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MB&B COMBINED BACHELOR OF SCIENCE/MASTER OF SCIENCE DEGREE

To provide exceptionally able undergraduates an opportunity to accelerate their professional education, the Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry (MB&B) offers a combined B.S. and M.S. program usually requiring eight terms to complete. The requirements listed here apply to students starting with the class of 2009.

Requirements for the B.S./M.S. program in the MB&B Major

1. The candidate must satisfy the requirements of Yale College for Yale's combined bachelors and master's degrees program. These rules are outlined in theYale College Programs of Study, and are incorporated into the requirements described here.

2. The candidate normally must complete the core requirements of the B.S. degree during his/her first three years in Yale College. Specifically, he/she must:

(a) enter Yale College as a Freshman with Advanced Placement (or have received Acceleration Credit) equivalent to at least one year of college-level courses in biology, chemistry, mathematics, or physics;

(b) complete all of the following (or their equivalents) by the end of his/her fourth term in Yale College: MCDB 120a or E&EB 122b, Chemistry 221b/223Lb, the required Quantitative Reasoning course, Physics 180a, 181b, 165La, and166Lb;

(c) complete the following by the end of his/her sixth term in Yale College: MB&B 300a/600a, 301b/601b, and 360Lb/660Lb (or its equivalent), Chem 300a, and either MB&B 302b or Chem 332b.

(d) complete one semester of Research in Biochemistry and Biophysics (MB&B 470a or 471b) or equivalent in the laboratory where the M.S. thesis project will be carried out.

3. The candidate must apply in writing to the Director of the B.S./M.S. Program (Professor Michael Koelle) for admission to the program no later than the first day of the third-to-last term in Yale College, and have achieved at that time grades of A or A- in at least two-thirds of all courses as well as in courses directly related to the MB&B major. It is not required that the student maintains these grade standards after he/she joins the B.S./M.S. program in order to successfully complete the degrees, although most of our students do maintain such grades.

4. In lieu of the electives required of B.S. majors, B.S./M.S. candidates must complete the graduate-level work described below.  Courses qualify as graduate-level if they have course numbers of 500 or higher. Some 400-level undergraduate courses are cross-listed as graduate-level courses do qualify as counting towards the M.S. elective requirements.

(a) During the senior year, two semesters of Intensive Research in Biochemistry and Biophysics (MB&B 570a and 571b).

(b) Two graduate level MB&B lecture electives. Possibilities include the following:

Fall term: MB&B 420a/720a Macromolecular Structure and Biophysical Analysis, MB&B 425a/625a Basic Concepts of Genetic Analysis, MB&B 449a/749a Medical Impact of Basic Science, MB&B 452a/752a Genomics/Bioinformatics, MB&B 602a Molecular Cell Biology, MB&B 750a2 Biological Membranes.  Note that MB&B 730a Methods and Logic in Molecular Biology is not open to B.S./M.S. students.

Spring term:  MB&B 421b/721b Macromolecular Interactions & Dynamic Properties, MB&B 443b/743b Advanced Eukaryotic Molecular Biology, MB&B 630b Biochemical & Biophysical Approaches in Molecular and Cellular Biology, MB&B 710b4 Electron Cryo-Microscopy for Protein Structure Determination, MB&B 760b3 Advanced X-ray Crystallography, MB&B 761b4 X-ray Crystallography Workshop, MB&B 465b/765b Enzyme Mechanisms

(c) Four graduate level electives that may be in MB&B or in other biological or physical sciences.

5. Students must complete the graduate courses listed above under item 4 with grades of Honors (A or A-) in at least two courses and with and at least a High Pass (B) average in the remaining courses.

6. At least one of the graduate-level elective lecture courses taken to fulfill requirements 4b and 4c above should be oriented towards biology (as opposed to biophysics or other physical sciences). Suitable courses include MB&B 425a/625a Basic Concepts of Genetic Analysis, MB&B 449a/749a Medical Impact of Basic Science, MB&B 602a Molecular Cell Biology, MCDB 430a/530a Biology of the Immune System, MCDB 310a/BENG 350a/MCDB 550a Physiological Systems, MCDB 415b/560b Cellular and Molecular Physiology, MCDB 677b Mechanisms of Development, MCDB 685b Evolutionary Developmental Biology, MCDB 720a Neurobiology, NBIO 501a Principles of Neuroscience, BIO 642a Roles of Microorganisms in the Living World, MBIO 685b Molecular Mechanisms of Microbial Pathogenesis.

7. During the final four terms, the candidate must earn at least six credits in courses outside the major (i.e., outside Distributional Group IV). Two of these six courses can be CR/D/F. Only under the most extenuating circumstances can a Distributional Group IV class be used for this requirement. At least two undergraduate courses must be taken during the last two terms.  A 20-minute oral thesis presentation is also required. This presentation will be open to all MB&B faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and students. The presentation will be scheduled towards the end of the spring term.

