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Take a Guided Tour to Graduate Programs and Research Opportunities (slide show 
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Graduate studies in the School of Biological Sciences focus on research preparation in our major areas of faculty research specialization: molecular biology/biochemistry, cell biology/biophysics, and neurobiology. Training in these aspects of modern biology are pursued at the Ph.D. and M.S. level. The graduate programs at SBS are part of the much broader graduate and doctoral programs at UMKC. For information on other options than those described here, see the School of Graduate Studies page.
The School of Biological Sciences participates in the UMKC's Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Program in two disciplines: Cell Biology and Biophysics and Molecular Biology and Biochemistry.
The Ph.D. degree training is designed to prepare students for a research-oriented career in academia or the private sector. An original, independent research project under the supervision of a faculty adviser is the core of this degree program. The program of study, while emphasizing the importance of independent research under the supervision of faculty, also provides a background of interdisciplinary coursework designed to match the needs and interests of each student through various research interest tracks.
The opportunity for research experience begins immediately as a component of the first-year curriculum. Each student is assigned to a succession of short research projects during the course of the academic year, working in active research laboratories under the direction of faculty members. These projects provide familiarity with a variety of experimental methods employed in research and introduce students to the broad range of topics under investigation by the faculty.
By the end of the first academic year, each graduate student is expected to have achieved, through coursework, a general understanding of the basis of molecular and cell biology. At that time, the students select faculty research advisers and initiate active research on what will become the topic of their doctoral dissertations. At the same time, a graduate supervisory committee is appointed. The adviser and the committee work with the student in selecting further graduate course training, if necessary, and monitoring the progress of the thesis research. Committee members are chosen on the basis of their ability to provide complementary expertise and guidance.
To qualify for degree candidacy, students must satisfactorily defend an original research proposal. The culmination of the doctoral program is the written research dissertation. In its final form, the thesis must be approved by the graduate supervisory committee and defended in an oral examination.
In this area, the School of Biological Sciences offers programs leading to the following degrees:
The master of science degree programs involve approximately one and one-half years of coursework; the process for selection of a faculty adviser is similar to that in the Ph.D. track. A research project under the supervision of a faculty adviser is required. A written thesis approved by the student's graduate supervisory committee is also required.
Specific degree requirements vary among the research areas within our doctoral or master's degree programs. Because there are no sharp divisions in contemporary basic biological sciences, there is significant overlap among various faculty research interest groups and academic divisions in the School. This arrangement allows the student to examine any given research grouping from an interdisciplinary point of view. The course requirements allow flexible plans of study for each student's research interest with a mandated interdisciplinary composition. In all cases, preparation for a degree includes successful completion of a combination of coursework and requirements established by the Office of Graduate Studies.
Admission to the School's graduate degree programs is very competitive,
and students are encouraged to apply early. Admission application forms
or specific admission information
for the School of Biological Sciences can be obtained by filling in
this WWW form, by sending
e-mail to umkc-sbs-doc@umkc.edu,
by calling the Graduate Program Officer at (816) 235-2235, or by
writing to:
Graduate Programs
School of Biological Sciences
Room 503 BSB
University of Missouri-Kansas City
5100 Rockhill Road
Kansas City, MO 64110-2499
Please note that the response to inquiries from outside the United States will be limited to pre-application information. Inquiries from within the United States will receive a complete Graduate School application packet, if full name, address, zip-code and phone number are provided.
Students may be admitted with certain deficiencies, with the stipulation that these can be removed early in the course of study. The following chapters in the UMKC General Catalog should also be consulted:
Ph.D. candidates accepted to our graduate programs are usually offered financial assistance. Some assistance may be available for M.S. candidates on a competitive basis for full-time graduate students. Assistantships for doctoral students provide a yearly stipend of $15,000 - $17,000 (beginning the 1999 academic year, $16,000 - $18,000), depending on qualifications, and tuition remissions and fee waivers valued at $3,800 - $6,000, for a total compensation package of up to $23,000 ($24,000, 1999 academic year). Support is continued provided that progress toward degree remains satisfactory.
In order to assure preferential consideration for financial aid, a complete application must be received by February 15 of the year of anticipated matriculation. Application for admission and assistantship through the School of Biological Sciences can be obtained by contacting: Graduate Program Officer, School of Biological Sciences, Room 503 BSB, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, MO 64110 (phone: (816) 235-2235, e-mail: sbs_ado@umkc.edu). Early applications are encouraged.
The following information is available from the UMKC General Catalog.
(SBS course schedules can only be accessed locally.)
A major effort of the School of Biological Sciences is to provide postdoctoral research training. This activity involves original research under the guidance of faculty members and is complemented by extensive interactions among the research groups in an intellectual, stimulating academic environment of interdisciplinary scope.
An extensive series of seminars attracts prominent scientists, encourages participation of the postdoctoral trainees, and provides research perspectives covering contemporary cellular and molecular biology, including biophysics and neurobiology.
Numerous postdoctoral assistantships that include fringe benefits such as health and dental insurance are available. Furthermore, postdoctoral research appointments in the School of Biological Sciences imply research faculty status, which allows freedom to seek independent research grant support from extramural funding agencies.