(This information is updated as needed and does not reflect the current, published Graduate Catalog. A new edition of the Graduate Catalog is printed annually in April.)

SMITH, DWIGHT G., Chairperson, Professor; B.S., Elizabethtown College, M.S., Ph.D., Brigham Young University. Tel. (203) 392-6222. E-mail: smithd1@southernct.edu

LERUD, REBECCA F., Graduate Coordinator, Associate Professor; B.A., St. Olaf College; M.S., Ph.D., Indiana University. Tel. (203) 392-6214.

AVERY, DAVID F., Professor; B.S., M.S., Ph.D., Brigham Young University.

BURIAN, STEVEN K., Professor; B.S., Springfield College; M.S. Tennessee Technological University; Ph.D., University of Maine.

CRAWFORD, SARAH C., Associate Professor; B.S., Marymount Manhattan College; M.S., Princeton University; M.Phil., Ph.D., Columbia University

EDGINGTON, NICHOLAS P., Assistant Professor; B.A., University of Northern Iowa; M.A., Drake University; Ph.D., Iowa State University.

FENG, JANE J., Associate Professor; Ph.D., University of Connecticut.

GRACE, SEAN P., Assistant Professor; B.A., University of Maryland; M.S., Ph.D., University of Rhode Island

Application deadline:
Rolling admissions

MASTER OF SCIENCE DEGREE IN BIOLOGY

The Master of Science degree in biology is primarily for students with a strong undergraduate preparation in biology who desire to prepare for advanced study, to teach at the college level, or to pursue a career in research. Students entering this program are encouraged to undertake thesis research as a means of satisfying the degree requirements.

A student desiring admission must offer an undergraduate major in biology consisting of a minimum of 50 credits in science, including a minimum of 30 credits in biology, 6 credits of chemistry, and one semester of college mathematics. Upon acceptance by the department, the student is assigned an interim adviser who assists him in arranging a program of study.

Thesis

Requires completion of an approved program consisting of a minimum of 30 credits including 2 credits of seminar; 6 credits in thesis research (BIO 590). Thesis approval requires satisfactory oral defense of the thesis.

Comprehensive Examination

Requires completion of an approved program consisting of a minimum of 30 credits including 2 credits of seminar. Students in this program must pass a final written comprehensive examination administered by the department.

Special Project

Requires completion of an approved program consisting of a minimum of 36 credits, including a special project, 2 credits of seminar and 3 credits of BIO 600, Independent Study and Research, or BIO 601, Independent Study for Nurse Anesthetist.

MASTER OF SCIENCE DEGREE IN BIOLOGY — FOR NURSE ANESTHETISTS

Jane J. Feng, Associate Professor and Program Coordinator. Telephone: (203) 392-6213.

Dennis Buonafede, M.D., Medical Director

Nancy Moriber, Program Director, SCSU-Bridgeport Hospital Nurse Anesthesia Program. Telephone: (203) 384-3054.

The Master of Science Degree in Biology for nurse anesthetists is for registered nurses who have graduated from an accredited nursing program and hold a bachelor's degree

in nursing or in a related science (biology, chemistry, physics). This program is based on joint acceptance by Southern Connecticut State University's School of Graduate Studies and the Bridgeport Hospital School of Nurse Anesthesia. A student in this program must complete 36 credits of graduate course work including 2 credits of seminar and 3 credits of BIO 601, Independent Study for Nurse Anesthetists. The student will also complete 16 credit hours in anesthesia course work and at least 550 anesthetic cases in a clinical practicum at Bridgeport Hospital. Successful graduates are awarded a Master of Science degree in Biology, a certificate in nurse anesthesia practice, and are eligible for the national certification examination for nurse anesthetists.

Admission requirements include a minimum undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 with a strong grade performance in all science courses, a minimum of two semesters of biology, two semesters of chemistry (inorganic and organic) and one semester of microbiology. A general physics course is highly recommended. At least one year of acute care experience as a registered nurse is required during which time the applicant must have had the opportunity to manage the nursing care of critically ill patients, display independent decision making ability, demonstrate psychomotor skills, gain expertise in the use and interpretation of advanced physiologic monitoring devices and establish competence in the administration of vasoactive drugs based on physiologic and pharmacologic principles.

