The Biology Graduate Program at SFASU

Graduate Courses in Biology (BIO)

     *Unless otherwise indicated, courses are three semester hours credit. All biology graduate students are required to attend and participate in biology seminar every semester whether or not they are enrolled for credit. Travel fees may be required for courses with field trips.

501. Advanced Cellular Biology. Three semester hours, three hours lecture per week. Structure and function of eukaryotic cells. Topics include architecture of the cell and function of cellular components, mechanisms of gene expression, the cytoskeleton, interactions between the cell and the extra-cellular matrix, regulation of cell growth, differentiation, and division, and mechanisms of cellular transport. Prerequisite: BIO 341 and six hours of general chemistry.

502. Aquatic Vascular Plants. Two hours lecture, three hours lab per week. Identification and ecology of aquatic and wetland plants. Emphasis will be placed on identification of native wetland plants, characteristics of wetland communities, adaptations of wetland plants to the wetland environment, and wetland management. Lab fee required.

503. Plant Ecology. Two hours lecture, three hours lab per week. The study of plant communities and the factors governing their composition and distribution. Field trips required. Prerequisite: 12 semester hours of biology. Lab and travel fee required.

504. Animal Ecology. Two hours lecture, Three hours lab per week. Studies concerned with the relationship of animals to their environment. Field trips required. Prerequisite: 12 semester hours of biology. Lab fee required.

507. Behavioral Ecology. Three semester hours, three hours lecture per week. The study of how behaviors influence survival and reproduction of individuals in different ecological settings. Prerequisite: Graduate standing or permission of instructor.

508. Microbial Ecology. Two hours lecture, three hours lab per week. Microbes in the ecosystem including their relationship to soil, water, sewage, air, and food. Prerequisite: 12 semester hours of biology, including Biology 309 or equivalent. Lab and travel fee required.

509. Comparative Animal Physiology. Three semester hours, three hours lecture per week. A comparative examination of basic physiological principles common to all animals. The course will include basic physical and chemical processes, detailed consideration of organ system, and an integrative approach to understand how animals meet the demands placed upon them. Physiology at the level of the organism, its evolution, and its interactions with the surrounding environment will be emphasized. Prerequisites: BIO 241(now 342) and graduate standing.

510. Cytogenetics. A study concerned with chromosome behavior, changes in chromosome numbers and structure and their genetic implications. Prerequisite: 268 Biology 341 or 320.

511. Phylogenetics. Three semester hours, three hours lecture per week. Examination of the logic, assumptions and methods used to reconstruct and evaluate the strength of evolutionary trees (phylogenies). Examination of the methods used to test evolutionary hypotheses using phylogenies. Prerequisite: Graduate standing in biology or permission of instructor.

512. Field Biology. Six semester hours, five-weeks summer field trip. Quantitative studies of ecological communities. Analysis of biodiversity and ecological relationships through participation in field research projects. Possible topics include population, community, ecosystem, evolutionary, and/or behavioral ecology. Student will learn to analyze data using proper statistical design and appropriate computer software. Transportation expenses will be required. Lab fee required. Prerequisites: 18 hours of biology.

513. Organic Evolution. A study of the philosophy, methodology and application of phylogenetics to studies of evolutionary relationships among taxa and analyses of evolutionary patterns and processes. Prerequisites: Graduate standing in biology and permission of instructor.

514 Zoogeography. The influence of ecology, climate and geography on the distribution of animals during geologic and present times; emphasis on the continental and worldwide distribution of major vertebrates and its relevance of phylogeny. Prerequisite: 12 semester hours of biology.

516. Plant Anatomy. Two hours lecture and three hours lab per week. Study of plant cells, tissues, tissue systems, and development of seed plant stems, roots and leaves. Prerequisites: Graduate standing in biology and permission of instructor. Lab fee required.

522. Plant Geography. Three hours lecture per week. Reproduction, dissemination, migration and the uneven distribution of plants in North America. Prerequisite: 12 semester hours of biology, forestry or agriculture

523. Advanced Plant Physiology. Four semester hours, three hours lecture, three hours per week. Advanced study of plant metabolic processes with emphasis on respiration, photosynthesis and plant-water relations. Prerequisites: Graduate standing in biology and permission of instructor. Co-requisite: BIO 523L. Lab fee required.

