{"id":146,"date":"2021-07-13T20:37:49","date_gmt":"2021-07-13T20:37:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/units.cals.ncsu.edu\/microbiology-graduate-program\/?page_id=146"},"modified":"2026-02-18T15:51:59","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T15:51:59","slug":"phd","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/units.cals.ncsu.edu\/microbiology-graduate-program\/degree-programs\/phd\/","title":{"rendered":"Ph.D. in Microbiology"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n

The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) is the highest degree offered by the Microbiology Graduate Program (MGP). The goal of our doctoral program is to provide students with the foundation necessary to pursue a career in a university, industry or research institute setting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Students in our doctoral program are trained to recognize significant biological problems, design experimental approaches for solving these problems and communicate their results to the scientific community and the public.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Join the Pack<\/h2>

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Review Our Admission Requirements and Apply Now!<\/span><\/svg><\/span><\/p><\/a>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Graduate Handbook<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

The requirements listed below are the minimum requirements to be met by all students in our Ph.D. program. A student’s advisory committee may recommend additional requirements as deemed appropriate, based on a student’s background and research plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Timeline for the Ph.D in Microbiology<\/span>\n<\/svg>\n<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Curriculum and Courses<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Microbiology Graduate Programs at NC State are interdisciplinary. Our Ph.D. students take many courses taught by MGP faculty, as well as elective courses offered in numerous disciplines and departments across campus, including Biochemistry<\/a>, Biotechnology<\/a>, Animal Science<\/a>, Food Science<\/a> and Genetics<\/a>. Our Ph.D. curriculum allows for flexibility
Doctoral students will have completed at least 72 credits by the end of their fourth year in the program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All microbiology graduate students must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0.<\/strong> The Graduate Student Support Plan<\/a> (GSSP; tuition and health benefits) also requires continuous enrollment, meaning all graduate students must enroll for a minimum of nine credits in each Fall and Spring semester to qualify. After the first year, most of these are Research credits.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Required Course Credits for a Ph.D. in Microbiology<\/strong> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Course Number<\/th>Course Name<\/th>Credits<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
variable<\/td>Microbiology-Related Courses<\/td>12<\/td><\/tr>
MB 870<\/td>Laboratory Rotations<\/td>1<\/td><\/tr>
MB 886<\/td>Teaching Experience<\/td>1<\/td><\/tr>
MB 801<\/td>Seminar in Microbiology<\/td>2<\/td><\/tr>
MB 895<\/td>Doctoral Dissertation Research<\/td>6 minimum<\/td><\/tr>
variable<\/td>Professional Development<\/td>1<\/td><\/tr>
500-800<\/td>Elective Courses
(MB or others)<\/td>		variable<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>
All 500-700 level courses are letter graded. 800 level courses use satisfactory\/unsatisfactory grading policies.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Required Courses<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As listed above, students are required to register for the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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MB 500s-700s – Microbiology Courses<\/h2><\/a>
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Students are required to take 12 graduate-level, letter-graded microbiology (MB) credits. Courses are 3 credits each.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MGP students are able to take courses that focus on the various specialized disciplines of microbiology, including bacterial physiology, environmental microbiology, immunology, molecular genetics and virology. Prior experience can impact which courses a student can enroll in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prerequisites in biochemistry are required for many of these courses, so we recommend that all microbiology graduate students have the equivalent of introductory biochemistry (BCH 553)<\/a> at NC State early in the curriculum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An example of courses that fit into two of many different microbiology “tracks” or concentrations:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Environmental\/Industrial<\/th>Host-Pathogen Interactions<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
MB 520 Microbial Cell Bio-transformations<\/td>MB 535 Pathogenic Microbiology<\/td><\/tr>
MB 532 Soil Microbiology<\/td>MB 718 Introductory Virology<\/td><\/tr>
MB 555 Microbial Biotechnology<\/td>MB 751 Immunology<\/td><\/tr>
MB 590 Symbiosis & Microbiomes<\/td>BCH 553 Biochemistry of Gene Expression<\/td><\/tr>
MB 505 Food Microbiology<\/td>BCH 705 Molecular Biology of the Cell<\/td><\/tr>
MB 714 Metabolic Regulation<\/td>BMA 771\/772 Biomathematics<\/td><\/tr>
MB 725 Fermentation Microbiology<\/td>CBS 712 Repro & Domestic Animal Disease<\/td><\/tr>
MB 758 Microbial Gen & Genomics<\/td>ENT 582 Med and Veterinary Entomology<\/td><\/tr>
 <\/td>PP 707 Plant-Microbe Interactions<\/td><\/tr>
 <\/td>ST 511\/512 Exper Statistics for Bio Sciences<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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MB 870 – <\/strong>Laboratory Research Rotations<\/h2><\/a>
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Doctoral students supported by a teaching or research assistantship are required to participate in a minimum of two research rotations<\/strong>, allowing them to experience the types of research performed in MGP faculty member\u2019s laboratories and choose a research area<\/a> of high interest to them. An additional rotation is possible, with approval from the Director of Graduate Programs<\/a> (DGP) and the respective faculty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Research rotations take place each year from July through the end of the Fall semester. Students earn 1 credit (MB 870) for both laboratory rotations, and their performance is formally evaluated by the principal investigator of the laboratory. Students must also provide a written or oral report about their rotation experience. Following their last research rotation, students may choose a laboratory for their dissertation research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although doctoral students supported by a stipend funded from a faculty grant or other source are not required<\/em> to participate in the research rotations, they may choose<\/em> to do so with approval from the principal investigators. We encourage all students to review MGP faculty pages<\/a> and meet with faculty before deciding upon a specific lab for their rotation.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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MB 886 – Teaching Experience<\/strong><\/h2><\/a>
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A minimum teaching responsibility is part of the requirements for a Ph.D. degree in Microbiology from NC State. Students must serve as a laboratory teaching assistant for at least <\/em>one semester in an NCSU on-campus course. Prior teaching experience in an M.S. program will be considered to fulfill this requirement. One credit of MB 886 is provided for each semester the student teaches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The teaching requirement should be fulfilled at the earliest possible time in the graduate program. Example courses approved for fulfilling the teaching requirement are: MB 352, MB 412, MB 452 and BIO 181. Specific tools for enhancing teaching effectiveness are provided for teaching assistants, including workshops and constructive evaluation by the instructor and the students. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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MB 801 – Seminar in Microbiology<\/strong><\/h2><\/a>
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The MGP requires all graduate students to attend Microbiology seminars throughout their degree program. All Ph.D. students must register for at least two semesters (two credits) of seminar. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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MB 893\/895 – Microbiology Research<\/strong><\/h2><\/a>
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MB 893 and MB 895 provide credit for research students perform in our Ph.D. program.  Students register for MB 893 prior to passing their Preliminary Exam<\/a>, after which they may sign-up for a variable number of MB 895 credits each semester. A minimum of six credits is required for the Ph.D. degree. However, this is a research-intensive degree, so many credits will end up being for research (MB 895 Microbiology Research).<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Other Professional Development<\/h2><\/a>
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All our graduate students are required to attend either the Microbiology course in Professional Development and Responsible Conduct of Research, or a similar module offered in related programs (BIT, GN, etc.). One credit hour is required.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Elective Graduate Courses<\/h2><\/a>
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Doctoral students can choose to take other courses offered by departments and programs throughout NC State (Biochemistry, Genetics, Statistics, etc.). Selection of elective courses is done by the student, in consultation with and approval by the advisory committee. Letter graded or satisfactory\/unsatisfactory course formats can be used. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Below are examples of elective courses available. The graduate catalog<\/a> should be consulted for the current comprehensive listing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n