Site Map
Main
1 The Graduate Program
o Admissions
o The Core
o Timeline to Degree
o Related Programs
2 Faculty and Research
o Roster
o Classifications
o Committees
3 Graduate Students
o Roster
o Student Awards
o Scholarly Activities
o Student Life
4 News and Announcements
5 Seminars and Symposia
6 Contact Information
Main
The Integrative & Evolutionary Biology (IEB) Graduate Program is an
interdisciplinary training program that focuses on the research of organismic
functions across the history of life. It targets emerging areas at the interface of
genomics, evolution, and physiology. Natural connections between the
numerous domains are strengthened through collaborative research and
specially targeted seminars to foster an evolutionary perspective on organisms’
interaction with the environment and critical physiological processes.
The IEB Graduate Program emphasizes integrative thinking and
interdisciplinary communication at multiple levels of the biological hierarchy
and provides a rigorous foundation in the fundamentals of integrative and
evolutionary biology that allows students to develop an in-depth specialization
in their chosen research area.
The Graduate Program
Our program of graduate study is selective. We are looking for highly motivated
individuals who work well with their peers and can identify a faculty advisor
with whom their research interests match.
The program is designed to provide each student with a broad, fundamental
background in integrative and evolutionary biology coupled with detailed
knowledge and expertise in the chosen area of concentration. And because we
are closely linked to other research programs on the University Park and Health
Sciences Campuses, each student's curriculum can be tailored to the particular
areas of interest of that individual. Our students are expected to complete the
program within five years.
The Graduate Program > Admissions
The Department of Biological Sciences offers a very personalized approach to
graduate recruiting. Applicants are encouraged to contact faculty members
and/or the Graduate Programs Manager at any time during their undergraduate
education if they identify a potential research interest at the University of
Southern California. We sometimes develop relationships with potential students
a year or more prior to enrollment. We will invite a number of applicants to visit
the program, usually in January. We will make all arrangements (purchase plane
tickets, provide accommodations, etc.) for any applicant invited by the
admissions committee. Usually, a complete application is required before visits
will be arranged.
It is the policy of the program to support each student we admit. This support
comes in many forms: teaching assistantships, research assistantships, and
fellowships. All awards include full tuition remission, a monthly stipend for
living expenses (currently $2,111 per month), and payment of student health
insurance and student health center fees.
Required Materials
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Transcripts from all colleges and universities attended
Three (3) letters of reference
GRE scores (general only)
Application (see below)
Applications and supporting materials are due no later than December 1, 2008
for full consideration.
Electronic Application
We encourage you to complete your admission application online. [Link to AY]
The application fee is waived for this program.
Be sure to select the correct program when applying. The Integrative &
Evolutionary Biology Graduate Program is listed under the USC College of
Letters, Arts & Sciences.
Please attach an unofficial transcript, statement of purpose, and any other
supplemental application materials as supplemental documents in your online
application. Please mail official transcripts directly to the USC Graduate School
Admissions office.
Unofficial copies of GRE (and TOEFL) scores are acceptable for evaluation
purposes, but if offered admission, an applicant will be required to send official
documentation.
We encourage you to have your letters of recommendation sent to admissions
electronically.
Additional Information
The USC Graduate School requires that the sum of the Verbal and Quantitative
scores on the GRE be a minimum of 1000. We do not require a GRE subject test.
Applicants with undergraduate grade point averages below 3.0 will be
considered only under unusual circumstances including evidence of recent
improvement or clearly outstanding potential as a researcher.
We will notify students of our decision as soon as possible. For students
admitted to the program, decisions will be made on a rolling basis beginning in
late February. Final decisions for all students will be made by the end of April.
Contact and Mailing Address
Linda Bazilian
Graduate Programs Manager, Biological Sciences
University of Southern California
3616 Trousdale Pkwy., AHF 107D
Los Angeles, CA 90089-0371
Phone: (213) 821-1088
Fax: (213) 740-1380
E-mail: bazilian@usc.edu
The Graduate Program > The Core
The Integrative & Evolutionary Biology Graduate Program provides each
student with a broad fundamental background in integrative and evolutionary
biology with in-depth specialization in a research area of his or her choosing.
Each student's curriculum is tailored to the particular interests of the individual
and the needs and demands of the chosen research field. The 24 units of formal
course work must include 12 units of specified course work—a two-semester
core sequence (BISC 510ab) and seminar (BISC 549, minimum of four units)—and
12 units of advanced electives chosen in consultation with the student's advisor.
BISC 510ab
Integrative and Evolutionary Biology
4 units
Current topics in integrative and evolutionary
biology including genetics, natural selection, and
ecology, with an emphasis on higher order complex
questions including form, function, and energy use
throughout the life span.