Initial application to the program must be made directly to the SCSU-Bridgeport Hospital Nurse Anesthesia Program located at Bridgeport Hospital. An application may be obtained via the program website at www.bhnap.org or by contacting the program directly at (203) 384-3054.

It should be noted that students in this program have available to them all the rights and privileges of any SCSU student including the right of due process as outlined in the student handbook.

MASTER OF SCIENCE DEGREE AND CERTIFICATION

Dr. Sean Grace, Coordinator. Telephone: (203) 392-6216.

The Master of Science degree is for elementary and secondary school teachers, who desire to increase their competency in this area of specialization. The entrance requirements and planned programs are flexible to accommodate the wide range of backgrounds and special needs of teachers.

A student seeking admission to this program must offer an undergraduate background including a minimum of 24 credits in biology, 6 credits in chemistry, and one semester of college mathematics. Upon acceptance by the department into the program, the student is assigned an adviser who assists the student in arranging a program of study appropriate to the individual. Successful completion of a certification program fulfills the requirements for the Initial Teaching Certificate in Connecticut.

In addition to meeting the requirements for the master of science degree in biology, the following core courses are required for certification:

EDF 520-526 — Educational Foundations

EDU 452 — Secondary School Student Teaching

EDU 453 — Student Teaching Seminar

EDU 493 — Science (Secondary School)

HIS 110 — U. S. History

PSY 370 — Educational Psychology

SED 482 — Teaching Exceptional Students in Secondary Education Classroom

SHE 203 — School Health

Refer to the section titled "Admission to Teacher Certification Programs" in the beginning of this catalog under "Application and Admission" for additional information regarding acceptance to a certification program, PRAXIS examinations, and student teaching.

BIOLOGY COURSES

BIO 501 — Conservation Ecology

Conservation ecology, populations, and environmental systems. Demographic techniques, land use, pollution topics and demography. Scheduled fall and summer terms. 3 credits.

BIO 502 — Population and Community Ecology

Structure, dynamics, theory, sampling methods, statistical analyses, and use of models for the study of populations and communities. Prerequisites: undergraduate ecology or departmental permission. Scheduled fall terms. 3 credits.

BIO 504 — Evolution

Principles of modern evolutionary theory and methods of analysis. In depth study of events and processes that affect the structure of populations, species and ecosystems. Prerequisite: one year of biology including genetics. Scheduled summer terms. 3 credits.

BIO 512 — Marine Invertebrate Ecology

Natural history and ecology of marine invertebrates. Ecological analysis of the dominant marine invertebrate communities. Limiting factors that affect the distribution of invertebrates. Students must provide their own transportation for required field trips. Prerequisite: BIO 229. Scheduled fall terms. 3 credits.

BIO 513 — Coastal Ecosystem Management

Hydography, microbiota, plankton, benthos, nekton, physiology, biological production and environmental degradation of estuarine habitats. Scheduled spring terms of even years. 3 credits.

BIO 518 — Advanced Microbiology

In-depth treatment of bacterial structure and function including metabolism, genetics, control mechanisms, chemotaxis. Prerequisites: microbiology, genetics, and biochemistry or cell biology. Scheduled spring terms. 3 credits.

BIO 519 — Public Health Microbiology

A study of currently emerging infectious diseases, the organisms that cause them, and the environmental, demographic, and economic conditions that influence their emergence. Prerequisite: general microbiology. Scheduled fall terms. 3 credits.

BIO 525 — Ichthyology

Biology, systematics, and ecology of freshwater and marine fishes. Laboratory studies stress taxonomic competence with common species native to eastern North America. Scheduled fall terms. 3 credits.

BIO 526 — Herpetology

The morphology, systematics, and natural history of amphibians and reptiles. Background for conducting research in related fields, such as vertebrate paleontology, ecology, genetics, evolution, embryology, comparative anatomy, physiology, and field natural history. Scheduled summer terms of even years. 3 credits.

BIO 528 — Mammalogy

Classification, life history, ecology, evolution, and economic relationships of mammals. Identification and familiarity with North American species. Scheduled spring terms. 3 credits.

