University Catalog 2024-2025

Microbiology (PhD)

Degree Requirements

Students may choose from the Microbiology course tracks below to complete coursework within a focus area.

Degrees earned will be distributed as: "Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology" without focus area track specifications.

Core Courses10
Seminar
Doctoral Lab Rotations
Teaching Experience
Doctoral Dissertation Research
Microbiology Courses12
See "Microbiology Courses" listed below
Professional Development course1
"Professional Development Course" is determined in conjunction with the academic committee
Elective Courses49
See "Elective Courses" listed below
Total Hours72

Microbiology Courses

For the Ph.D., 12 MB graded graduate credits must be taken. These courses can be chosen for breadth in microbiology or may focus on a sub-discipline of microbiology.  Example courses fitting into two microbiology “tracks” or focus areas are:

Environmental / Industrial Track
MB 520Fundamentals of Microbial Cell Biotransformations2
MB 532Soil Microbiology4
MB 555Microbial Biotechnology3
MB 590Topical Problems1-3
MB 505Food Microbiology3
MB 714Microbial Metabolic Regulation3
MB 725Fermentation Microbiology3
MB 758Microbial Genetics & Genomics3
Host-Pathogen Interactions Track
MB 535Bacterial Pathogenesis3
MB 718Introductory Virology3
MB 751Immunology3
BCH 553Biochemistry of Gene Expression3
BCH 705Molecular Biology Of the Cell3
BMA 771/772Biomathematics I3
CBS 712Reproductive Management and Disease in Domestic Animals1
ENT 582Medical and Veterinary Entomology3
PP 707Plant Microbe Interactions3
ST 511/512Statistical Methods For Researchers I3

Elective Courses

Selection of elective courses is done by the student, in consultation with and approval by the advisory committee. 

Below are examples of elective courses available:
BAE 525Industrial Microbiology and Bioprocessing3
BCH 553Biochemistry of Gene Expression3
BCH 701Macromolecular Structure3
BCH 703Macromolecular Synthesis and Regulation3
BCH 705Molecular Biology Of the Cell3
BIT 510Core Technologies in Molecular and Cellular Biology4
BIT 595Special Topics1-6
GN 701Molecular Genetics3
GN 735Functional Genomics3
GN 850Professionalism and Ethics1
MB/PP 7303
MB 610Special Topics Microbiology1-6
MB 620Special Problems1-6
MB 601/801Seminar1
MB 690/890Master's Examination1-9
MB 695/895Master's Thesis Research1-9
MB/IMM 783Advanced Immunology3
MB 790Topical Problems (Practical Digital Imaging)1-3

Additional Requirements

  • 12 MB credits must be graded
  • All graduate students must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0

Faculty

Full Professors

  • Prema Arasu
  • Rodolphe Barrangou
  • Frederick Breidt
  • Dennis T. Brown
  • Jose Manuel Bruno-Barcena
  • Susan B. Carson
  • Mari S. Chinn
  • Marc A. Cubeta
  • Francis De Los Reyes
  • Robert R. Dunn
  • Frederick J. Fuller
  • Amy Michele Grunden
  • Hosni Moustafa Hassan
  • Christine Veronica Hawkes
  • Shuijin Hu
  • Michael Hyman
  • Lee-Ann Jaykus
  • Sophia Kathariou
  • Robert M. Kelly
  • Matthew D. Koci
  • Scott M. Laster
  • Hsiao-Ching Liu
  • John M. Mackenzie Jr.
  • Eric S. Miller
  • Ian T. Petty
  • Barbara Sherry
  • Siddhartha Thakur
  • Jeffrey A. Yoder

Associate Professors

  • Nicolas Emile Buchler
  • Douglas Franklin Call
  • Mary Elting
  • Jonathan E. Fogle
  • Reza A. Ghiladi
  • Megan E. Jacob
  • Cristina Lanzas
  • Jonathan W. Olson
  • Joshua Glenn Pierce
  • Frank Scholle
  • Michael L. Sikes
  • Robert G. Upchurch
  • Gavin John Williams

Assistant Professors

  • Oliver Baars
  • Louis-Marie Bobay
  • Benjamin John Callahan
  • Wei-Chen Chang
  • Mallory Choudoir
  • Nathan Crook
  • Kevin Garcia
  • Angela Rose Harris
  • Manuel Kleiner
  • Sharonda LeBlanc
  • Zhe Lyu
  • Erin Alison McKenney
  • Aram Arshak Mikaelyan
  • Ryan William Paerl
  • Ilenys Muniz Perez Diaz
  • William Kevin Petry
  • Kasie Raymann
  • Casey Michelle Theriot

Emeritus Faculty

  • Paul Edward Bishop
  • James W. Brown
  • Walter J. Dobrogosz
  • Gerald Hugh Elkan
  • Michael Carl Flickinger
  • Todd Robert Klaenhammer
  • Wesley Edwin Kloos
  • Geraldine Luginbuhl
  • Paul E. Orndorff
  • Leo W. Parks
  • Jason C. Shih

Adjunct Faculty

  • James M. Ligon
  • Maria Andrea Azcarate Peril
  • Scott Harold Shore
  • Daniel van der Lelie