of biodiversity and nutrient cycling to disturbances such as atmospheric pollution, fire, or invasive species; fungal symbioses and pathogenesis.
- John Wehr, Ph.D., Durham (England). Ecology of algae in stream and river food webs; role of allochthonous carbon and nutrients in freshwater ecosystems; links between biodiversity and ecosystem services; population biology and biogeography of freshwater brown algae.
Correspondence and Information
Fordham University
For applications and further information, students should contact:
Director of Admissions
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Bronx, New York 10458
Telephone:
718-817-4415
Email:
fuga@fordham.edu
Fordham University
Specific questions can be addressed to:
Chairperson
Department of Biological Sciences
Bronx, New York 10458
Telephone:
718-817-3640
