Genetics
The Genetics Graduate Program is a University wide program. Current faculty are in 14 Departments and four Colleges. The Genetics Program provides a well-balanced program of graduate course work and research training. The faculty conducts basic research in all areas of genetics, including molecular, cellular and developmental genetics; behavioral genetics, biomedical genetics, evolutionary, population and quantitative genetics, statistical genetics, and bioinformatics. Faculty research utilizes both traditional model organisms (fruit flies, mice and Arabidopsis) and non-traditional systems (cats, cockroaches, dairy cattle, dogs, maize, pigs, pine trees and more). Interdisciplinary research is encouraged.
Admission Requirements
Applicants may come from a number of undergraduate programs that include biological, agricultural, physical and mathematical science training. All applications are screened by an admissions committee, and the best qualified applicants will be accepted up to the number of spaces that are available for new students. The program uses the requirements set by the Graduate School to evaluate applications (GRE, unofficial transcripts from each previously attended college or university, three letters of recommendation, personal statement, and proof of English proficiency for non-US citizens). Competitive applicants will include research and other relevant experience as well as their interest and fit for the program in their personal statement.
Master's Degree Requirements
The M.S. degree requires a minimum of 30 credit hours, of which 14 hours are core course requirements, three hours are additional elective graduate courses with substantial genetics content, and three hours are other elective graduate courses. M.S. students majoring in Genetics are required to complete dissertation research with three credit hours of Master's Supervised Research, six credits of Master's Thesis Research, one credit of Master’s Thesis Prep, and one credit of Master’s Examination. M.S. students are also required to teach one semester of undergraduate courses and may enroll in three credits of Master’s Supervised Teaching. 12 hours of required courses are required for Genetics minors. The Master's of Genetics requires a minimum of 31 credit hours, of which 17 hours are core course requirements, six hours are additional elective genetics courses and eight hours are elective graduate courses.
Doctoral Degree Requirements
A total of 18 hours of seven core courses and 12 hours of elective graduate courses, nine of which have substantial genetics content, is required of all majors. Ph.D. students majoring in Genetics are required to complete dissertation research with three credit hours of Doctoral Supervised Research and a combination of Doctoral Dissertation Research, Doctoral Preliminary Examination, and Doctoral Dissertation Prep to total 39 hours. Students are also required to and teach two semesters of undergraduate courses and may enroll in six credits of Doctoral Supervised Teaching to be used toward the remaining 39 credit hours. 12 hours of required courses are required for Genetics minors.
Student Financial Support
Genetics graduate students are supported on Research and Teaching Assistantships (RAs and TAs). Specific pay varies depending on the assistantship, and students are paid bi-weekly. More information will be provided at the time of acceptance into the program.
Other Relevant Information
All M. S. and Ph. D. students rotate through three laboratories during their first semester. At the end of the semester, they choose a laboratory for their research activities consistent with their interests and available research projects. Provisions are available for a co-major and collaborative research in more than one laboratory.
