Department of Cell Biology and Physiology (GRAD)
Admission to the graduate Ph.D. program curriculum is via the unified Biological and Biomedical Sciences Program (BBSP) at UNC–Chapel Hill. A bachelor's degree (B.A. or B.S.) is required for admission. Applicants are expected to have a strong background in the biological sciences, chemistry, physics, and mathematics. Details of the application process are available at the BBSP website and The Graduate School's admissions website. Briefly, the application should include transcripts, three letters of recommendation, and a personal statement outlining career goals. There is a separate direct admission terminal Master's (M.S.) program; information for Cell Biology and Physiology 2-semester M.S.
The mission of the Department of Cell Biology and Physiology is to provide students with a rigorous, individually tailored educational experience to prepare them for research and teaching careers in the biomedical sciences. This graduate program will provide a forum for graduate students to learn current concepts in modern cell biology and physiology and to develop the skills necessary to formulate sophisticated strategies for analysis of contemporary problems in cell biology and physiology. Based on a solid foundation of coursework in cell biology and physiology, students will further complement their training by selecting courses in bioinformatics/statistics, genetics, pharmacology, immunology, and/or biochemistry that best support and enhance their specific area of research interest. Dissertation research enables students to apply these tools to a problem of intellectual and biomedical interest. Students receive strong training in the scientific process and apply their skills to probe the mechanistic basis of biological problems at molecular, cellular, and systems levels. A strong emphasis will be placed on career development, such as oral and written presentation skills, and mentoring students in a way that enables them to explore the diverse job opportunities available to them in the post-graduate biomedical workforce. Graduates will be well prepared to continue their research careers in a number of academic disciplines.
Assistantships and Other Student Aid
Students in the Ph.D. program are supported by a stipend set by BBSP annually plus tuition, fees, and medical insurance.
Courses
Numbered 700-999:
Cell Biology and Physiology, Master's Program (M.S.) – Biomedical Research, M.D.
Course Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses | ||
| CBPH 855 | Career and Research Enhancement Seminar (CaRES) 1 | 1 |
| CBPH 856 | Career and Research Enhancement Seminar (CaRES) 1 | 1 |
| Electives | ||
| A minimum of two graduate-level electives must be taken, at least one of which must be in CBPH, for a total of 3 to 9 hours. Elective courses can be approved by the DGS. 2 | 3-9 | |
| Thesis/Substitute Dissertation | ||
| CBPH 992 | Master's (Non-Thesis) 3 | 3 |
| Minimum Hours | 30 | |
- 1
CBPH 855 must be taken every Fall and CBPH 856 must be taken every Spring.
- 2
CBPH 705 and CBPH 910 are valid elective course options and CBPH 705 is strongly recommended.
- 3
Must be taken every semester.
Milestones
The following list of milestones (non-course degree requirements) must be completed; view this list of standard milestone definitions for more information.
- Master's Committee
- Master's Oral Exam/Approved Exam Substitute
- Thesis Substitute
- Residence Credit
- Master's Exit Survey
- Annual Committee Meeting
Cell Biology and Physiology, Master's Program (M.S.) – Biomedical Research, P.B.
Course Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses | ||
| CBPH 850 | Human Physiology I | 4 |
| CBPH 851 | Human Physiology II | 4 |
| CBPH 855 | Career and Research Enhancement Seminar (CaRES) | 1 |
| CBPH 856 | Career and Research Enhancement Seminar (CaRES) | 1 |
| CBPH 891 | Special Topics in Biomedical Science 1 | 4 |
| CBPH 990 | Research Practicum/Internship in Cell Biology and Physiology 1 | 3 |
| Thesis/Substitute Dissertation | ||
| CBPH 992 | Master's (Non-Thesis) 1 | 3 |
| Minimum Hours | 30 | |
- 1
Must be taken every semester.
Milestones
The following list of milestones (non-course degree requirements) must be completed; view this list of standard milestone definitions for more information.
- Master's Committee
- Master's Oral Exam/Approved Exam Substitute
- Thesis Substitute
- Residence Credit
- Master's Exit Survey
Cell Biology and Physiology, Doctoral Degree (Ph.D.)
The UNC at Chapel Hill Cell Biology and Physiology (CBP) Curriculum is an integrative, multidisciplinary predoctoral training program that uses a systems approach to provide comprehensive, biomedical graduate education to our trainees. Our students will formulate sophisticated strategies for analysis of contemporary biomedical problems with a strong emphasis on career development, including oral and written presentation skills, and mentoring students in a way that enables them to explore diverse job opportunities available to them in the post-graduate biomedical workforce.
