Overview
Duquesne University, founded in 1878, is a private Catholic coeducational university. The 40-acre campus is located on a quiet promontory overlooking the historical Monongahela River at the edge of the famed "Golden Triangle" of downtown Pittsburgh. Its students and more than 400 faculty members are organized in nine academic units: the College of Liberal Arts, the School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, the School of Pharmacy, the School of Nursing, the School of Law, the School of Business and Administration, the School of Education, the School of Music, and the School of Health Sciences. These academic units are supported by the University library of more than 276,700 volumes and nearly 2,000 periodicals, along with extensive holdings at the University of Pittsburgh, a University press, a computer center, and a University radio station affiliated with National Public Radio (WDUQ). Basketball is the major intercollegiate sport (Duquesne is a member of the Atlantic Ten), and the football team is a member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. The Tamburitzans and the Red Masquers are well-established ethnic dance and theatrical groups, respectively.

The University enrolls more than 6,000 undergraduate and 3,000 graduate students. Typically, there are approximately 30 graduate students in biology.

The Location and Community
Allegheny County has a population of more than 1.5 million residents; nearly one third of these people live in the city of Pittsburgh. Altitude varies from 710 to 1,370 feet above sea level, and average temperatures range from 33° F in January to 75° F in July. An academic community of seven colleges and universities enhances the intellectual life of the area, and the many businesses, industries, and services provide economic strength and extensive employment opportunities. In addition, Metropolitan Pittsburgh offers a wide range of cultural and recreational activities, among them the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh Ballet Theater, Duquesne Tamburitzans, International Poetry Forum, Three Rivers Arts Festival, Pittsburgh Public Theater, Pittsburgh Opera Center (headquartered at Duquesne University), Art Institute, Carnegie Library, Carnegie Museum, Carnegie Science Center, Allegheny Observatory, Andy Warhol Museum, Phipps Conservatory, and the Pittsburgh Zoo. The Steelers, the Pirates, and the Penguins are the local professional sports teams. The city has an extensive system of parks with areas for biking, running, and walking. Also in the area are freshwater beaches, golf courses, and areas for camping.

Programs of Study and Degree Requirements
The department offers the Master of Science (M.S.) and the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees in biological sciences. Both thesis and nonthesis M.S. options are available. There are three main areas of concentration: cell and molecular biology, cell and systems physiology, and microbiology. Subdisciplines within these concentration areas include evolutionary biology, prokaryotic and eukaryotic molecular genetics, reproductive biology, microbial physiology, ecology, neurobiology, developmental biology, and bone tissue engineering. For full-time students, the emphasis is on experimental research and a publishable thesis. Individualized programs are prepared to complement the students' background and career plans. The M.S. thesis option entails 24 credits of course work, 6 credits of thesis research, and 2 one-credit seminar courses. The M.S. nonthesis option requires 32 credits of course work, 3 of which may be in research. The curriculum is designed to allow most full-time M.S. students to complete the program in two years. The Ph.D. program entails a total of 44 to 56 credits (depending on the student's background) for students entering with a bachelor's degree. Twelve of these credits are awarded for successful completion of the Ph.D. dissertation. The Ph.D. Committee determines credit requirements for students entering the Ph.D. program with the M.S. degree.

Facilities & Resources
The department occupies about 48,000 square feet in the Mellon Hall of Science, a Bauhaus-style building designed by Mies van der Rohe. Facilities include a DNA sequencer, darkrooms, a computer lab, a cell and tissue culture lab, an incubator room, biotechnology lab, a light microscopy and imaging lab, and an electron microscopy suite. The equipment inventory includes recently purchased ultracentrifuges, spectrophotometers, incubators, HPLC, gas analyzers, electrophoresis units, DNA thermal cyclers, a DNA sequencer, a phosphoimager, fraction collectors, fluorescent microscopes with computer image enhancement features, and computer-based physiology labs. Equipment is maintained by 2 full-time electronics technicians in a renovated instrument shop. Adjacent to Mellon Hall is Bayer Learning Center, a multimedia classroom building housing the USDA-approved 5,700-square-foot animal-care facility.

Expenses and Aid
Graduate tuition is $933 per credit.

Financial Aid:
Most full-time students enrolled in the M.S. thesis option and Ph.D. programs finance their graduate studies by working as teaching assistants. M.S. teaching assistantships carry a stipend of $15,760 for twelve months plus a full waiver of tuition; teaching duties require approximately 15 hours per week. Ph.D. program teaching assistantships carry and annual stipend of $19,125 plus a full waiver of tuition. The Ph.D. stipend is available to students transferring from the department's M.S. program after successful completion of the qualifier exam (taken near the end of the second year of study) and to students who enter the Ph.D. program with the M.S. degree. Individual faculty members support highly qualified M.S. and Ph.D. students with research assistantships.

Housing/Living Expenses:
Most graduate students live in off-campus apartments in the city or surrounding towns. Students typically pay between $300 and $400 per month for a studio/one bedroom apartment within walking distance of Duquesne; housing in many surrounding neighborhoods is less expensive and is accessible by public transportation. The cost of clothing, food, and housing in Pittsburgh tends to be slightly less than cities of comparable size.

How to Apply / Application
While students may be admitted in the fall or spring, it is recommended that students who wish to be considered for assistantships submit completed application forms, three letters of recommendation, and transcripts of all academic work by February 15. Assistantships are normally awarded by April 15 for the following academic year. To be considered for admission, students should have a bachelor's or master's degree from an accredited institution with a major in biology or a related science with a foundation in biology and a strong background in chemistry, physics, and mathematics. Students should take the GRE Exam and include scores with their application forms. In addition, international students must have a minimum TOEFL score of 600.

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