Education

Harvard University: Arts & Sciences: Molecular and Cellular Biology

Category Art and Social Sciences, Biological Sciences, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Harvard University, Science, USA, Undergraduate
Tags Arts, Biology, Cellular, Harvard University, Molecular, Sciences

Program Mission The Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology (MCB) provides students with a sophisticated and rigorous program in a multidisciplinary environment, enabling students to become independent, creative, and productive researchers. MCB hosts two interdisciplinary training programs: Molecules, Cells and Organisms (MCO) and Engineering and Physical Biology (EPB). Both programs take advantage of the university’s outstanding faculty and extensive laboratory resources to provide pre-doctoral students with a solid foundation in the concepts and scientific approaches used in laboratories today to prepare them for a future at the forefront of life sciences. MCB students in both training programs spend their first year taking courses and doing research rotations. By the end of the first year, students select a faculty thesis advisor and begin independent research.

Undergraduate Preparation

Entering
students should have a record of introductory courses in chemistry,
biology, physics, and mathematics. The following courses are not to be
regarded as prerequisites for admission to graduate study, but most
admitted students have completed them during their undergraduate years:
biology (a general course in biology and two terms of biology at a more
advanced level), biochemistry, organic chemistry, physical chemistry,
laboratory in biology, biochemistry, or instrumental analysis, physics
(general elementary course), and mathematics (basic knowledge of
differential and integral calculus).

Competence in elementary programming is also desirable.

 

Admissions

Students
considering graduate work should request an application from the Office
of Admissions and Financial Aid Harvard Graduate School of Arts and
Sciences. Online submission of the application is encouraged; see www.gsas.harvard.edu for forms and more information.

Program of Study

Faculty
participating in the Molecules, Cells and Organisms (MCO) training
program come from the Departments of Molecular and Cellular Biology,
Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Chemistry and Chemical Biology,
and Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, as well as the Center for
Systems Biology, the Center for Brain Science, and the Harvard Stem
Cell Institute.

MCO training
involves an initial exposure to a broad sweep of fundamental problems
at every level through a set of core courses, followed by deep
immersion in focused areas. Incoming MCO students are required to take
three core courses during the first semester, corresponding to three
track concentrations: Genetics, Genomics and Evolutionary Biology (MCB
291); Cellular, Neuro and Developmental Biology (MCB 292); and
Physical, Chemical and Molecular Biology (MCB 293). The objective of
these courses is to provide students with a broad foundation in the
life science disciplines and prepare them for a future in science that
will undoubtedly draw from many disciplines in biology. In addition,
these courses will help students choose a specific track for elective
courses to be taken in the second semester, and also to choose their
lab rotations. A course in quantitative methods and approaches to
biological problems is required in the second semester of the first
year. The intent of this requirement is to strengthen the mathematical
skills necessary to approach complex problems in modern biology. The
formal class work and research components of the program are
complemented by a rigorous advising and mentoring program, which
includes a required yearly written and oral progress report, journal
clubs and a permanent non-thesis advisor.

Pre-doctoral students in Molecular and
Cellular Biology continue to interact with students in their cohort
even after joining a laboratory. With “nanocourses,” monthly journal
clubs, and annual retreats, among other activities, fellow students
will continue to share in each others’ research and discovery
processes, and will maintain a broad exposure to advances in life
science research outside of their home laboratory.

Students may also cross-register in courses offered by the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). A shuttle bus serves
Harvard and MIT.

 

Laboratory Rotations

In
the first year, MCB students spend their first term carrying out
experimental research in the laboratories of faculty members.

During
the laboratory rotations, students are able to interact with individual
faculty members and explore possible subjects for future thesis
research. A minimum of three laboratory rotations are required, two of
which must be with faculty participating in the Molecules, Cells and
Organisms (MCO) Training Program. During these rotations, students
interact with individual faculty members and explore possible subjects
for future dissertation research. The first two rotation periods are in
the Fall term, and the third is in the Spring. With prior departmental
approval, students may choose to carry out an additional rotation
during the summer preceding their first year, or additional rotations
following the Spring Term.