Microbiology & Cell Science

Medical Microbiology & Biochemistry

Understand disease at the molecular level

Medical Microbiology & Biochemistry

Understand disease at the molecular level

The Master of Science degree in microbiology and cell science with a concentration in medical microbiology is a 30-credit program designed to be completed entirely online with no in-person laboratory requirements.

Graduates of this program go on to roles in pharmaceutical research, clinical laboratory science, federal agencies, biotech and academic research. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 8% growth in microbiologist employment through 2034, more than double the 3% national average, with median salaries of $87,330. Senior research and federal lab roles regularly exceed $100,000.

Medical microbiology is the study of pathogens, their modes of transmission, mechanisms of infection and immunological response. The University of Florida College of Agriculture and Life Science and College of Medicine collaboratively offer a Master of Science Degree and a Graduate Certificate in the field of Medical Microbiology through the Department of Microbiology and Cell Science and the Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, respectively.

Designed to fit your schedule, this fully online graduate program will give you an in-depth understanding of:

Structure, physiology and genetics of infectious agents
Relationship between pathogenesis of infectious disease with causative organism
Antimicrobial action and mechanisms of resistance
Use of genomics to further unravel the complexities of the microbiome
Bioinformatics for microbiology research

This program focuses on how microorganisms interact with the human body and how those interactions shape disease, immunity and treatment strategies.

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Library Access

Distance Education and UF Online Students enjoy the same library privileges as on-campus students.

Utilize the University of Florida Library System

Graduation Requirements

Students must take at least three credits in the final fall/spring (or two credits in the summer) semester to graduate.
Thirty credits are required to complete the degree (37 credits required in the introductory online MS track).
Only courses completed with a grade of C or higher can be counted towards the degree.
Students must maintain both a 3.0 overall GPA and a 3.0 major GPA to graduate.
- A lower GPA will result in academic probation and possible dismissal from the program
Fifteen credits must be completed in major courses with an MCB, PCB, or BSC prefix.
Satisfactorily complete MCB 6900 Final Assessment - Literature Review in the last semester of coursework to fulfill the final exam requirement: Access graduation information.

*Sum A refers to the first 6-week summer session, mid-May through late June

** Sum C refers to the 12-week summer session, mid-May through early August

***Sum B refers to the second 6-week summer session, early July to early August.

Required Courses (6 courses, 16 credits)

Students are required to complete at least ONE of the following:

Course #	Course Title	Pre-Req	Credits	Semester
MCB 5205	Microbiology of Human Pathogens	Microbiology	3	Fall, Spring
GMS 6121	Infectious Disease	Biochemistry	3	Fall, Spring, Sum C**

^{Note - GMS 6121 and MCB 5205 can both be taken, and one will count as an elective}

Students are required to complete at least ONE of the following:

Course #	Course Title	Pre-Req	Credits	Semester
MCB 5505	General Virology	Microbiology	3	Fall, Spring, Sum C**
GMS 7133	Advanced Molecular Virology	minimum grade of C in GMS 6121	2	Fall, Spring, Sum C**

^{Note - GMS 7133 and MCB 5505 can both be taken, and one can count as an elective}

Students are required to complete at least ONE of the following:

Course #	Course Title	Pre-Req	Credits	Semester
MCB 7922	Journal Colloquy – (topic announced each semester)	none	1	Fall, Spring, Sum C**
GMS 7192	Journal Colloquy – Infectious Disease	none	1	Fall, Spring, Sum C**
	Journal Colloquy – Bacteriology	none	1	Fall, Spring, Sum C**
	Journal Colloquy – COVID-19	none	1	Fall, Spring, Sum C**

^{Note - taking up to 2 additional journal courses can count as electives (maximum 3 credits total)}

Students are required to complete ALL THREE of the courses listed below

Course #	Course Title	Pre-Req	Credits	Semester
BSC 6459	Fundamentals in Bioinformatics	Molecular Biology or Biochemistry	3	Fall
BCH 5413	Mammalian Molecular Biology and Genetics	Molecular Biology or Biochemistry	3	Fall, Spring, Sum C**
MCB 6900	Final Assessment - Literature Review	Must be taken in the final semester	1	Fall, Spring, Sum C**

