Overview
Baton Rouge's Louisiana State University and A&M College Offers Graduate Degrees in Biological Sciences
The Department of Biological Sciences at Louisiana State University and A&M College in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, offers M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in biochemistry and biological sciences.
The graduate degrees in biochemistry concentrate on the many fundamental disciplines of biochemistry and molecular biology. Graduate degrees in biological sciences emphasize broader, interdisciplinary approaches to biology research and study in areas such as bioinformatics, systematics, ecology, cell biology, and physiology, as well as traditional organism-based approaches such as botany, microbiology, and zoology. Biological sciences faculty and graduate students also participate in interdepartmental programs that lead to graduate concentrations in genetics, plant physiology, systematics, ecology and evolution, and toxicology.
Situated on a high bluff overlooking the Mississippi River 80 miles northwest of New Orleans, Baton Rouge is a colorful city of 227,000 residents that lives up to its motto, "Authentic Louisiana at Every Turn." Rich in Louisiana culture and heritage, Baton Rouge (French for "Red Stick") is known for its great people, mouthwatering Cajun cuisine, a lively arts and music scene, and avid LSU football fans. Graduate students enjoy downtown's museums, art galleries, restaurants, nightclubs, and Cajun-style bars, including an LSU favorite, the Chimes Bar.
Graduate Students Conduct Biochemistry and Biological Sciences Research with Faculty at World-Class Research Facilities
A top research institution, LSU is one of only nine universities in the country designated as both a land-grant and sea-grant institution, and one of only a select number of universities designated as a Doctoral/Research-Extensive University by the Carnegie Foundation. With a wealth of sophisticated equipment in modern research facilities and an experienced faculty with diverse research interests, graduate students at the Department of Biological Sciences regularly conduct ground-breaking research that delves deeply and widely into the timely issues in the field.
The Department of Biological Sciences was formed from the merger of the faculty, resources, and research facilities of the biochemistry, microbiology, plant biology, zoology, and physiology departments. The organizational change was designed to foster cross-cutting, interdisciplinary research initiatives that lead to more significant research breakthroughs on a faster track than was possible when each of the biological sciences worked in isolation.
Graduate students conduct research utilizing cutting-edge instrumentation at the Department of Biological Sciences' state-of-the-art research facilities. As a result of the state of Louisiana's initiative in biological computing, students and faculty benefit from using the Beowulf cluster computer system, one of the fastest computer systems in the world and the second fastest worldwide among academic institutions.
DBS' large research facilities include laboratories for functional genomics with state-of-the-art instrumentation for DNA sequencing; real-time PCR; scan array and microarray equipment; NMR analysis and mass spectrometry; and confocal, light, and electron microscopy. Resources include research facilities such as darkrooms, walk-in cold rooms, plant-growth chambers, animal facilities, and aquatic facilities.
Ground-Breaking Research Conducted in Biochemistry and Biological Sciences
biochemistry and biological sciences. A biochemistry graduate degree prepares students for professional careers in biochemical research and teaching in the areas of cell and molecular biology; virology; plant biochemistry; enzymology; and protein, DNA, and carbohydrate molecular biophysics.
Biological sciences graduate students prepare for careers that emphasize an interdisciplinary approach to biology and undertake their degrees in one of the three divisions within the department. In biochemistry and molecular biology (BMB), graduate students conduct research in diverse areas such as the analysis of structure and function of complex carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids, and proteins; DNA repair; and tumor immunology. In cellular development and integrative biology (CMIB), students investigate sensory and endocrine systems at the molecular, cellular, and systems level; developmental biology and cell differentiation; intra- and inter-cellular signaling; functional and comparative morphology; and comparative and environmental physiology. The diverse interests of the systematics and ecology and evolution (SEE) division facilitate advanced study of the ecological and evolutional processes of a broad range of organisms and habitats.
Department of Biological Sciences students and faculty conduct field research around the Mississippi River and the river delta region downstream as well as numerous tropical, subtropical, temperate, and high-altitude locations. Academics and research are also enhanced by access to the extensive research collections of the nearby Museum of Natural Science, the LSU Herbarium, and the research facilities of the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station and Louisiana Sea Grant.
