Professional Science Master's: Core Program

Introduction to Structural and Molecular Biology. CBS 530 (4 credit hours). Introduction to basic cell and membrane structure; structures of biological molecules, in particular nucleic acids and proteins, with reference to databases; protein folding; mechanisms of biological interactions, such as substrate-enzyme active site and ligand-receptor interactions; interface dynamics during assembly of multimeric proteins; signal transduction mechanisms; uses of modeling to reveal structures.

Multivariate Statistical Analysis. (3 credit hours). A course in statistics, chosen, dependent on student background, from existing courses offered by the participant departments. Course chosen must incorporate multivariate analyses.

Modeling and Computational Biology. CBS 520 (4 credit hours). This course focuses on scientific and mathematical tools, and will emphasize computing skills, required in bioinformatics. Key analytic concepts to be illustrated span topics in dynamical systems, complexity theory, discrete mathematics, time-series analysis and stochastic processes, and will include examples of neural networks, Markov models, and Monte-Carlo simulation. The course will emphasize software choices, numerical libraries, visualization tools, Perl Scripting, and basic database management techniques.

Applications and Complex Problem Solving in Computational Biology. CBS 521 (4 credit hours). This course is modeled on the successful Industrial Projects course designed by Professor MacCluer of the Department of Mathematics, Michigan State University, for which applied, so-called "back-burner," or non-critical, projects are solicited from local industry. The key focus of the course is the implementation of an interdisciplinary problem-solving environment. Students work in teams, representing expertise from complementary fields, under guidance of a faculty manager, and one or more liaisons from the industrial unit that proposed the project. The purpose of the semester study is not necessarily the actual ideal solution of the given problem, rather that the study of the chosen problem provides the mechanism by which students develop an appreciation for the constraints imposed by the industrial environment, including the necessity of effective communication in both written and oral form, timelines, planning, and strategies for successful interdisciplinary teamwork. Mathematical techniques required for posed problems will be presented through the course of the semester.

Experimental Design. (3 credit hours). A course in design of robust experiments, dependent on student background, from existing courses offered by the participating faculty.

Business Issues and Ethics. (6-8 credit hours). Marketing and financial management, patents, ethics in biotechnology, scientific integrity, project management, design of feasibility studies, intellectual property rights, advertising and the media, and development of presentation and team work skills. Students will be required to develop a business plan as part of this program.

Internship. CBS 584 (6 credit hours). An internship with either a campus based research group or a local biotechnology/ biomedical facility associated with Arizona State University will serve as a crucial component of the training program. Students will report on the internship via a written applied project paper, and an oral presentation.