Faculty
Full Professors
- Jose Miguel Alonso
- Peter J. Balint-Kurti
- Rodolphe Barrangou
- David M. Bird
- Adam Joseph Birkenheuer
- Matthew Breen
- Ignazio Carbone
- Ralph A. Dean
- Ralph E. Dewey
- Robert Graham Franks
- Troy Ghashghaei
- John R. Godwin
- Major M. Goodman
- Fred L. Gould
- Candace Hope Haigler
- Linda Kay Hanley-Bowdoin
- Christine Veronica Hawkes
- James B. Holland
- Fikret Isik
- Ramsey S. Lewis
- Hsiao-Ching Liu
- Steven Lommel
- James W. Mahaffey
- Christian Maltecca
- Carolyn Jane Mattingly
- Kathryn Montgome Meurs
- Spencer V. Muse
- Natasha J. Olby
- Charles H. Opperman
- Balaji M. Rao
- Emilie Francesca Rissman
- Jean B. Ristaino
- Coby J. Schal
- Maxwell J. Scott
- Heike Inge Ada Sederoff
- Seth M. Sullivant
- William F. Thompson
- Jeffrey L. Thorne
- Jung-Ying Tzeng
- Keith R. Weninger
- Ross W. Whetten
- Brian M. Wiegmann
- Qiuyun Xiang
- Deyu Xie
- Jeffrey A. Yoder
- Zhaobang Zeng
Associate Professors
- John J Classen
- David Lawrence Aylor
- Chase Beisel
- Nicolas Emile Buchler
- Gavin Clay Conant
- Shobhan Gaddameedhi
- Steffen Heber
- Vasu Kuraparthy
- Randall Brian Langerhans
- Terri A. Long
- Marce D. Lorenzen
- John Edward Meitzen
- Susana Rita Milla-Lewis
- Nanette M. Nascone-Yoder
- Dahlia M. Nielsen
- Xinxia Peng
- Marcela Pierce
- Antonio Planchart
- David Michael Reif
- Michael Hay Reiskind
- Reade Bruce Roberts
- Michael L. Sikes
- Rosangela Sozzani
- Anna N. Stepanova
- Yihui Zhou
Assistant Professors
- Hamid Ashrafi
- Christa Baker
- Louis-Marie Bobay
- Benjamin John Callahan
- Carter Clinton
- Michael Anthony Cowley
- Nathan Crook
- Colleen Jennifer Doherty
- Abdulkerim Eroglu
- Rafael Felipe Guerro Farias
- Amanda Marie Hulse
- Albert Jun Qi Keung
- Manuel Kleiner
- Caroline Laplante
- Wusheng Liu
- Anna Michelle Locke
- Elizabeth Lucas
- Kurt Marsden
- Santosh Kumar Mishra
- Casey C. Nestor
- Benjamin J. Reading
- Ruben Rellan Alvarez
- Adriana San Miguel Delgadillo
- Caitlin Suzanne Smukowski Heil
- Maria Rodgers
- Eduardo Javier Lopez Soto
- Casey Michelle Theriot
- Laurianne Chantal Van Landeghem
- Acer VanWallendael
- Sara Villani
- Justin Graham Alexander Whitehill
- Christina Zakas
Emeritus Professors
- Roderick M Rejesus
- William Reid Atchley
- Stephanie E. Curtis
- Eugene Eisen
- Charles S. Levings III
- Todd Robert Klaenhammer
- Wesley Edwin Kloos
- Dale F. Matzinger
- Wendell Herbert McKenzie
- John G. Scandalios
- Henry E. Schaffer
- Ron Ross Sederoff
- Charles William Stuber
- Earl A. Wernsman
Adjunct professors
- Robert R .Anholt
- Trudy F. MacKay
- Alison Anne Motsinger-Reif
- Nadia Singh
Courses
Biological macromolecules and their interactions, DNA topology, eukaryotic genome structure, chromatin and chromosome structure, transcription and transcription regulation, epigenetics, RNAi and RNA processing, recombinant DNA technology, genetic transformation and cloning of plants and animals. Bacteria, viruses, plants, animals and fungi as genetic systems. Students cannot receive credit for both GN 421 and GN 521.
Prerequisite: C- or better in GN 311
Typically offered in Fall and Spring
This course is an in depth study of human and biomedical genetics and the role of genetics in human health and disease. The course will aquaint students with contemporary knowledge of genetics in disease causation and susceptibility, the use of model organisms to inform human biology and contemporary topics in human genetics research like epigenetics, therapeutic cloning, gene therapy, role of genetics in response to drugs and predictive medicine. Credit cannot be given for both 441 and 541.
Prerequisite: C- or better in GN 421
Typically offered in Fall only
The main objective of this course is to expose upper division undergraduate students and graduate students to conservation genetic tools and applications. Students will learn the genetic and genomic theory and methods commonly used in conservation and management of species. In addition, the course will provide hands-on experience working on current conservation projects here at North Carolina State University. Working in groups, the students will collect, run, and analyze those data for a scientific paper. The final project for all students will be a conservation genetic grant proposal.
Prerequisite: GN 311
Typically offered in Spring only
Teaching experience under the mentorship of faculty who assist the student in planning for the teaching assignment, observe and provide feedback to the student during the teaching assignment, and evaluate the student upon completion of the assignment.
