Certificate in Biomedical Sciences

The Graduate Certificate in Biomedical Sciences offered by the Department of Biological Sciences (DBS) will provide students with core competencies or exposure to areas of study in the biomedical sciences to prepare them for professional biomedical schools including but not limited to medical, veterinary, and dental schools. In addition certificate students will be able to transfer credits into the departmental MS or PhD in Biology programs should they modify their career goals. Certificate students will choose from a number of course offerings that will expose them to broad areas of anatomy and physiology; biochemical principles and metabolic pathways; microbiology, immunology, and infection; embryology, cell biology, and development. Students will have the opportunity to take up to 3 credit hrs of BIOL 6901 Mentored Non-Thesis Laboratory Research providing one-on-one work with a faculty member in an area of interest. Requests for related courses and substitutions may be approved at the discretion of the Certificate Director and Graduate Programs Director.

Admission Requirements

• A bachelor’s degree, or its equivalent, from a regionally accredited college or university
• Minimum GPA of 2.8 (based on a 4.0 scale) on all previous work completed beyond high school (secondary school)
• An online application through the Graduate School’s application system
• A statement of purpose
• Unofficial transcripts of all college coursework attempted
• Official and satisfactory scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), if English is not the applicant’s native language and he or she has not earned a post-secondary degree from a U.S. institution
• No GRE

Certificate Requirements

The Graduate Certificate in Biomedical Sciences requires completion of 15 credit hours of elective courses in biomedical sciences selected from the list below. A maximum of 3 credit hours in BIOL 6901 may be used for the certificate.

• BIOL 5000 – Advanced Topics in Biology (1 to 4) (Subjects vary but recently included: Cardiovascular Physiology, Comparative Animal Physiology, Genome Stability and Human Disease)
• BIOL 5121 – Advanced Biometry (4)
• BIOL 5167 – Medical Genetics (3) every Fall
• BIOL 5171 – Cell Physiology (3)
• BIOL 5189 – Mechanisms in Development (3)
• BIOL 5199 – Molecular Biology (3) every Spring
• BIOL 5233 – Parasitology (3) every Spring
• BIOL 5235 – Mammalogy (4)
• BIOL 5250 – Microbiology (3)
• BIOL 5250L – Microbiology Laboratory (1)
• BIOL 5251 – Immunology (3) every Fall
• BIOL 5251L – Immunology Laboratory (1)
• BIOL 5254 – Epidemiology (3)
• BIOL 5256 – Pathogenic Bacteriology (3)
• BIOL 5256L – Pathogenic Bacteriology Laboratory (1)
• BIOL 5257 – Microbial Physiology and Metabolism (3)
• BIOL 5258 – Epidemics and Plagues (3) every Spring
• BIOL 5259 – Advanced Virology (3) every Summer
• BIOL 5259L – Advanced Virology Laboratory (1)
• BIOL 5265 – Drugs: Molecular and Cellular Mechanisms (3) every Spring
• BIOL 5277 – Endocrinology (3)
• BIOL 5279 – Neurobiology (3) every Fall
• BIOL 5283 – Developmental Biology (3)
• BIOL 5283L – Developmental Biology Laboratory (1)
• BIOL 5292 – Advances in Immunology (3)
• BIOL 5293 – Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy (4) every Spring
• BIOL 6000 – Special Topics in Biology (1 to 4) (topics vary . Recent topics included Cancer Genetics, Cancer Progression and Metastasis, and Carcinogenesis and Immunity)
• BIOL 6010 – Special Topics in Microbiology (1 to 4)
• BIOL 6101 – Hypothesis Testing (3) every Fall
• BIOL 6102 – Cell and Molecular Biology (3) every Spring
• BIOL 6103 – Immunology of Infection (4) every SPring
• BIOL 6104 – Integrative Systems Physiology (4)
• BIOL 6270 – Biological Pathways and Metabolism (3) every Spring
• BIOL 6273 – Advanced Human Physiology (3)
• BIOL 6274 – Advanced Human Pathophysiology (3)
• BIOL 6901 – Laboratory Research (1 to 2)

Additional Notes

• The Certificate will be awarded upon completion of the courses for 15 or more credit hours, with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.
• Only one grade of C may be counted toward the Certificate.
• The 15 required credit hours must be completed within four years of study starting from the time the first course is taken.
• Courses taken for one graduate certificate may not be counted toward another graduate certificate.
• Up to 6 credit hours of graduate coursework taken as post-baccalaureate status at UNC Charlotte may be applied toward the Certificate.
• Credit hours earned in the Certificate program may be applied to the Master’s or Doctoral program in Biology pursued either in conjunction with or after the certificate has been awarded subject to admission to that graduate program.
• A tuition increment will apply to this program.