UGA Graduate School - Degree Programs: Genetics (MS)

The Graduate School > Degree Programs > Genetics (MS)

Genetics (MS)

Degree: Masters Degrees

The Department of Genetics offers graduate programs leading to the MS and PhD degrees. The department is particularly strong in the areas of recombinant DNA technology, gene regulation, prokaryotic molecular genetics, plant molecular biology, mammalian genetics, evolutionary genetics, and population genetics. After a student is admitted, a faculty advisory committee is appointed to recommend a program of study based on the individual student's academic background and research interests. A master's degree is not required for entrance into the doctoral program, and students without a master's degree are encouraged to enter the doctoral program directly.

Faculty members associated with three interdepartmental programs in the Division of Biological Sciences--in the RTG for Prokaryotic Diversity, in Cell and Developmental Biology and the Center for Metalloenzyme Studies--have close ties with the Department of Genetics. Graduate course offerings in these interdepartmental programs are available to students in the Department of Genetics and serve to complement the graduate course offerings in genetics.

Physical facilities available for research include all modern equipment and facilities necessary for research in the various areas of genetics. Special on-campus facilities include a DNA and protein sequence and synthesis facility, a molecular marker analysis facility, a complete electron and confocal microscopy laboratory, controlled-environment equipment, equipment for radioisotope studies, a special fermentation facility, a monoclonal antibody production facility, and extensive computer facilities. Cooperative arrangements for joint research exist with such off-campus facilities as the Russell Agricultural Research Center, the Yerkes Primate Center, the Sapelo Island Marine Institute, the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Prospective students should address inquiries to the Graduate Coordinator, Department of Genetics. E-mail: gradapp@uga.edu. Our World Wide Web address is: http://www.genetics.uga.edu. Graduate students in the department are eligible for a number of university fellowships and research and teaching assistantships. Applicants for the doctoral program will also be considered for traineeships provided by a Public Health Service Institutional National Research Service Award. The deadline for application for most fellowships and assistantships is January 1, and students are normally only admitted at the beginning of the fall semester.

School/College	Franklin College of Arts and Sciences Old College Athens, GA 30602-1732 Phone: 706/542-3400
Academic Department	Genetics Davison Life Sciences Building Athens, GA 30602 Phone: 706/542-1442

Contacts
Graduate Coordinator	John P. Wares	706/542-7720
Research in genetics has brought about one of the major scientific revolutions of humankind. The advent of recombinant DNA technology provided the tools to isolate, sequence and characterize genes, the building blocks of life. Evolutionary biology has allowed us to reconstruct the history and selective pressures acting to shape those genes. In the past ten years, a remarkable synthesis of molecular and evolutionary genetics has taken place and created the field of genomics, which promises unprecedented scientific breakthroughs in medicine and agriculture. A graduate degree in Genetics from the University of Georgia will put you at the forefront of this scientific revolution. Our program is unique in that it brings together a broad array of faculty in many areas of molecular genetics, evolutionary biology and genomics into one group. All our students are trained in both molecular and evolutionary genetics such that all students interested in evolutionary biology are trained in molecular genetics and all our students interested in molecular genetics are trained in evolutionary biology. This creates a unique culture in our graduate program, where our students provide a balance of biological insights. Our group is so well-respected in the field, that we have continuously held a training grant from the National Institutes of Health for almost 30 years. A student-faculty ratio of less than 2:1 ensures individualized training. All students complete several lab rotations in the first year of training and take several foundation courses in the two years. Students complete written exams at the end of the second year and oral exams early in the third year. Our weekly seminar program allows you to interact with top researchers from all over the world.
Degree	Code	Course Descriptions
MS	377	Find Courses

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