Prerequisite: Master's student
Typically offered in Fall and Spring
For students in non-thesis master's programs who have completed all other requirements of the degree except preparing for and taking the final master's exam.
Prerequisite: Master's student
Typically offered in Fall only
Instruction in research and research under the mentorship of a member of the Graduate Faculty.
Prerequisite: Master's Student
Typically offered in Spring only
Thesis Research
Prerequisite: Master's Student
Typically offered in Fall and Spring
For graduate students whose programs of work specify no formal course work during a summer session and who will be devoting full time to thesis research.
Prerequisite: Master's student
Typically offered in Summer only
For students who have completed all credit hour requirements and full-time enrollment for the master's degree and are writing and defending their thesis.
Prerequisite: Master's Student
Typically offered in Fall only
A discussion of the structure and function of genetic material at a molecular level. Consideration of both prokaryotic and eukaryotic systems. The aim to describe genetics in terms of chemical principles.
Prerequisite: GN 311
Typically offered in Fall only
Regulation of genes involved in cellular function, differentiation and development in eukaryotes. Presentation of biological systems and model organisms used to study genetic control of cellular and developmental processes.
Prerequisite: GN 701
Typically offered in Spring only
Mutation and origin of genetic variation. Measuring genetic variation in natural populations. Gene and genotype frequencies. Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Values, means, genetic and environmental variance, heritability of quantitative traits. Random genetic drift and inbreeding. Natural and artifical selection. Theory and tests of models of maintenance of genetic variation. Molecular evolution of genes and proteins. Genome evolution.
Typically offered in Spring only
Quantitative and population genetic theory of breeding problems; partitioning of genetic variance, maternal effects, genotype by environment interaction and genetic correlation; selection indexes; design and analysis of selection experiments; marker-assisted selection.
Prerequisite: GN 509, ST 512
Typically offered in Fall only
Theory and principles of molecular biology applied to plant breeding. Understanding of the relationship between genes and crop traits. Principles and molecular mechanisms of crop traits, and their applications to solve breeding problems and improve crop traits, which include heterosis, male/female sterility, self-incompatibility, polyploidy, double haploid, protoplast fusion, random mutagenesis, plant regeneration, transgenic breeding, advanced genome editing for breeding, gene silencing, gene activation, gene drive, plant synthetic biology, metabolic engineering, epigenetics for trait improvement, gene stacking, decoy and R genes, and bioconfinement.
Typically offered in Spring only
The course aims to provide students with the relevant background knowledge and quantitative skills for conducting genetic data analysis to evaluate the genetic effects of complex traits. The course will focus on statistical methodologies and analytical strategies for population-based association studies with genotype and sequencing data collected from whole genome and exome. The specific topics include genetic variants; genetic identity coefficients and its applications; heritability; Hardy-Weinberg disequilibrium; recombination; linkage disequilibrium and association mapping; genome-wide association studies (GWAS); population substructures; multiple testing; single-variant and multi-variant association methods; next-generation sequencing (NGS) data and rare variant analysis; copy number variant analysis; analysis using summary statistics.
Prerequisite: ST 511 or equivalent
Typically offered in Fall only
Application of genetic principles to silviculture, management and wood utilization. Emphasis on variation in wild populations, the bases for selection of desirable qualities and fundamentals of controlled breeding.
Typically offered in Spring only
Methodology of experimental genomics; genome sequencing, gene expression arrays, genomic screens, proteomics. Aims and achievements of microbial, plant, animal, human genome projects. Applications of genomics including parasitology, breeding, functional genomics, evolutionary genetics. Interface with bioinformatics, data technology.
Prerequisite: GN 701
Typically offered in Spring only
Theory and principles of plant quantitative genetics. Experimental approaches of relationships between type and source of genetic variability, concepts of inbreeding, estimations of genetic variance and selection theory.
Prerequisite: CS(GN, HS) 541, ST 712, course in quantitative genetics recommended
Typically offered in Spring only
Theory and principles of plant breeding methodology including population improvement, selection procedures, genotypic evaluation, cultivar development and breeding strategies.
