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Cell and Molecular Biology and Biomedical Engineering Program (B.S. and M.S.) concentration

Effective Date: Fall 2011

May be elected as a departmental concentration program

Exclusions: Students who elect a concentration in CMB:BME may not elect the following concentrations: Biology; General Biology; Cell and Molecular Biology; Microbiology; Plant Biology; Biochemistry; or Neuroscience. They may also not elect an academic minor in Biology; Plant Biology; Chemistry; or Biochemistry.

This program is designed for students enrolled in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. The Department of MCDB (College of LSA) and the Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME) (College of Engineering ) jointly administer the program. A matriculating student will receive the BS in Cell and Molecular Biology from the College of LSA and an MS in Biomedical Engineering from the College of Engineering upon completion of all program requirements. A student will apply to both the Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology and Biomedical Engineering Departments for entrance. A student will be admitted into the program only after completing the first year of the concentration prerequisites with a GPA of 3.2 or higher. Advisors from the Departments of MCDB and BME must approve admission to the program.

Prerequisites to Concentration.

• BIOLOGY 171, 172/174, and 173; or BIOLOGY 195 and 173; or BIOLOGY 162 or 163;
• CHEM 210, 211, 215, 216;
• MATH 115 and 116;
• PHYSICS 125/127 and 126/128; or PHYSICS 135/136 and 235/236; or 140/141 and 240/241.

A. Undergraduate Concentration Program (BS Phase). 53 credits.

1. Core courses
   
   
   1. Genetics: BIOLOGY 305;
      
      
   2. Biochemistry: MCDB 310 (or BIOLCHEM 415, or CHEM 451 and 452 [CHEM 452 counts as elective], or BIOLCHEM 451 and 452 [BIOLCHEM 452 counts as elective]);
      
      
   3. Cellular and Molecular Biology: MCDB 306; MCDB 427; MCDB 428 or BIOMEDE 418; MCDB 429.
      
      
2. Engineering: 
   
   
   1. Biomedical Engineering: BIOMEDE 221, 321, and 331
      
      or
      
      
   2. Chemical Engineering: CHE 230, 330; and either CHE 342 or 344.
      
      
3. Advanced Cell and Molecular Biology: one course (such as MCDB 401, 402, 403, 405, 411, 413, 415, 418, 419, 422, 423, 426, 430, 435, 436, 437, 441, 444, 450, 455, 456, 469, 489, 504, and 589; appropriate sections of MCDB 401; MCDB 400) selected in consultation with, and approved by, the program advisors. (BIOMEDE 584 is elected in the graduate phase, and does not count toward this requirement.)
   
   
4. Undergraduate Engineering: ENGR 101 or EECS 183; and BIOMEDE 419 (BIOMEDE 419 counts as an advanced CMB course in the CMB concentration).
   
   
5. Biology Elective: One course chosen in consultation with, and approved by, the program advisors. This course can be any BIOLOGY, EEB, or MCDB course at the 200-, 300-, or 400-level (except BIOLOGY 200, 201, 262; EEB 300, 302, MCDB 300, 302, 320, or 412). One course in Evolution, Ecology, or Organismal Biology is strongly encouraged, as is undergraduate research.
   
   
6. Cognates:
   1. Statistics: STATS 400,  401, 412, or 425.
   2. Mathematics: MATH 215 and 216.

B. MS (Graduate) Phase.

1. Advanced Cell and Molecular Biology: BIOMEDE 584.
2. Graduate Biomedical Engineering Core: BIOMEDE 500, 550, and 590.
3. Graduate Engineering: 7 credits, chosen in consultation with the program advisor.
4. One advanced Mathematics course: 3 credits, chosen in consultation with the program advisor.
5. One advanced Statistics course: 3 credits, chosen in consultation with the program advisor.

Advising

Upon acceptance into the program, each student will be assigned two advisors, one in MCDB and one in Biomedical Engineering. Student course selections must be approved by both advisors each term.

MS phase

A student is typically admitted into the MS phase at the end of the third year when the student achieves senior standing. The student must have completed all concentration prerequisites and be judged by both academic advisors as making adequate progress toward the B.S. At this time, the student must formally apply to the Rackham Graduate School for the MS program in Biomedical Engineering. All students with a 3.2 GPA or higher in the BS concentration phase and who are judged by both academic advisors as making timely progress toward the B.S. will automatically be admitted into the MS phase. Other CMB students who have reached senior standing with a 3.2 GPA or higher and have fulfilled all concentration prerequisites, but did not previously apply or were not admitted in the BS phase, can also apply for admittance into the MS phase. Students with senior standing will have two years to complete upper-level undergraduate and graduate courses, simultaneously fulfilling requirements for both the B.S. and M.S. degrees. Students will be charged graduate tuition for only one academic year. Students are never jointly enrolled in LSA and Rackham; students, however, can begin to take graduate BME courses as undergraduates with the permission of the instructor.