8. SENIOR REQUIREMENT: The candidate must submit a Master's thesis, based on the MB&B 570a, 571b research project, by the last day of the Reading Period in the Spring term. The thesis should be 50-60 double-spaced pages (approximately 12,000 words) and in a format specified by instructions available from the DUS Registrar's office. Copies of the thesis must be submitted to the Research Supervisor and DUS Registrar's office.  Students are encouraged to submit their thesis to their adviser in advance of the deadline so they can receive critical review of the work prior to final submission to the Registrar's office.  At the end of the Spring term the candidate must also present a 20-minute talk on their thesis research to DUS, their research supervisor, and the other BS/MS students.

Possible Course of Study for the MB&B BS/MS Major

A course schedule satisfying the course credit requirements in the combined BS/MS program is shown below.  This schedule assumes that the student has AP credit in Math and Biology, and enrolls in Freshman Chemistry based upon their AP Chemistry score and the Chemistry Department placement examination.  It also assumes that the student is awarded a waiver for the MB&B 360Lb requirement based on gaining equivalent research training in the research courses  (MB&B 470a or 471b, 570a, and 571b) and/or summer research internships. The eight required graduate level elective courses are marked with asterisks (*). The six credits outside the major in the final four semesters are identified with double daggers (‡‡).

Notes:

1. Students hoping to participate in the BS/MS program are strongly encouraged to take freshman organic chemistry with lab and to complete the MB&B 300/301 series during their sophomore year.

2. It is also possible for students with fewer AP credits to complete the BS/MS degree, but particular effort must be made to complete the prerequisite courses during the freshman and sophomore years. 

Information and Enrollment Form for
MB&B Intensive Research Courses for BS/MS Majors

MB&B 570a and 571b

Michael Koelle, Instructor in Charge

Registration Form

Two-term independent research projects under faculty supervision toward joint BS/MS degrees.

Registration

1. To register for these two-credit intensive independent research courses, the student must apply for and be admitted into the BS/MS program. Application deadlines are at the end of the Fall term of the student's Junior year. For additional information see http://www.mbb.yale.edu/ugrad/reqts/bsms.html.

2. A student must be sponsored by a faculty member, who will guide the project.

3. To register, the student must complete the attached form and submit it to the DUS Registrar's Office by the date the student's course schedule is due.

Selection of Research Supervisor and Research Project.

1. The faculty adviser for the BS/MS degree should be identified no later than the Spring semester of the Junior year. A list of MB&B faculty members that have expressed interest in sponsoring undergraduate research projects can be found at http://www.mbb.yale.edu/ugrad/extras/up_research_mentors.htm

2. Information about specific research projects available in MB&B labs can be viewed at http://www.mbb.yale.edu/faculty/research.html

3. A student may also perform biochemical, biophysical or molecular biological research with a full-time member of a department other than MB&B with the consultation and permission of the MB&B Faculty Adviser. Information on research opportunities outside of MB&B can be viewed at the following web site: Yale Faculty Research Directory (http://info.med.yale.edu/facres) and Combined Program in Biological and Biomedical Sciences (http://info.med.yale.edu/bbs/main.html).

4. To select a Research Supervisor, the student should make appointments to discuss research opportunities with one or more faculty members, preferably several weeks in advance of the planned research start date.

5. Acceptance of a particular student into a laboratory is solely by decision of the Faculty Research Supervisor. It will depend upon several factors including: the qualifications of the individual for the proposed research, the completion of laboratory courses, and the availability of space.


Hour Requirement

The student is required to work 20 hours per week on the project for both semesters.


Work for Pay

Simultaneous research for double-credit and laboratory work for pay is prohibited.


Course Requirements

The 570a, 571b series is a year-long opportunity to perform independent research in a cutting edge scientific environment and prepare a Masters Thesis. As such, the requirements of these courses are arranged as a year-long program, with different expectations each semester.

MB&B 570a Fall Semester

1. Research Proposal (30% of overall grade).

The student must submit by the first Friday in October, an original typed research proposal describing the project. The text of the proposal must be single-spaced in 12 point font and must not exceed two pages of text, one page of bibliography and one page of figures. The proposal must include the following elements:

a. Hypothesis. One or two sentences about the project's focus, stated in the form of a question.

b. Background Information. Two or three paragraphs describing the current state of the field and the scientific context for the project.

c. Specific aim(s). A list of the research project goals with an explanation of how they will be achieved. Items a-c must fit within the two page limit.

d. Bibliography. A list of 5-10 articles (including title, authors, journal name, volume, year, and page numbers) that provide the background and the context for the project. These references must be numbered and cited within the proposal description. The student must have read these papers. The bibliography should be included on page 3.

e. Figure. One figure that helps clarify or explain the proposal. The figure must include a caption describing the contents of the figure. The figure should be included on page 4.

