Biomedical Sciences Master’s program at The University of Alabama

If you're interested in careers in research science, scientific policy, science communication, science education, biomedical sales, and the Master of Science in Multidisciplinary Biomedical Science (MBS) might be for you.

We offer an exciting, innovative curriculum. A wide range of elective classes are offered through several STEM-themed disciplines that cater to a wide array of career trajectories. Concentrations are available in many scientific disciplines unique to Masters programs in Alabama including: Genetics and Genomic Sciences Neuroscience Pharmacology Bioinformatics (fall 2019) and Immunology (fall 2019).

Flexibility. You can start the MBS program in fall, spring or summer semesters, which provides students with important flexibility for beginning their graduate studies. Additionally, our program offers full-time or part-time options for students.

The MS in Multidisciplinary Biomedical Science is intended as a terminal degree for students desiring many different career paths, including but not limited to: research (laboratory jobs in academia or industry), further graduate study (e.g. PhD), professional school (e.g. medical or dental), science education, scientific policy, science communication, or biomedical sales.

The Plan I MS in MBS thesis degree at UAB can be completed over the course of five semesters if full-time, including at least one summer semester. Plan I students will complete a rigorous mentored research project in addition to a curriculum of required core and elective classes related to the biomedical sciences.

Successful completion of the Plan I MS in MBS degree requires passing 45 credit hours (30 hours coursework 15 hours supervised research) and maintaining a minimum 3.0 GPA.

Successful completion of the Plan I MBS degree requires passing 45 credit hours and maintaining a minimum 3.0 GPA. These credit hours are composed of 30 hours of coursework and 15 hours of supervised thesis research (MBS 699).

Core science (MBS 601 (4 hours), 602 (4 hours), 603 (4 hours), 12 hours total) .

The Plan II MBS non-thesis degree at UAB can be completed over the course of three semesters if full-time, including one summer semester. Plan II students will complete a rigorous curriculum of required core and elective classes related to the biomedical sciences.

Successful completion of the Plan II MBS degree requires passing 30 credit hours of coursework and maintaining a minimum 3.0 GPA.

This course begins with the study of basic cell function, then proceeds to a rigorous of specific human organ systems.

GRD 617: Critical Thinking and Scientific Integrity for Masters Students 3 Credit Hours.

This course will give masters students an introduction to the rules of logic and reason that are necessary for effective scientific discourse and debate. In addition, students will be introduced to best practices in the responsible conduct of research, including rigor and reproducibility.

BST 603: Introductory Biostatistics for Graduate Biomedical Sciences3 Credit Hours.

This course will provide non-biostatistics students seeking a Graduate Biomedical Sciences (GBS) degree with the ability to understand introductory biostatistics concepts.

Introduction to Probability and Statistics with applications in Computer Science. Counting, permutations and combinations. Probability, conditional probability, Bayes Theorem. Standard probability distributions. Measures of central tendency and dispersion. Central Limit Theorem. Regression and correlation. Hypothesis testing. Random number generation. Random algorithms. Estimating probabilities by simulation. Genetic algorithms.

The introduction of biological data management concepts, theories, and applications. Basic concepts such as relational data representation, relational database modeling, and relational database queries will be introduced in the context of SQL and relational algebra. Advanced concepts including ontology representation and database development workflow will be introduced. Emerging big data concepts and tools, including Hadoop and NoSQL, will be introduced in the context of managing semi-structured and unstructured data. Application of biological data management in biology will be covered using case studies of high-impact widely used biological databases. A class project will be required of all participants.

Biomedical Applications of Natural Language Processing3 Credit Hours.

Students will be introduced to Natural Language Processing (NLP) including core linguistic tasks such as tokenization, lemmatization stemming, Part of Speech tagging, parsing and chunking. Applications covered include Named Entity Recognition, semantic role labeling, word sense disambiguation, normalization, information retrieval, question answering and text classification. Applications and data will have a biomedical focus, but no biology or medical background is required.

This course will cover the basic anatomy, biology, life history, husbandry, and research applications for a variety of aquatic organisms used as animal models of human disease in biomedical research. Species discussed will include zebrafish, Medaka, Xiphorous, Onchorynchus, Xenopus, and Axolotls.

Introduction to computational tools and bioinformatics databases used in the fields of genetics and genomic sciences. This course will cover a wide variety of different bioinformatics applications, which will be taught through use of available on-line bioinformatics resources. Topics covered include large-scale genomic databases, sequence analysis systems, protein sequence analysis, structural bioinformatics, protein folding, and homology modeling.

GGSC 635: Zebrafish as a Model for Biomedical Research 3 Credit Hours.

This course will focus on the biology, husbandry, and management of zebrafish used as an animal model of human disease in biomedical research. Topics will include anatomy, physiology, systems design, water quality management, behavior and enrichment, spawning and larviculture, nutrition and live feeds, diseases, quarantine, biosecurity, and regulatory compliance.

Most of the drugs that we use today were developed with the assumption that the same drug will work equally well in all the patients that have the same disease. However, there is considerable variability between individual patients both in the therapeutic response and the adverse effects of the same drug that is largely determined by the differences in their genotypes. Pharmacogenetics and pharmacogenomics study the genetic determinants of drug response, with the goal to identify genetic variants that can be used to predict the efficacy of a particular drug in a particular patient and to avoid adverse drug reactions. This will ultimately enable implementation of personalized treatment options, by selecting the drugs that will have the best efficacy and the least toxicity for each individual patient. This course will introduce students to the basic principles of pharmacogenetics, demonstrate examples of drug genotype interactions, highlight the available pharmacogenetic resources, and discuss the potential benefits, as well as limitations and challenges of pharmacogenetics and personalized medicine.