Typically offered in Spring only
Phylogenetic analyses of nucleotide and protein sequence data. Sequence alignment, phylogeny reconstruction and relevant computer software. Prediction of protein secondary structure, database searching, bioinformatics and related topics. Project required.
Typically offered in Fall only
The essence of quantitative genetics is to study multiple genes and their relationship to phenotypes. How to study and interpret the relationship between phenotypes and whole genome genotypes in a cohesive framework is the focus of this course. We discuss how to use genomic tools to map quantitative trait loci, how to study epistasis, how to study genetic correlations and genotype-by-environment interactions. We put special emphasis in using genomic data to study and interpret general biological problems, such as adaptation and heterosis. The course is targeted for advanced graduate students interested in using genomic information to study a variety of problems in quantitative genetics.
Prerequisite: ST 511
Typically offered in Fall only
Structure and function in microbial genetics, with emphasis on microbial genome organization, stable maintenance and evolution. DNA mutation and repair pathways, transcriptional and translational regulation, DNA replication and recombination and characterization of recombinant DNA molecules. Applications of genetic and genomic analysis methods to microbial processes, including strain construction, genome manipulation, and enhancement of gene expression.
Typically offered in Spring only
An advanced graduate class involving integrated approaches to complex biological questions at the molecular level, encompassing biochemistry, cell biology and molecular genetics. The course will focus on an important, current area of research in eukaryotic biology using the primary scientific literature, and will involve class discussions, oral presentations, and a written research proposal.
Typically offered in Spring only
An advanced treatment involving integrated approaches to biological problems at the molecular level, encompassing biochemistry, cell biology and molecular genetics. Broad, multidisciplinary approaches to solving research problems in biology and thecritical study of primary scientific literature, the development of a research proposal, oral presentations and class discussions.
Typically offered in Spring only
Critical study of selected areas and special topics of current interest in genetics and related fields.
Typically offered in Fall and Spring
Special topics designed for additional experience and research training.
Prerequisite: Advanced Graduate standing
Typically offered in Fall and Spring
The course is designed to give students background in professionalism, scientific ethics and responsible conduct of science. Topics include the role of the scientist in society, ethical theory, data acquisition and ownership, scientific midconduct,authorship, peer review, conflicts of interest and commitment, intellectual property, ethics of teaching and mentoring, ethical treatment of animal and human subjects, ethics of genetics research, job hunting and interviewing.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing
Typically offered in Fall only
Visitation of plant breeding projects in the Depts. of CS and HS at NC State, along with commercial seed companies. Discussion and viewing of breeding objectives, methods and equipment and teaching and practice of hybridization methods.
P: CS 741 or GN 741 or HS 741
Typically offered in Spring only
Visitation of plant breeding projects in the Depts. of CS and HS at NC State, along with commercial seed companies. Discussion and viewing of breeding objectives, methods and equipment and teaching and practice of hybridization methods.
P: CS 741 or GN 741 or HS 741
Typically offered in Fall only
Teaching experience under the mentorship of faculty who assist the student in planning for the teaching assignment, observe and provide feedback to the student during the teaching assignment, and evaluate the student upon completion of the assignment.
Prerequisite: Doctoral student
Typically offered in Fall and Spring
For students who are preparing for and taking written and/or oral preliminary exams.
Prerequisite: Doctoral student
Typically offered in Fall and Spring
Instruction in research and research under the mentorship of a member of the Graduate Faculty.
Prerequisite: Doctoral student
Typically offered in Fall and Spring
Dissertation Research
Prerequisite: Doctoral student
Typically offered in Fall, Spring, and Summer
For graduate students whose programs of work specify no formal course work during a summer session and who will be devoting full time to thesis research.
Prerequisite: Doctoral student
Typically offered in Summer only
For students who have completed all credit hour requirements, full-time enrollment, preliminary examination, and residency requirements for the doctoral degree, and are writing and defending their dissertations.
Prerequisite: Doctoral student
Typically offered in Fall, Spring, and Summer