A master's degree in Biochemistry and Biophysics from Rensselaer prepares students for jobs in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and other related industry sectors. It is also well suited to students wishing to upgrade their skills while employed in industry, or to obtain additional training prior to proceeding to professional study in medicine, veterinary science, dentistry, law, business, etc. Those with a B.S. degree in a field not closely related to modern biological science may also benefit from the program.

Thirty credit hours of course work are necessary to complete the M.S. program. The master’s in BCBP can be a Thesis-based master’s, or a professional project-based master’s. A minimum of 2 credits and a maximum of 9 credits must be in research. A total of 15 or more credits (including thesis or project) must be at 6000 level with the rest at 4000 or above, and 15 or more must have the BIOL, BCBP, CHEM or PHYS prefix. Eight credits must be BCBP modules. A thesis or professional project based on original research or internship is required.

Outcomes of the Graduate Curriculum

Students who successfully complete this program will be able to:

• explain general principles and concepts from a variety of sub-disciplines within the broader field of biochemistry and biophysics.
• demonstrate extensive knowledge of a specialized field of biochemistry and biophysics and be able to answer challenging questions in that field.
• critically analyze and interpret the scientific literature and scientific presentations.
• discuss issues related to scientific ethics and scientific misconduct and apply ethical standards to their own research and/or professional conduct. 
• for those students doing laboratory research, design, prepare, and execute experiments, using appropriate research techniques.
• critically interpret research data and evaluate findings using appropriate statistical analyses.
• effectively communicate their scientific research and findings in a variety of written and oral formats

Faculty

The science and engineering faculty members of the Center for Biophysics listed below provide a variety of research opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in the Biochemistry and Biophysics degree programs. Faculty members from the Biology and Chemistry Departments who are involved in the teaching of biochemistry and biophysics courses are designated with an asterisk (*).