This course introduces the history of evolutionary thought and modern evolutionary theory. Discussions cover (but are not limited to) the history of life, mechanisms of evolutionary change, sexual selection, adaptation, speciation, and molecular evolution. Students will also be introduced to historical and contemporary studies of evolution on a wide variety of topics and organisms.

Systems biology is an inter-disciplinary study underlying complex biological processes as integrated systems of many interacting components. This course will give students a foundation in understanding complex biological interactions at the molecular, network and genomic level. This course will cover state-of-the-art high throughput established and novel approaches used in genome sequencing, transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics to obtain, integrate and analyze complex data. The students will also get familiar with knowledge on experimental perturbation of genomes, gene regulatory networks, comparative genomics and evolution, basic bioinformatics. This course will be a combination of text based lectures and discussions of the current literature relevant to Functional Genomics and Systems Biology.

This course provides a survey of the field of epigenetics, introducing the student to the diverse areas of epigenetic research in a variety of eukaryotic systems. In addition to providing an of the field of epigenetics, this course emphasizes working with primary scientific literature and the development of critical reading skills. Additional assignments are required for graduate credit.

Molecular Biology of the Neuron will provide students an advanced understanding of how the brain works with a focus on protein function. Everything the brain does is built upon the actions of proteins, many of which are completely unique to the brain. Together we will work to thoroughly understand the exact molecular mechanisms utilized by the brain to support the complex function of our most fascinating organ. Topics covered will include brain morphogenesis, axonal outgrowth, synapse formation, neurotransmitter biosynthesis, intracellular signaling, and the blood brain barrier. Students should have a significant background in biology and or chemistry prior to enrolling in the course. Students will be required to purchase a text. Grades will be assigned based on points accumulated through weekly quizzes, cumulative exams, and written reports.

Cognitive neuroscience research has provided valuable insights into the workings of the human brain. The ability to perform neuroimaging studies on awake human individuals engaged in cognitive, social, sensory, and motor tasks has produced a conceptual revolution in the study of human cognition. This course will comprehensively examine the methods and techniques in neuroimaging with the primary goal of building basic knowledge in the concepts and techniques of neuroimaging. The course will explore techniques, such as single and multi cell recordings, deep brain stimulation, electroencephalography, magnetoencephalography, and diffusion tensor imaging, and focuses on functional magnetic resonance imaging. Course goals: By the end of the course, students will have gained basic knowledge in the field and will be able to read and critically assess scientific journal articles that make use of a variety of neuroimaging methods. The secondary and implicit goal of this course is to create and nurture, in students, a genuine interest in neuroscience and neuroimaging.

This course provides a comprehensive study of pain, from basic anatomy through clinical treatment and measurement.

How cognitive processing originates from brains. Focus on synthetic approaches to sensory-input guided behavior implemented in a biologically realistic manner neurobiological wetware underlying cognition study and construction of synthetic approaches that emulate biological behavior and psychological processes.

This course will provide students with an of the discipline of Pharmacology or the science of the mechanism and regulation of drug action. Processes will be discussed that are affect most drugs and xenobiotics including absorption, distribution, metabolism and elimination. The course will provide students with concepts that will be applicable to understanding the activity and regulation of drugs discussed in the Systems Pharmacology courses. Concepts presented in the course will be advantageous to all students in understanding therapeutic drug use or in appreciating drug use and action in many different research settings.

Systems biology is an inter-disciplinary study underlying complex biological processes as integrated systems of many interacting components. This course will give students a foundation in understanding complex biological interactions at the molecular, network and genomic level. This course will cover state-of-the-art high throughput established and novel approaches used in genome sequencing, transcriptomic, proteomics and metabolomics to obtain, integrate and analyze complex data. The students will also get familiar with knowledge on experimental perturbation of genomes, gene regulatory networks, comparative genomics and evolution, basic bioinformatics. This course will be a combination of text based lectures and discussions of the current literature relevant to Functional Genomics and Systems Biology. Prerequisite: BY210 minimum grade of C.

Career Workshop for Graduate Students Spring Summer 1 Credit Hour.

This workshop introduces a variety of career choices for students working on advanced degrees in the life sciences. Topics may include sources of career information, self-assessment, resume construction, interviewing, using new technologies in job searches, career choices, the hidden job market, networking, and negotiating.

This seminar will cover the science and theory on mentoring, including the mentor-mentee relationship, issues of gender, culture, age, and other power differentials contemporary mentoring strategies as they relate generally and specifically to situations and fields applying different mentoring models to real life workplace.

This course will cover the latest science in managing and leading teams across disciplines, focusing on the student development of team presentations, peer discussion and review.

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English as a Second Language Alternative Masters Program (MAEd).

High School Education Alternative Masters Program (MAEd).

Nursing Accelerated Master in Nursing Pathways (AMNP).

Nursing Accelerated Master in Nursing Pathway (AMNP).

Maternal and Child Health and Social Work (MPH MSW).