Graduate Certificate in Biomedical Sciences

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Department of Biological Sciences
375 Dodge Hall (map)
(248) 370-3550 • Fax (248) 370-4225
www.oakland.edu/biology

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Graduate Coordinator:
Douglas L. Wendell
316 Dodge Hall
(248) 370-4457
wendell@oakland.edu

Program description

The purpose of this program is to help prepare students for success in gaining admission to medical, dental, or veterinary school.

Admission terms and application deadlines

Before an applicant’s file can be reviewed for full program admission, all application documents must be received in Graduate Study and Lifelong Learning by the semester deadlines listed below. Incomplete applications will not be sent to departments for admission review.

March 1 for fall semester
November 1 for winter semester
International applicants: March 1 for fall semester and September 1 for winter semester

Applications for fall semester that are received after the due date may be reviewed, subject to space availability.

Application requirements

To be considered for graduate admission, applicants must submit all Graduate Application Requirements and additional department requirements by the published application deadlines:

Graduate Application Requirements
Additional department application requirements

Applicants should have earned a bachelor’s degree in biology or related subject (e.g., biochemistry, molecular biology, botany or zoology) from a regionally accredited institution or proof of a U.S. equivalent degree for foreign educated applicants.
Applicants with an earned bachelor’s degree is in another discipline must have completed 20 credits in biology, 8 credits in mathematics, 8 credits in physics and 15 credits in chemistry. Applicants with undergraduate prerequisite course deficiencies in these areas must complete the preparatory course work before being admitted to the program.
Applicants should have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0.
Biographical sketch stating career goals

Applicants with an undergraduate GPA less than 3.0 with the appropriate academic background and evidence of the capacity for graduate study may be considered for admission with limited standing. Applicants who qualify for this admission status must complete a specified number of graduate credits, with a GPA of 3.0 or above within the first year of their program, to be advanced to full admission.

Admission review and assessment

Admission to graduate study at Oakland University is selective. In making admission recommendations to Graduate Study and Lifelong Learning, each department assesses the potential of applicants for success in the program by examining their undergraduate records, goal statement, letters of recommendation, prerequisite courses and any other admission requirements established by the academic department.

Transfer credits

One course (3 or 4 credits) may be transferred to the graduate certificate from a regionally-accredited institution providing it meets the criteria set forth by Oakland University for graduate transfer credits.

Certificate requirements

The Graduate Certificate in Biomedical Sciences is awarded upon satisfactory completion of 16 credits in an approved program of study.

Course requirements (16 credits)

BIO 509 - Endocrinology (4 credits)
BIO 511 - Advanced Topics in Cellular Biochemistry and Metabolism (4 credits)
BIO 513 - Advanced Topics in Cell Physiology (4 credits)
BIO 515 - Advanced Topics in Mechanisms of Development (4 credits)
BIO 517 - Molecular Biology (4 credits)
BIO 519 - Advanced Genetics (4 credits)
BIO 521 - Medical Microbiology (4 credits)
BIO 523 - Immunology (4 credits)
BIO 529 - Stem Cell Biology (4 credits)
BIO 565 - Medical Parasitology and Mycology (4 credits)
or other 500-level BIO course approved by the Biology Graduate Committee.

Satisfactory academic progress

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) is the term used to denote a student’s successful completion of coursework toward a certificate or degree. Federal regulations require the Office of Financial Aid to monitor Satisfactory Academic Progress for all financial aid recipients each semester.

Students who fall behind in their coursework, or fail to achieve minimum standards for grade point average and completion of classes, may lose their eligibility for all types of federal, state and university aid. Contact the Office of Financial Aid for additional details.

Good academic standing

All graduate students are expected to remain in good academic standing throughout the entire course of their graduate program. To be in good academic standing, a graduate student must make satisfactory progress toward fulfilling degree requirements, including the completion of critical degree milestones as set forth by the academic program. The student must also maintain a minimum semester and overall GPA of 3.0.

Good academic standing is a requirement for:

Holding a Graduate Assistantship
Receiving a fellowship or scholarship
Advancing to candidacy for a graduate degree
Going on a leave of absence
Obtaining a graduate certificate or degree from Oakland University.

Additionally, graduate students must meet all department academic standards which may be more stringent than the minimum set forth by the University.

Graduate students who are not in good academic standing for any reason are subject to probation and/or dismissal from further graduate study.

Related program information

Plan of study

All accepted applicants, in consultation with their assigned faculty program adviser, must develop a plan of study that details specific courses the students will use to satisfy their degree requirements. The plan of study must be approved by the faculty program adviser and submitted by the student to Graduate Study and Lifelong Learning.

Master’s and graduate certificate students must submit a department-approved plan of study by the end of their first semester of graduate coursework. Doctoral students must submit an approved plan of study prior to completion of the first year of coursework. (See the Graduate Student Responsibility section of this catalog.)

Note: Credit granted for successful completion of a course toward an undergraduate degree program may not be repeated for a graduate degree. If a substitution is approved, the minimum number of program-approved graduate credits will be required. A Petition of Exception - OU Course Waiver/ Substitution requesting the substitution must be approved.

Transfer to the Master of Arts in biology (MA) or Master of Science in biology (MS) degree program

Students admitted to the Graduate Certificate in Biomedical Sciences program who wish to transfer to the Master of Arts in biology (MA) or Master of Science in biology (MS) degree program must do so prior to the completion of the graduate certificate program. They must meet all the admission requirements for the MA or MS degree program, including the GRE examination and must also:

have successfully completed three (3) courses in the graduate certificate program with at least a 3.0 GPA.
submit a letter from a Biological Sciences faculty member that expresses willingness to serve as their research mentor.

Students admitted to the degree program can apply to transfer up to 16 credits earned in the graduate certificate program to their MA or MS degree. These credits are subject to the six-year time limit.