^{All three courses are required. MCB 6900 must be completed in the final semester of the program}

Elective Courses

Remaining credits must come from elective courses (required and elective credits must total 30 to be eligible to graduate)

Note - Module courses are offered during shortened periods throughout the semester

Course #	Course Title	Pre-Req	Credits	Semester
MCB 6796	Microbiological Data Analysis	Microbiology	3	Fall
BSC 6895C	AI in Agriculture and Life Sciences	Microbiology	3	Fall
MCB 6407	Prokaryotic Cell	Microbiology and Biochemistry	3	Fall
MCB 6937	Microbial Applications in Synthetic Biology	Microbiology	3	Fall
MCB 6656	Environmental Microbiology	Microbiology	3	Fall
MCB 6937	Fundamentals in Molecular Genetics	Recommended for those with a limited molecular biology background	3	Fall
MCB 6417	Microbial Metabolism and Energetics (module)	Biochemistry	1	Fall
MCB 5270	Antimicrobial Resistance	Microbiology	3	Fall, Spring
MCB 5666	Clinical Research, Assessment, Ed. & Quantitative Methods	Microbiology	1	Fall, Spring
MCB 5246	Clinical Parasitology	Microbiology	1	Fall, Spring
MCB 5816	Clinical Mycology	Microbiology	1	Fall, Spring, Summer A*
MCB 5508	Clinical Virology	Microbiology	1	Fall, Spring, Summer A*
MCB 6095	Microbiology Careers	None	1	Fall, Spring, Summer B***
MCB 6096	Innovation Project Management	None	1	Fall, Spring, Summer B***
GMS 6108*	Bacterial Physiology, Antibiotics, and Genetics	Minimum grade of B+ in GMS 6121	3	Fall, Spring, Summer C**
GMS 6109*	Advanced Bacteriology	Minimum grade of C in GMS 6121	2	Fall, Spring, Summer C**
GMS 6132	Introductory Gene and Immunotherapy	Minimum grade of C in GMS 6121	2	Fall, Spring, Summer C**
MCB 6937	Regulatory Aspects of Microbiome Research	MCB 6424 or MCB 4422	1	Summer C**
MCB 5252	Microbiology, Immunology, and Immunotherapeutics	Recommended for those with a limited Microbiology and Immunology background	4	Spring, Summer A*
MCB 6670C	The Microbiome	Microbiology	3	Spring, Summer C**
MCB 6772	Advanced Topics in Cell Biology (module)	Microbiology	1	Spring
MCB 6355	Microbial/Host Defense (module)	Immunology	1	Spring
MCB 6318	Comparative Microbial Genomics (module)	Minimum grade of A- in BSC 6459	2	Spring
MCB 6326	Computational Genomics and Epigenomics	Microbiology	3	Spring
PCB 5235	Immunology	Microbiology	3	Spring
PCB 6667	Human Genomics	Molecular Biology or Biochemistry	3	Spring
MCB 5705	Astrobiology	Microbiology	3	Spring
MCB 6424	Probiotics	Microbiology	3	Spring
MCB 6937	Advanced Molecular Genetics	Microbiology	3	Spring
MCB 6937	Python Programming	Microbiology	3	Spring
MCB 6458	Post Translational Modifications in Microbiology	Microbiology	2	Summer C**
MCB 6151	Prokaryotic Diversity	Microbiology	3	Summer C**
MCB 6937	Microbial Multicellularity	Microbiology	2	Summer C**

* Students may not take both GMS 6108 and GMS 6109; take either GMS 6108 or GMS 6109

Introductory Course Track

These two courses are required in addition to the standard 30 credits for students who lack a foundation in microbiology and/or biochemistry. It will be noted in your admission email if you are required to take either of these courses.

Course #	Course Title	Pre-Req	Credits	Fall	Spring	Summer
MCB 6937	Biology of Microorganisms	none	3	✔️	✔️	Sum A*
BCH 5404	Fundamentals of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology	none	4	✔️	✔️	Sum C**

Microbiology & Cell Science

Microbiology & Cell Science

Medical Microbiology & Biochemistry

Medical Microbiology & Biochemistry

At A Glance

Library Access

Graduation Requirements

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