Course Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses | ||
| CBPH 852 | Cell Biology and Physiology in Health and Disease I | 4.5 |
| CBPH 853 | Cell Biology and Physiology in Health and Disease II | 4.5 |
| CBPH 705 | Improving Presentation & Communication of Scientific Results | 2 |
| CBPH 706 | Communicating Scientific Results | 1 |
| CBPH 895 | Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) | 1 |
| CBPH 855 | Career and Research Enhancement Seminar (CaRES) 1 | 1 |
| CBPH 856 | Career and Research Enhancement Seminar (CaRES) 1 | 1 |
| One Comprehensive Statistics Course: 2 | ||
| Biostatistics for Laboratory Scientists | ||
| Introduction to Statistical Modeling | ||
| Electives | ||
| Elective course(s) not on the list below must be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies. Students must take a minimum of 3 credit hours for this requirement. | 3 | |
| Thesis/Substitute or Dissertation 3 | ||
| CBPH 994 | Doctoral Research and Dissertation | 3 |
| Minimum Hours | 36 | |
- 1
Must be taken annually.
- 2
Must take one of the approved statistics courses from the list in this section.
- 3
Must be taken every semester starting in the fall semester of their second year with a 6-hour minimum.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Electives | ||
| BCB 730 | Fundamentals of Quantitative Image Analysis for Light Microscopy | 1 |
| CBPH 710 | Advanced Light Microscopy | 3 |
| CBPH 730 | Fundamentals of Quantitative Image Analysis for Light Microscopy | 1 |
| GNET 621 | Principles of Genetic Analysis I | 4 |
| GNET 631 | Advanced Molecular Biology | 4 |
| GNET 730 | Fundamentals of Quantitative Image Analysis for Light Microscopy | 1 |
| GNET 743 | Introductory Statistical Analysis in R for Biomedical Scientists | 1 |
| GNET 749 | Practical RNA-Seq | 2 |
| PATH 713 | Molecular and Cellular Pathophysiological Basis of Disease: Mechanisms of Disease | 3 |
| PATH 725 | Cancer Pathobiology | 3 |
| PATH 766 | Current Topics in Cardiovascular Biology | 3 |
| PHCO 701 | Introduction to Molecular Pharmacology | 3 |
| PHCO 702 | Principles of Pharmacology and Physiology | 3 |
| PHCO 737 | Target-Based Drug Discovery and Cancer Treatment | 2 |
| PHCO 740 | Contemporary Topics in Cell Signaling: Phosphorylation Control | 1 |
| PHCO 741 | Contemporary Topics in Cell Signaling: GTPases | 1 |
| PHCO 745 | Intercellular Signaling in Development and Disease | 1 |
| MCRO 630 | Virology | 3 |
| MCRO 730 | Cancer Immunology | 3 |
| NBIO 722 | Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology | 6 |
| NBIO 723 | Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology | 6 |
Milestones
The following list of milestones (non-course degree requirements) must be completed; view this list of standard milestone definitions for more information.
- Doctoral Committee
- Doctoral Oral Comprehensive Exam (Qualifying Exam)
- Doctoral Written Exam
- Prospectus Oral Exam (Qualifying Exam)
- Dissertation Defense
- Doctoral Dissertation Approved/Format Accepted
- Residence Credit
- Doctoral Exit Survey
- Doctoral Manuscript Submission
- Doctoral Intradepartmental Review
- Doctoral Preparatory Committee Review
Professors
Eva Anton
Albert Baldwin
Vicki Bautch
James Bear
Wolfgang Bergmeier
Jay Brenman
Patrick Brennwald
Craig Cameron
Sharon Campbell
Kathleen Caron
Richard Cheney
Jean Cook
Frank Conlon
Douglas M. Cyr
Channing Der
Mohanish P. Deshmukh
Ron Falk
Bob Goldstein
Stephanie Gupton
Klaus Hahn
James Hagood
Alan Jones
Tom Kash
William Kim
Jiandong Liu
Richard Loeser
Chris Mack
Amy Maddox
Greg Matera
Mark Peifer
Ben Philpot
Li Qian
Scott Randell
Juan Song
Joan Taylor
Jenny Ting
Jen Jen Yeh
Mark Zylka
Associate Professors
Michael Bressan
Sarah Cohen
Todd Cohen
Adrienne Cox
Graham Diering
Mike Emanuele
Flavio Frohlich
Kurt Gilliland
Jimena Giudice
Adam Gracz
Adam Hantman
Toshihide Hige
Brian Jensen
Scott Magness
Zoe McElligott
Saskia Neher
Lori O'Brien
Larry Ostrowski
Scott Parnell
Douglas Phanstiel
Yuliya Pylayeva-Gupta
Stephen Rogers
Greg Scherrer
Natasha Snider
Jessica Thaxton
Scott Williams
Assistant Professors
Edward Bahnson
Katie Baldwin
Aadra Bhatt
Jessica Bowser
Rae Cho
Gang Chen
Kay Chung
Dominic Ciavatta
Rob Dowen
Whitney Edwards
Michelle Itano
Wesley Legant
Heather McCauley
Justin Milner
Professors Emeriti
James Faber
Robert G. Faust
Paul B. Farel
Noelle A. Granger
Charles R. Hackenbrock
O'Dell W. Henson Jr.
Enid R. Kafer
William E. Koch
Jean M. Lauder
Alan Light
Paul Manis
David L. McIlwain
Edward R. Perl
Peter Petrusz
Richard Weinberg
Ellen R. Weiss
Lloyd R. Yonce
Department of Cell Biology and Physiology
