What makes this program unique is the focus on practical training offered to graduate students through master’s thesis research in molecular biotechnology to perform jobs in laboratory environment that require scientific talent. The MBA degree will provide management skills necessary in business administration.

Required Courses—21 Credit Hours Minimum

Core—19 Credit Hours minimum

Students must take the following courses plus at least two credit hours of graduate seminar.

• MCB 5722C Methods in Biotechnology (4 credit hours) or BSC 6407C Laboratory Methods in Molecular Biology (3 credit hours)
• BSC 6432 Structure-Function-Relationships of Biomedical Sciences I (5 credit hours)
• BSC 6433 Structure-Function-Relationships of Biomedical Sciences II (5 credit hours)
• BSC 6431 Practice of Biomedical Sciences (3 credit hours)
• PCB 5527 Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (3 credit hours) or one of the following: BSC 5418 Tissue Engineering (3 credit hours), MCB 6417C Microbial Metabolism (3 credit hours), PCB 5025 Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology (3 credit hours)

Graduate Seminars—2 Credit Hours

Students will participate in at least two graduate seminar courses that will prepare them for making professional presentations with emphasis in biotechnology. The courses will involve participation of speakers from the biotechnology industry with emphasis on an industrial perspective on biotechnology applications and product development.

• MCB 5937 Industrial Perspectives Seminar (1 credit hour) or MCB 6938 (1 credit hour,1 semester only)

Elective Courses—3 Credit Hours

Students will select three credit hours of restricted electives from the list below.

• BSC 5418 Tissue Engineering (3 credit hours)
• BSC 5436 Biomedical Informatics: Structure Analysis (3 credit hours)
• BSC 6407C Laboratory Methods in Molecular Biology (3 credit hours)
• IDS 5127 Foundation of Bio-Imaging Science (3 credit hours)
• MCB 5205 Infectious Processes (3 credit hours)
• MCB 5208 Cellular Microbiology: Host-Pathogen Interactions (3 credit hours)
• MCB 5209 Microbial Stress Response (3 credit hours)
• MCB 5225 Molecular Biology of Disease (3 credit hours)
• MCB 5415 Cellular Metabolism (3 credit hours)
• MCB 5505 Molecular Virology (3 credit hours)
• MCB 5654 Applied Microbiology (3 credit hours)
• MCB 5722C Methods in Biotechnology (4 credit hours)
• MCB 5932 Current Topics in Molecular Biology (3 credit hours)
• MCB 6226 Molecular Diagnostics (3 credit hours)
• MCB 6417C Microbial Metabolism (3 credit hours)
• PCB 5527 Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (3 credit hours)
• PCB 5025 Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology (3 credit hours)
• PCB 5236 Tumor Biology (3 credit hours)
• PCB 5238 Immunobiology (3 credit hours)
• PCB 5596 Biomedical Informatics: Sequence Analysis (3 credit hours)
• PCB 5709C Laboratory Virtual Simulations in Physiology (2 credit hours)
• PCB 5834C Advanced Human Physiology (4 credit hours)
• PCB 5937 Special Topics: Human Endocrinology (3 credit hours)
• PCB 6528 Plant Molecular Biology (3 credit hours)
• PCB 6595 Regulation of Gene Expression (3 credit hours)
• PCB 5838 Cellular and Molecular Basis of Brain Functions (3 credit hours)
• PCB 5265 Stem Cell Biology (3 credit hours)
• PCB 5025 Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology (3 credit hours)
• PCB 5815 Molecular Aspects of Obesity, Diabetes and Metabolism (3 credit hours)
• ZOO 5745C Essentials of Neuroanatomy (4 credit hours)
• ZOO 5748C Clinical Neuroanatomy (5 credit hours)
• Others: If approved by the Graduate Committee

Thesis—6 Credit Hours

Students will take a minimum of six credits of thesis research (MCB 6971) to complete their research and submit their thesis specializing in biotechnology research. Students are expected to have an in-depth discussion with at least three faculty members before choosing a laboratory for thesis research. The student and the Thesis Adviser/Major Professor will jointly recommend an advisory committee comprised of at least three members. The committee composition must reflect expertise relevant to the student’s thesis research and must be approved by the Graduate Committee. Students switching to change the composition of the Thesis Advisory Committee must also obtain approval from the Graduate Committee.