524. Advanced Studies in Plant Pathology. Three semester hours, three hours lecture, three hours lab per week. The principles of plant pathology. A survey of fungal, bacterial, nematode and viral diseases of plants with an emphasis on current research methods in plant pathology. Prerequisites: Three semesters of biology, forestry, or horticulture and permission of instructor. Lab fee required.

525. Industrial Microbiology. Two hours lecture, three hours lab per week. The study of microbial organisms in industrial processes. Prerequisite: 12 semester hours of biology, including Biology 309 or equivalent. Lab fee required.

526. Pathogenic Bacteriology. Four semester hours, three hours lecture, four hours lab per week. Advanced survey of medically important bacteria. Includes pathogenic mechanisms, collection and transport of specimens and identification by classical, automated and molecular techniques. Prerequisite: BIO 309. Lab fee required.

527. Advanced Immunology. Four semester hours, three hours lecture, four hours lab per week. Advanced survey of the immune system with focus on the human and mouse models. Covers the origin and dirrerentiation of the hematopoietic system, antibody structure and function, basic serologic techniques such as ELISA, fluorescence microscopy, agglutination, precipitation and gel diffusion. Prerequisite: BIO 309 and BIO 341. Lab fee required.

528. Advanced Virology. Four semester hours, three hours lecture, four hours lab per week. Advanced study of viruses with laboratory. Covers viral structure, genome organization, replication strategies and medical implications of infections. Laboratory includes bacteriophages, animal and plant viral propagation, basic tissue culture, PCR for viral detection and fluorescent and electron microscopy for viral identification. Prerequisite: BIO 309 and BIO 341. Lab fee required.

530. Advanced Techniques in Immunology. Three semester hours, nine hours laboratory per week. A laboratory-only course covering state-of-the-art and emerging methods and techniques in immunology. Includes vaccine and monoclonal antibody production, assays for cytokines, cell immortalization, antibody engineering, genetic manipulation of cell lines, and flow cytometry. Prerequisites: BIO 341 and 410 (or equivalent). Lab fee required.

531. Advanced Techniques in Virology. 3 semester hours, 9 hours laboratory per week. A laboratory-only course covering more advanced and involved methods as well as some state-of-the-art and emerging techniques. Includes in vivo methods such as egg culture, PCR amplification of both DNA and RNA viral genomes, vector design and engineering, and genome sequencing. Prerequisites: BIO 341 and 420 (or equivalent). Lab fee required.

532. Advanced Molecular Biology. Three semester hours, three hours lecture per week. The structure, function, and organization of DNA. Mechanisms of DNA replication, transcription and translation. Processes involved in regulating gene expression and protein modification and routing. Prerequisites: BIO 341, two semesters of chemistry and permission of instructor. Lab fee required.

533. Advanced Ornithology. Four semester hours, three hours lecture, three hours lab per week. Classification, distribution, ecology and evolution of birds. Emphasis on identification of local species in lab. Field trips required. Requires outside readings and/or research projects. Prerequisites: Three semesters of biology and permission of instructor. Travel fee required. Lab fee required. 270

535. Graduate Plant Systematics. Three semester hours, two hours lecture, three hours lab per week. Introduction to the science of naming, classifying and identifying plants. Emphasis on collecting and identifying plants, plant family characteristics, current thought in classification and systematics, and species as indicators of natural habit types. Students will develop an independent field-based research project as part of the course. Prerequisites: 18 hours of biology and permission of instructor. Lab fee required.

536. Advanced Mammalogy. Four semester hours, three hours lecture, three hours lab per week. Classification, distribution, ecology and evolution of mammals. Emphasis on natural history and identification of regional species in lab. Field trips required. Requires outside readings, papers and/or research projects. Prerequisites: Four semesters of biology and permission of instructor. Lab fee required.

537. Advanced Herpetology. Four semester hours, three hours lecture, three hours lab per week. Classification, distribution, ecology and evolution of amphibians and reptiles. Emphasis on natural history and identification of regional species in lab. Field trips required. Requires outside readings, papers and/or research projects. Prerequisites: Three semesters of biology and permission of instructor. Lab fee required.

538. Advanced Ichthyology. Three semester hours, two hours lecture, three hours lab per week. Classification, distribution, ecology and evolution of fish. Emphasis on natural history and identification of regional species in lab. Field trips required. Requires outside readings, papers and/or research projects. Prerequisites: Three semesters of biology and permission of instructor. Lab fee required.