BIO 529 — Endocrinology

An advanced physiology course with focus on the cellular mechanisms underlying hormone action. Topics covered include the biosynthesis of hormones, their interaction with receptors, the subsequent signal transduction pathway, their physiological effects and the regulation of their secretion. Prerequisites: one year of chemistry and three semesters of biology including animal, human, or cell physiology. Scheduled fall terms. 3 credits.

BIO 531 — Plant Diversity

Collection and preservation of plants. Field trips to selected natural communities of Connecticut. Equipment, methods, classification, and museum preparation techniques are emphasized, as well as techniques for field identification of plants. Prerequisite: one year of biology. Scheduled wintersession and summer terms. 3 credits.

BIO 532 — Human Anatomy

The anatomy of selected areas of the human body most important to anesthetists. Discussion of embryology, skeletal, muscular, respiratory, circulatory, endocrine, excretory and nervous systems, as they pertain to the actions of respiration. Laboratory consists of dissection of the cat or monkey with demonstrations on human organs and models. Prerequisites: acceptance in the nurse anesthetist program and Bridgeport Hospital School of Nurse Anesthesia or permission of biology chairperson. Scheduled summer terms. 3 credits.

BIO 533 — Aquatic Insect Ecology and Systematics

Current concepts in ecology, systematics, biology, and biogeography of aquatic insects are discussed in detail. Aquatic insect ecology and stream ecology are used as unifying subject areas. The Neararctic and Palearctic faunas will be stressed, but examples may be taken from the other major zoogeographic realms. Prerequisites: BIO 229, 429, or 438 or departmental permission. 3 credits.

BIO 534 — Limnology

Physical and biological aspects of lakes and streams are presented0 in the context of modern ecological theory. Extensive use is made of real data sets to examine ecological relationships. Scheduled fall terms. 3 credits.

BIO 535 — Principles of Systematics

The philosophy and procedures of taxonomy and phylogenetics. An introduction and overview of modern systematics from the perspective of a phylogenetic approach. Included are discussions of character analysis, homology, concepts of species and supraspecific taxa, and rules of nomenclature. Scheduled spring terms. 3 credits.

BIO 536 — Marine Algae

Taxonomy, physiology, life cycles, and economic importance of algae with emphasis on marine algae. 3 credits.

BIO 540 — Biogeography

Study of the patterns and distribution of plant and animal life of the world biogeographical realms and the biological principles governing these populations. Scheduled spring terms. 3 credits.

BIO 541 — Tissue Culture Workshop

Laboratory course with research based focus on experimental projects in mammalian cell culture emphasizing recombinant DNA approaches. Areas of study include tumor cell biology, cell death induction (apoptosis) by cytotoxic agents, DNA transfections and genomic DNA analysis. Prerequisites: a course in each of the following: genetics, cell biology, and biochemistry. 3 credits.

BIO 542 — Human Physiology

In-depth study of the function of cells and selected organ systems suitable for students of health sciences. Cell physiology, nervous system, muscular system, respiratory system, cardiovascular system and excretory system are considered including relevant clinical application. Prerequisites: acceptance in the nurse anesthetist program and Bridgeport Hospital School of Nurse Anesthesia or permission of biology chairman. Scheduled summer terms. 3 credits.

BIO 543 — Pathophysiology

Normal physiology and pathophysiology are essential to the nurse anesthetist. Included in the course is pathophysiology of the neuromuscular, cardiovascular, respiratory, excretory, endocrine, nervous, digestive and special senses systems studied in relationship to anesthetic management of patients. Prerequisites: acceptance in the nurse anesthetist program and Bridgeport Hospital School of Nurse Anesthesia, BIO 532, BIO 542, CHE 554, CHE 556. Scheduled spring terms. 3 credits.

BIO 545 — Immunology

Study of cellular and humoral immune response, the nature of antigens and antibodies, genetics and control of immune response, immunopathologies. Prerequisites: 3 semesters of chemistry, 3 semesters of biology including microbiology. Scheduled spring terms. 3 credits.

BIO 547 — Virology

The basic concepts of general virology, biochemistry, molecular biology and cellular aspects of replication of viruses of different groups; also, viruses that are pathogenic for man; emerging viruses; the nature and symptoms of the diseases they cause and methods of treatment and prevention. Prerequisite: one year of microbiology or consent of instructor. Rotated each semester with BIO 552 and BIO 556. 3 credits.