BISC 549
Seminar in Integrative and Evolutionary Biology
Current topics in integrative and evolutionary
biology
2 units
The Graduate Program > Timeline to Degree
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The Graduate Program > Related Programs
[Provide links to programs related to the IEB Graduate Program, i.e. Molecular &
Computational Biology, Neuroscience, and Marine Biology sections, Biomedical
Engineering, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles, and PIBBS (Programs in
Biomedical and Biological Sciences)]
Faculty and Research
The IEB Graduate Program brings together more than 20 scientists from different
departments within USC, the Health Sciences campus, and the nearby Natural
History Museum of Los Angeles County with expertise in analyzing reduced
levels of organization (such as genes and molecules) and higher-order complex
questions (pertaining to whole organisms and systems of organisms). The IEB
faculty conduct externally funded research in the areas of anthropology,
bioenergetics, biomechanics, computational biology, ecology, genetics,
gerontology, geology, molecular biology, morphology, neuroscience,
paleoecology, physiology, and primatology.
Faculty and Research > Roster
[Generated by MyUSCCollege database]
Faculty and Research > Classifications
The research interests of our faculty can be divided into three general themes:
1 Organisms and their interaction with the environment
2 Integration of the control and dynamics of physiological processes
3 Evolution and life history
Each member is classified below with respect to the aforementioned themes.
Name
Arnheim, Norm
Boehm, Chris
Bottjer, David
Bottjer, Sarah
Chiappe, Luis
Donovan, Casey
Edmands,
Suzanne
Finch, Caleb
Finkel, Steve
Flashner, Henryk
Johnson, Ken
Liman, Emily
Manahan, Donal
McNitt-Gray, Jill
Michaels, Tony
Nealson, Ken
Nordborg, Magnus
Stanford, Craig
Távare, Simon
Turcotte, Lorraine
Wang, Xiaoming
Yamashita, Nayuta
Organisms and
their interaction
with the
environment
Integration of the
control and
dynamics of
physiological
processes
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Evolution and life
history
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Faculty and Research > Committees
Qualifying Examination Committee
This committee is responsible for guiding a graduate student through the
qualifying examination process. It is composed of five members: the student’s
advisor, three tenured or tenure-track faculty members from the IEB program,
and an outside faculty member from a degree-conferring program not related to
IEB.
Dissertation Committee
This committee is responsible for guiding a graduate student through the process
of writing his or her dissertation. All post-quals students must meet with their
DC at least once a year to keep them up-to-date. The committee must have at
least three members—two inside (includes the student’s principal advisor) and
one outside.
Graduate Students
The graduate students of the Integrative & Evolutionary Biology Graduate
Program are some of the most diverse in the department of Biological Sciences.
Their research areas include several combinations of the following: kinesiology,
neuroscience, anthropology, primatology, gerontology, ecology, evolution,
morphology, and biomechanics.
Graduate Students > Roster
[Generate list from attached student profiles]
[Insert attached student profiles]
Graduate Students > Student Awards
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Graduate Students > Scholarly Activities
Presentations
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Publications
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Graduate Students > Student Life
A high percentage of our graduate students serve mainly as teaching assistants
and/or research assistants during their tenure in the program. However,
fellowships and grants are available within the program and from external
sources. These allow our students to solely concentrate on the research for their
dissertation.
News and Announcements
Faculty in the News
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Department Related News
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Seminars and Symposia
A significant part of graduate student training is the opportunity to attend and
participate in research seminars and colloquia. These are hour-long public
lectures given by visiting scientists. Most important are those sponsored by the
IEB Graduate Program and relevant sections (see below).
[List generated by dept.'s seminar database]
Contact Information
Jill McNitt-Gray
Director, Integrative & Evolutionary Biology Graduate Program
Professor, Kinesiology, Biomedical Engineering
USC College of Letters, Arts & Sciences
3560 Watt Way, PED 107
Los Angeles, CA 90089-0652
Phone: (213) 740-7902
Fax: (213) 740-7909
E-mail: mcnitt@usc.edu
Adolfo dela Rosa
Administrative Assistant, Integrative & Evolutionary Biology Graduate
Program
Graduate Programs Assistant, Biological Sciences
USC College of Letters, Arts & Sciences
3616 Trousdale Pkwy., AHF 107E
Los Angeles, CA 90089-0371
Phone: (213) 821-3164
Fax: (213) 740-1380
E-mail: adolfode@usc.edu
Linda Bazilian
Graduate Programs Manager, Biological Sciences
USC College of Letters, Arts & Sciences
3616 Trousdale Pkwy., AHF 107D
Los Angeles, CA 90089-0371
Phone: (213) 821-1088
Fax: (213) 740-1380
E-mail: bazilian@usc.edu