Department of Biology
M.S. in Biology
Dr. Frederick Zechman, Department Chair
Dr. John Constable, Graduate Program Coordinator
Graduate Programs in Biology
In 1839, Schleiden and Schwann developed the cell theory, which tells us that all plants and animals are made up of cells and that all biological phenomena are cellular. At California State University, Fresno, faculty researchers use the most innovative and advanced equipment and techniques available in studies at all biological levels, from the molecular to ecosystems and landscapes. The Master of Science program in Biology offers opportunity for advanced learning in a wide variety of disciplines, including terrestrial and aquatic ecology, molecular and cellular biology, animal and plant physiology and endocrinology, animal behavior, entomology, microbiology and parasitology, genetics, and systematics. The M.S. program prepares students to teach these disciplines at the high school and community college levels, conduct technical work and research, acquire professional industry positions as lab directors or researchers, or pursue advanced education at the doctoral level. The on-campus facilities and the surrounding region offer many opportunities for an active research experience.
The Biology Department is also a member of a consortium that manages and operates the Moss Landing Marine Laboratory (MLML). Moss Landing is located on the California coastline between Santa Cruz and Monterey and offers students a practical and theoretical education in the marine sciences. It provides extensive field and laboratory work that cannot be duplicated on individual CSU campuses.
Requirements
Entry into the graduate biology program requires meeting minimum standards in the verbal, quantitative, and disciplinary areas either by achieving GRE scores in the 60th percentile or above, or by earning grades of B or better in specified coursework. There are approximately 65 active graduate students in the M.S. program, with interests across the entire spectrum of biology.
Groundbreaking Research
Faculty expertise spans the range of biology from molecular to ecological. The faculty is actively engaged in research in two major foci:
Ecology and Evolution focus:
Department of Biology faculty are involved in a diverse array of research disciplines that focus on the biotic communities of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, the Central Valley, and the California Coast. These beautiful and often pristine aquatic and terrestrial environments provide nearby natural laboratories to study an array of biological systems and processes. In particular, ecological research includes studies of plant population and community ecology, analysis of freshwater ecosystems, avian and other vertebrate ecology, and physiological ecology. Evolutionary research includes the study of insect-microbe interactions, population dynamics of plant-associated bacteria, evolution of bacterial catabolic pathways, molecular systematics and biogeography of marine and freshwater algae, and systematics and ecology of parasites and their hosts.
Molecular, Cellular and Developmental
Biology and Physiology focus:
Research opportunities in the Molecular, Cellular and Developmental (MCD) Biology and Physiology realm exploit the newest technologies to address scientific questions within three major groups: Microbiology & Immunology, Animal Physiology, and Plant Genetics & Development. Both medical and environmental issues occupy the Microbiology group. Specific topics of study include bacterial pathogenesis and drug resistant strains; the role bacteria may play in the pathogenesis of the autoimmune disease, Lupus; and the microbial catabolic pathways useful for bioremediation of man-made chemicals, e.g., herbicides. Research interests in the Animal group focus on cellular physiology, particularly membrane transport studies and reproductive endocrinology.
Within the Plant group, the predominate issues are plant genomic evolution of vascular and non-vascular plants, using both classical genetic and molecular systematic approaches, and higher plant developmental mechanisms, using cellular fine structure and studies of programmed cell death. More applied endeavors of plant molecular biology include the genetic basis of both starch biosynthesis and disease resistance. Studies on DNA fingerprinting in grapes, in cooperation with the College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, open a new area of agricultural forensics.
Graduate Programs in Biology | Requirements | Groundbreaking Research | Faculty | Quick Facts