BIO 549 — Cellular Physiology

Current physiological explanations of all cellular reactions based on protein mechanisms at the cellular and subcellular levels, including metabolism, membrane and filamentous processes. Prerequisites: 3 semesters of chemistry; 3 semesters of biology including one course in physiology. Scheduled spring terms in odd years. 3 credits.

BIO 550 — Research Methods in Biology

Design and execution of experimental approaches to biological problems. Emphasis is on use of scientific literature, preparation of the research proposal, modern techniques, operation of modern instrumentation, and collection and evaluation of experimental data. 3 credit hours. 2 hours lecture per week; 2 hours lab per week. Prerequisite: acceptance in the nurse anesthetist program and Bridgeport Hospital School of Nurse Anesthesia. Scheduled summer terms. 3 credits.

BIO 551 — Molecular and Developmental Genetics

The molecular basis of gene action for both prokaryotes and eukaryotes including DNA organization, replication and exchange, RNA synthesis and processing, protein synthesis, and the regulation of these processes for selective gene expression as found in development. Prerequisites: genetics, and biochemistry or cell physiology. Scheduled spring terms in even years. 3 credits.

BIO 552 — Human and Medical Genetics

Biochemical defects, chromosome abnormalities, mutagenic hazards, forensic and pharmacogenetics, human genome project, molecular analysis of genetic disorders, gene therapy. Prerequisites: a course in each of the following: biology, genetics, and chemistry. Rotated each semester with BIO 547 and BIO 556. 3 credits.

BIO 555 — Neurobiology

Discussion of the function and structure of the human nervous system at both cellular and system levels. Also included are recent research topics in developmental neurobiology, neuropharmacology and neurochemistry. Prerequisite: coursework in chemistry, physics and physiology. Scheduled spring terms. 3 credits.

BIO 556 — Cancer Biology

Interdisciplinary approach to the study of cancer, emphasizing genetic and cellular aspects of loss of growth control. Also recombinant DNA technology approaches to the analysis of gene regulation and treatment modalities. Prerequisite: BIO 320. Rotated each semester with BIO 547 and BIO 552. 3 credits.

BIO 560 — General Topics Seminar

Presentation and discussion of current problems in various areas of biology. Always scheduled. 1 credit. (May be repeated.)

BIO 561 — Special Topics Seminar

Presentation and discussion of current material related to a selected area of biology. Always scheduled. 1 credit. (May be repeated on a different topic.)

BIO 564 —Clinical Correlation Conference for Nurse Anesthetists I

Presentation and discussion of current topics, equipment, techniques, and practices involved in the nurse anesthetists' profession. Scheduled spring semesters. 1 credit (May be repeated on a different topic.)

BIO 565 —Clinical Correlation Conference for Nurse Anesthetists II

Presentation and discussion of current topics, equipment, techniques, and practices involved in the nurse anesthetists' profession. Scheduled fall semesters. 1 credit (May be repeated on a different topic.)

BIO 582 — Biological Illustration

Emphasis on the basics of biological illustration and focus on five techniques: pen and ink, carbon dust, colored pencil, transparent watercolors, and watercolor airbrush. Use of mechanical and optical drawing aids (e.g., cameral lucida and microprojector) will be presented along with detailed discussion of the technical aspects of biological illustration. Students will complete projects using the techniques presented. Scheduled spring or summer semesters. Also listed as ART 585. Scheduled summer terms. 3 credits.

BIO 590 — Thesis Research

Open by departmental permission to candidates for Master of Science degree in biology who are registered in a thesis program. Always scheduled. 6 credits.

BIO 600 — Independent Study and Research

Study of an area of theoretical or experimental biology under the direction of a faculty member. Admission by consent of department chairman. May not be used for credit towards thesis research. Always scheduled. 3 credits.

BIO 601 — Independent Study for Nurse Anesthetists

The study of an area of theoretical or experimental biology appropriate to the nurse anesthetist profession under the direction of a faculty sponsor. Prerequisite: acceptance in the nurse anesthetist program and Bridgeport Hospital School of Nurse Anesthesia and department permission. Scheduled spring terms. 3 credits.

The following course has been approved but is not scheduled for 2005-2006.

BIO 537 — Morphology and Anatomy of Land Plants