Thesis Proposal

The thesis proposal defense requirement should be met and passed successfully no later than the end of the summer of the first year in the program. Students will not be allowed to register for courses for the Fall semester of their second year until this requirement is fulfilled. The Thesis Proposal requirement includes: 1) a written 5-page thesis proposal; 2) a thesis proposal defense in front of the thesis committee; and 3) questions by the thesis committee to test the student's understanding of the basic concepts in the field and relevant applications. The student will be evaluated on performance in all three sections. Should the student fail, a second opportunity will be provided within 2 weeks of the first attempt. A second failure will result in dismissal from the program.

An oral thesis defense is required. The defense will be in the format of:

• A 50-minute presentation of the thesis work, including a 5-minute introduction
• A 10-minute free period for the general audience to ask questions
• A 1-hour closed-door examination by the Thesis Advisory Committee and the program faculty present

The thesis should be of significant scope and depth such that the work has made advances in the area of biotechnology. The MS thesis research must generate sufficient quantity and quality data to support the submission of a minimum of one manuscript. Approval of the final thesis will require consent from the majority of the Program Faculty who choose to review the thesis, inclusive of the Thesis Advisory Committee. Faculty members with dissenting vote on the thesis must provide written justification. Scientific journal review criteria will be used as guidelines by the faculty to evaluate the final thesis for its appropriateness for publication in the target journal.

Students will be evaluated on the progress in thesis research by the thesis advisory committee for fall and spring. Two consecutive unsatisfactory evaluations will result in dismissal from the program.

Comprehensive Examination

Students must pass a comprehensive exam to qualify for the Master of Science degree.

All students must successfully pass an oral comprehensive examination to test the understanding of the basic concepts in the field and relevant applications. The Comprehensive Examination will be conducted during the thesis proposal defense. The exam will be administered by the thesis committee. Should the student fail this exam, a second opportunity will be provided within 2 weeks of the first attempt. A second failure will result in dismissal from the program. 

Option for One-Year, Full-time Master of Business Administration (MBA)

Biotechnology MS students have the option to complete a one-year, full-time MBA of 39 credit hours. The MBA Foundation courses (12 credit hours) are required for all non-business majors and  are offered in spring and summer and must be completed prior to starting the MBA Professional Core classes. The MBA core courses begin in the fall semester. Up to nine semester hours of graduate course work in MS Biotechnology at UCF may be transferred into the graduate MBA program upon approval of the MBA program director.

Prerequisites—12 Credit Hours

Non-business majors must take the following foundation courses prior to beginning the MBA core courses.

• ACG 6065 Accounting Foundations (3 credit hours)
• ECO 6418 Economic Concepts with Math Applications (3 credit hours)
• ECO 6405 Business Statistical Concepts and Methods (3 credit hours)
• FIN 6404 Foundations of Finance (3 credit hours)

Suggested One Year Schedule to Degree—39 Credit Hours

Fall —15 Credit Hours

• ACG 6425 Managerial Accounting Analysis (3 credit hours)
• ECO 6416 Applied Business Research Tools (3 credit hours)
• MAN 6245 Organizational Behavior and Development (3 credit hours)
• ECO 6115 Economic Analysis of the Firm (3 credit hours)
• One elective course or internship (3 credit hours)

Spring—15 Credit Hours

• MAR 6816 Strategic Marketing Management (3 credit hours)
• FIN 6406 Strategic Financial Management (3 credit hours)
• MAN 6721 Applied Strategy and Business Policy (3 credit hours)
• Two elective courses and/or internship (6 credit hours)

Summer—9 Credit Hours

• GEB 6365 International Business Analysis (3 credit hours)
• ISM 6367 Strategic Information Systems (3 credit hours)
• BUL 6444 Law and Ethics (3 credit hours)

For MBA course requirements, see www.ucfmba.ucf.edu. More detailed information about the full-time MBA is available at www.bus.ucf.edu/graduate/cgi-bin/site/sitew.cgi?page=/programs/mba_year.htx.