The proposal will be graded by the Instructor in Charge based upon:

a. Compliance with proposal guidelines

b. Clarity of the scientific writing

c. Demonstrated understanding of the project's rationale

The grade on the proposal will constitute 30% of the overall grade in the course.

An example of a research proposal in this format can be found at http://www.mbb.yale.edu/ugrad/extras/up_02_example.htm under Instruction/Forms.

Students are strongly encouraged to retrieve the research proposal from the DUS office after it has been graded in order to improve the quality of the Masters Thesis.

2. Group Seminar (40% of overall grade).

The student must make a 12-15 min. oral presentation of the research progress to the Research Supervisor and his/her research group.

The presentation must be made within two weeks prior to the first day of reading week.

The presentation will be graded by the Research Supervisor based upon the following criteria:

a. Did the student demonstrate an understanding of the scientific background of the project?

b. Did the student provide a clear description of the original data generated during the semester?

c. Did the student correctly interpret these data?

d. Did the student identify an appropriate set of follow-up experiments?

e. Was the overall presentation well organized and clear?

The grade on the presentation will count toward 40% of the overall grade in the course.

3. Satisfactory Research Progress (30% of overall grade).

The Research Supervisor will provide a grade to access the student's progress and effort toward completion of the Masters thesis.

No research report is required for completion of 570a in the first semester.

MB&B 571b Spring Semester

1. Research Presentation (40% of overall grade)

The student must make a 20-minute oral presentation which is open to MB&B faculty, staff and students.

These presentations will be scheduled within the last weeks of the semester prior to the first day of reading week.

As this presentation takes the place of the Senior Seminar, students are expected to attend the presentations made by their peers in the BS/MS program.

The presentation will be graded equally and independently by the Research Supervisor and the Instructor in Charge (20% of overall grade each) based upon the same criteria used for the group seminar in the Fall term.

2. Masters Thesis (60% of overall grade)

The student must prepare a 50-60 page double-spaced Masters Thesis (text of approximately 12,000 words) including bibliography and figures. The Thesis must describe the basis for the laboratory work, summarize the data collected over the course of the project and describe any conclusions supported by the data.

The Thesis must be submitted to the Research Supervisor and the Instructor in Charge no later than the last day of the Yale College Reading Period.

The Thesis must include the following components:

a. Title Page. Title, the name and department of the faculty member in whose laboratory the project was performed, the name of the student, and the statement, "A Thesis Presented to the Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, in Candidacy for the Degrees of B.S./M.S., May 2003."

b. Table of Contents. One page with page numbers for each section.

c. Abstract. A one paragraph summary of the Thesis, including the scientific context of the work and its primary conclusions. This abstract should be 300 words or less.

d. Introduction. Scientific background for the Thesis project including a summary of the literature in the field and a justification that leads into the experiments that were performed.

e. Methods. A brief description or literature references to outline the experimental methods employed. Clarity and brevity in this section is critical. The methods section must be less than five pages (<1500 words) in length, unless the Master Thesis project is focused primarily upon methods development, in which case there is no specific limit.

f. Results. Description of experimental results and variables investigated. Include tables, charts or figures to summarize the data.

g. Discussion. Interpretation of the experimental data in relation to the scientific knowledge in the field and to the question posed in the original hypothesis in the research proposal.

h. Bibliography. A complete bibliography for the project. The bibliography of the research proposal may be used as a starting point. Each reference must be listed in the order of its appearance in the text and include title, authors, journal name, volume, year and page numbers.

i. Figure legends. Captions that describe the contents of each figure.

The Masters Thesis must be the original work of the student. Where appropriate, the Thesis can utilize material from the research proposal, but the grade on the Thesis will be reduced if errors identified in the grading of the research proposal are not corrected in the Thesis.

It is appropriate for the student to receive feedback on early drafts of the report from peers or other members of the laboratory. The oral presentations are an ideal opportunity for the student to receive critical feedback on the project. However, the Thesis must remain the original work of the student.

The Thesis must follow appropriate practices for referencing the published or unpublished work of others. These guidelines can be found in the Yale College publication http://www.yale.edu/ycpo/ycps/M-P/molbbcourses.html.

The following criteria will be used to assign the grade on the Thesis:

a. Did the student follow the Thesis guidelines?

b. Did the student demonstrate an understanding of the scientific background of the project?

c. Did the student provide a clear description of the original data generated during the year of research?

d. Did the student correctly interpret these data?

e. Was the overall presentation of the Thesis well organized and clear?

The Masters Thesis will be graded equally and independently by both the Research Supervisor and the Instructor in Charge of the course (30% each, for a total of 60% of the overall grade).