Students in the M.S. in Physiology & Biophysics program must complete 30 credits of coursework, including 20 credits of required courses and 10 credits of elective courses. Students can choose from a variety of electives across the biomedical departments to tailor the program to their interests.
5 credits | Fall Semester Course Director: Dr. Lewis J. Watson
This course provides an overview of the functioning of human body systems, taught by a team of expert Medical Center faculty. Presentations will include cellular and molecular concepts, but the emphasis will be on the integrated regulation among systems.
Pre-requisites: Undergraduate coursework in Biology, Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Physics.
3 credits | Fall Semester Course Director: Dr. Anca Dragomir
Designed for students pursuing graduate degrees outside of biostatistics, this course provides the foundational knowledge to become informed readers of scientific research and methodologies, a key skill for the literature review paper in the spring semester. Students first learn the four pillars of exploring and displaying data appropriately, exploring relationships between two variables, issues of gathering sample data, and understanding randomness and probability. On these pillars, students then can develop the platform for statistical inference including proportions and means, multiple regression, and ANOVA.
4 credits | Fall Semester Course Director: Dr. Thomas Sherman
This course covers the principles of biochemistry. The first section examines protein structure/function and enzymology; the middle section focuses on cell signaling, and the final section integrates it all in the context of metabolism. Current concepts regarding physiological processes at the cellular and molecular levels are investigated. This course meets twice a week for two hours and has three exams. The primary textbook is Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry.
3 credits | Spring Semester Course Director: Dr. Lewis J. Watson
This graduate course will cover the fundamental mechanisms and the pathophysiologic basis of major human diseases. This course will complement the basic physiological principles covered in the fall semester’s Fundamentals of Physiology and also feature a forensic component. It is a lecture-based course.
Students may choose to take this course in summer.
3 credits | Spring & Summer Semester Course Director: Dr. Sarah Knight Marvar
This course is an introductory neuroscience course that emphasizes the study of the human nervous system as it applies to clinical medicine. Topics include cellular electrophysiology, anatomy of the brain, spinal cord and peripheral nervous system, the structure and function of sensory and motor systems, sleep and cognitive topics such as learning, memory and emotion. Information given in lectures is reinforced using case studies, discussions and clinical correlates.
1 credit | Fall Semester Course Director: Dr. Lewis J. Watson
Designed specifically for pre-medical graduate students, this course consists of study skills workshops, interviewing skills workshops, presentations from admissions officers of various medical schools including military medicine, primary care medicine, and osteopathic medicine, as well as presentations on career pathways for specialty and subspecialty medical training. Evaluation of students will be based on attendance and homework assignments.
This course is offered jointly to students in the M.S. in Physiology & Biophysics and Special Master’s Program. Students applying to or planning to apply to medical school are required to take PHSL 6602 as an elective in the fall semester.
2 credits | Fall, Spring, or Summer Semester Course Director: Dr. Sarah Knight-Marvar
Under the guidance of a faculty mentor, students will write a critical review paper on a topic of their interest within physiology, involving thorough research of the current scientific publications in that field.
M.S. in Physiology & Biophysics students should take this course in the Spring semester only. G2 ABS students can take this course in the Summer or Fall.
Elective Courses
Students must complete 10 credits of elective coursework. We require pre-med students to take PHSL 6602 Biomedical Career Pathways as one of their elective credits in the fall semester.
Students are welcome to take courses not on the pre-approved lists below by seeking approval to count the course toward the degree before registering for the course. You can search the Schedule of Classes for offerings each semester. To get approval, you should email the course description to the program director. Some courses may also require approval from the instructor or from the department to which the course belongs (i.e., Physiology students may not have registration priority for courses in other departments). If the Physiology program director approves a course as an elective to count toward your degree, your ability to enroll in the course is at the discretion of the course instructor and the department/program to which the course belongs.
Electives might not be offered every semester, or could be offered in different semesters than listed below. Search the Schedule of Classes for electives offered each semester. Current students may also view the schedule on MyAccess. Note that certain listed courses may be canceled due to low registration.
Our spring elective courses offer an engaging learning environment in small group settings. This format allows for personalized attention from faculty and active participation from all students. Each course combines lectures, discussions, and interactive sessions to explore specialized topics in pharmacology and physiology. Students will engage in journal clubs, case studies, oral presentations, and paper discussions, fostering collaborative learning. These electives encourage deep exploration of current research and provide opportunities for students to actively contribute to the learning experience.