Program in Cell and Molecular Biology College of Science Florida Institute of Technology

Florida Institute of Technology's Department of Biological Sciences Offers Graduate Programs Leading to an M.S. or Ph.D.

Florida Institute of Technology's (FIT) Department of Biological Sciences offers programs of graduate study leading to either a Master of Science or Doctor of Philosophy degree in cell and molecular biology. Students pursuing a master's degree in biology may choose to focus on aquaculture, biotechnology, ecology, marine biology, or cell and molecular biology. Students achieving a master's in cell and molecular biology will be prepared for further graduate study in pursuit of a Ph.D. or a professional career.

The Master of Science degree in cell and molecular biology is granted through a program that mixes class work with hands-on research activities, as well as a final graduate thesis. Students must complete 34 credit hours including formal course work, attend a graduate thesis seminar, and prepare and defend a thesis based on original research. All thesis research is conducted under the supervision of a departmental adviser who helps keep the student research on track.

Students may choose which areas to focus on in their own class work and research. Students may avail themselves of classes from related colleges at FIT, such as the College of Liberal Arts and College of Engineering. Students are also expected to enroll in the biological research rotation to gain laboratory experience, and the biological sciences seminar in every semester until the final preparation for the thesis. During the final thesis preparation semester, graduate students will enroll for the biological research seminar and the thesis final course, presenting a departmental thesis seminar as the final requirement for earning a master's degree.

Students may then opt to continue on to pursue a Ph.D. in cell and molecular biology. The Ph.D. program focuses on a few main areas of molecular and cellular biology, including molecular genetics, biochemistry, population genetics, developmental biology, sensory biology, and microbiology. Students who complete the Ph.D. program will graduate as scientists prepared for research careers in academic or industrial settings.

FIT's Well-Funded Biology Department Boasts 45,000 Square Feet of Research and Laboratory Space with Modern Equipment

Research is a priority at the Florida Institute of Technology. The Department of Biology has roughly 45,000 square feet of laboratory and office space, providing students with ample area in which to conduct research. Modern facilities make it easy for students to dive into the most current research topics in cell and molecular biology, such as DNA purification and analysis, gene cloning, cell culture, and protein isolation and characterization. In addition to the main labs, the biology department offers students the use of the High Resolution Microscopy and Advanced Imaging Center, which contains high-tech equipment for specialized research, such as confocal and electron microscopes.

Research funding at the Florida Institute of Technology is on the rise, with an increased number of proposals for funded research over the past few years. In just the past two years, the university has seen a major resurgence in the number of proposals for funded research. With nearly $35 million in research-sponsored projects and 90 faculty members who serve as principal investigators -- four of whom have received prestigious NSF Career Awards -- Florida Institute of Technology's biology department provides a well-respected atmosphere that foments important, original research.

Wide-Ranging Faculty Research Interests Provide Opportunities for Students at Florida Institute of Technology

Faculty members at FIT have a wide and diverse range of interests. The low student-faculty ratio ensures that each student can receive plenty of personal attention from faculty members with expertise in their chosen areas.

Some examples include David J. Carroll, associate professor of Biological Sciences. Professor Carroll has a B.S. in Microbiology, an M.S. in Zoology, and a Ph.D. in Biomedical Science. His current research uses a combination of biochemistry, molecular biology, and live cell microscopy to research fertilization. Recent discoveries include the fact that PLCg is required for the initiation of the calcium increase during fertilization in starfish and sea urchin eggs. Collaborative research has allowed Professor Carroll to clone a starfish PLCg cDNA from an arrayed oocyte cDNA library, in the search for a suite of tyrosine-phosphorylated proteins, some from the sperm and some from the egg, that bind to PLCg only after fertilization. The identification of these proteins is a major goal of the laboratory in the coming years.

Another important faculty member is Professor Emeritus Arvind M. Dhople, who served for many years as the Director of the Infectious Diseases Laboratory. Since 2005, he has retired to become Professor Emeritus in that department. Dr. Dhople has been on numerous national scientific advisory committees, and his research focused on the nutrition and growth of mycobacterium leprae, the causative organism of leprosy.

• Degrees Offered
• Major Degree Levels Offered
• Master of Science (MS)

• Degrees Awarded
• Master's Degrees 2
• Doctoral Degrees Not reported
• First Professional Degrees Not reported
• Other Advanced Degrees Not reported
• * Shows the number of degrees awarded for the last academic year that data was reported.

• Earning Your Degree
• Part-time study available? Yes
• Evening/weekend programs available? No
• Distance learning programs available? No
• Terminal master's degree available? Not reported

• Degree Requirements
• Master's Degrees Required
• Doctoral Degrees Not reported
• First Professional Degrees Not reported
• Other Advanced Degrees Not reported

• Acceptance Rate
• Applied40
• Accepted3
• Acceptance Rate7%
• Enrolled2
• Applying
• Application Fee - Domestic Not Reported
• Application Fee - International Not Reported
• Electronic applications accepted? Yes
• Applications processed on a rolling basis? Yes
• Application Deadlines
• Type Domestic International Priority Date
• Fall deadline April 1st Not Reported
• Winter deadline Not Reported Not Reported Not Reported
• Spring deadline September 1st Not Reported
• Entrance Requirements
• Master's DegreesGRE General Test, 3 letters of recommendation, minimum GPA of 3.0, and resume, statement of objectives
• Doctoral's DegreesNot Reported
• First-Professional's DegreesNot Reported
• Other Advanced DegreesNot Reported
• International DegreesTOEFL required, 550 paper based, TOEFL iBT

• Tuition & Fees
• In-state tuition *$20,214
• Out-of-state tuition *$20,214
• International student tuitionNot Reported
• * Tuition for full-time graduate student per academic year
• Fees
• Per-academic year feesNot Reported
• Per-term feesNot Reported
• One-time feeNot Reported
• * Fees for full-time graduate students
• Financial Support
• Financial award applicants must submitFAFSA
• Application deadlines for financial awardsMarch 1
• Types of financial support availableTuition Waivers, Career or Field-Related Internships, Financial Support for Part-time Students, Institutionally-sponsored Loans, Graduate Assistantships, tuition remissions

• Gender
• Total Graduate Students5
• Female Percentage80%
• Male Percentage20%
• Participation
• Total Graduate Students5
• Part-time Percentage20%
• Full-time Percentage80%
• Ethnicity
• Hispanic / Latino0%
• Black / African American0%
• White / Caucasian100%
• American Indian / Alaskan Native0%
• Asian0%
• Native Hawaiian / Other Pacific Islander0%
• Two or more races0%
• Unknown0%

• Faculty Breakout
• Total Faculty16
• Full-time Percentage100%
• Part-time Percentage0%
• Female Percentage12%
• Male Percentage88%

• Existing Research
• Focus of faculty researchChanges in DNA molecule and differential expression of genetic information during aging
• Externally sponsored research expenditures last year$1,610,458