Molecular Biosciences is an interdisciplinary area melded from the formerly isolated fields of biochemistry, cell biology, genetics, microbiology, and molecular biology. The intersection of these fields serves as the foundation for much of modern biotechnology, medical research, and interdisciplinary fields like biological chemistry and biological physics.
Completion of the graduate certificate courses will be invaluable in career development in many different interdisciplinary fields. In addition, the certificate courses can be applied to WSU’s Professional Science Masters degree. The certificate can be obtained on the Pullman campus or anywhere in the United States through online courses offered by WSU Online Programs. All online courses in the certificate are taught and were developed by WSU faculty.
SMB Online Programs
Who Should Earn the Certificate ?
- Graduate students in a variety of disciplines from agriculture to veterinary medicine
- Working professionals who seek retraining or additional training
- Educators who require continuing education for accreditation
Admission Requirements
- A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university in biology, biochemistry, cell biology, chemistry, genetics, microbiology or a related field.
- A 3.0 or better grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) or equivalent in the last 60 semester or 90 quarter hours of graded undergraduate work. The following undergraduate courses are specifically recommended: three semesters of a combination of general biology, microbiology, cell biology, genetics, or molecular biology courses and one semester each of organic chemistry, physics, biochemistry and calculus.
How to apply to WSU
Students must apply and be admitted to the Graduate School, fulfilling all of the Graduate School requirements and standards. Students already enrolled in another graduate program at WSU will automatically be eligible to pursue this certificate. Students who intend to only pursue this certificate, will be admitted as a “Not-Advanced-Degree-Candidate” (NADC), as defined by the Graduate School.
Program Requirements
The Graduate Certificate Program in Molecular Biosciences totals 11-12 credits of graded coursework, made up of required and elective courses. Required Courses (9 credits):
MBioS 501—Cell Biology 3cr.
MBioS 503—Molecular Biology I 3cr.
MBioS 513—General Biochemistry I 3cr.
Elective Course (2-3 credits) One elective course from the list below is needed, and serves to make the certificate in molecular biosciences more comprehensive:
Phil 530—Bioethics 2cr.
MBioS 578—Bioinformatics 3cr.
Stat 412—Biometry 3cr.
Students must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 in coursework required for the completion of this certificate.
*Please note term of offering for WSU online and Pullman campus courses, updated here or check schedule of classes for current term.
*Students may not apply for the Graduate Certificate in Molecular Biosciences and the PSM at the same time.