539. Advanced Parasitology. Four semester hours, three hours lecture, three hours lab per week. Advanced survey of parasites primarily from the human pathogen perspective. Includes identification and pathogenesis of protozoan, cestode, trematode and nematode parasites. Prerequisite: BIO 309. Lab fee required.

540. Clinical Pathology Laboratory Operations. A survey of the technical and managerial aspects of running a medical laboratory in clinical pathology. This includes quality control and improvement, CLIA 88 and other legislative concerns, workload accountability, accreditation, federal and state inspections, personnel management and ISO 9000 standards. Prerequisites: Two upper division biology courses with labs.

545. Advanced Developmental Biology. Three semester hours, three hours lecture per week. Fundamental mechanisms of embryonic development. The molecular, cellular and tissue interactions that direct development of vertebrate and invertebrate embryos. Prerequisite: BIO 241(now 342) and permission of instructor.

549. Advanced Histology. Four semester hours, two hours lecture, three hours lab per week. The microscopic structure of vertebrate tissues and organs, and correlation with their origin and function in the adult body. Offered in fall only. Prerequisites: BIO 241(now 342) and permission of instructor. Lab fee required.

550. Advanced Limnology. Three semester hours, two hours lecture, three hours lab per week. Study of the biological, chemical, and physical characteristics of freshwater environment. Field trips required. Prerequisites: Four semesters of biology and permission of instructor. Lab fee required.

552. Experimental Design and Analysis. Two hours lecture, three hours lab per week. Includes experimental design, sampling techniques, data presentation and analysis applicable to biological research. Emphasis will be placed on the application of statistical methods to biological problems and technical writing associated with experimentation. Prerequisite: Mathematics 220. Lab fee required.

555. Biological Ultrastructure. Four semester hours, two hours lecture, six hours lab per week. Theory and practical application of transmission electron microscopy. Emphasis on the ultrastructure of plant and animal cells. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor; for graduate biology majors only. Lab fee required.

556. Scanning Electron Microscopy. Four semester hours, two hours lecture, six hours lab per week. Theory and practical application of scanning electron microscopy. Emphasis on specimen preparation and operation of the microscope. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor; for graduate biology majors only. Lab fee required.

560. Aquatic Ecology. Two hours lecture, three hours lab per week. Current topics in basic and applied limnological research with emphasis on aquatic communities, analysis of aquatic productivity and water quality. Field trips required. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor; for graduate biology majors only. Lab fee required.

561. Waste Water Analysis. Two hours lecture, three hours lab per week. Analysis and biological treatment of domestic and industrial water and waste water. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor; for graduate biology majors only. Lab fee required.

571. Special Topics In Biology. Three hours lecture per week. Special studies in the biological sciences. May be repeated in a different topic. Prerequisite: 12 semester hours of biology.

572. Special Topics in Biology. Three semester hours, two hours lecture, three hours lab per week. Special studies in the biological sciences. May be repeated in a different topic. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor; for graduate biology majors only. Lab fee required.

575. Advanced Graduate Studies. One hour lecture, six hours lab per week. Individual conference, field or laboratory studies in advanced biological subjects. Prerequisite: 12 semester hours of biology and approval of the department chair. Lab fee required.

576. Advanced Graduate Studies. One hour lecture, six hours lab per week. A continuation of 575 in a different area of study. Open only to students in Option 2. Prerequisite: 12 semester hours of biology and approval of department chair. Lab fee required.

581. Problems In Teaching College Biology: Internship. Nine hours lab per week. The supervised teaching of biology at the college level. Required of all graduate assistants in biology during their first semester. Weekly consultations concerning teaching, grading, advising, and related matters. Taken in addition to basic requirements for the M.S. in biology. Prerequisite: Approval of the department chair.

589* Thesis Research. Three to nine semester hours. Research should be planned and initiated at least two semesters before the thesis is to be completed. Prerequisite: 12 semester hours of biology and approval of the department chair. Lab fee required.

590* Thesis Writing. Three to nine semester hours. Student must be enrolled in this course the semester he/she graduates. Prerequisite: Biology 589 and approval of department chair. *Students completing a thesis must register each semester the University resources are utilized. See Thesis Preparation and Enrollment.