To earn the MS in Immunology and Microbial Pathogenesis, you will complete a minimum of 40 credit hours. These credit hours consist of 30 hours of core courses (including a minimum of 15 from laboratory research practicum) plus 10 hours of elective courses. The curriculum is designed to be completed in five terms with an autumn start and graduation in the spring of your second year. As this is a full-time program, you are expected to be enrolled in a minimum of eight credit hours per semester.
You can also elect to begin the program early by enrolling in your research laboratory rotation course during the summer term prior to your first autumn semester.
Your curriculum is designed to provide you with a depth of knowledge and practical skill-sets in the following key areas:
- Laboratory management practices including the day-to-day logistics of laboratory operations (e.g., scheduling, ordering, personnel management, safety guidelines)
- Foundational and advanced knowledge of the fields of immunology and microbial pathogenesis
- Capacity to properly design, conduct, interpret and present independent research experiments and projects
- Ability to convey, in written form, scientific hypotheses, research proposals and findings as demonstrated through the successful completion of a written thesis
Curriculum
MEDMCIM 7050
This required, two-credit course will serve as a key introductory course for each incoming MS program class. It will prepare students in the basic fundamentals of modern laboratory research skills necessary for their safe and productive integration into their chosen research laboratory. This will serve to provide foundational knowledge needed to maximize their productive success as they enter into the research environment. It will be taught in a modular format by program faculty using a combination of lecture-based and hands-on modalities. Each module will involve in-class lectures and quizzes introducing each subject area followed by small-group (4- to 6-student), in-lab learning/reinforcement experiences followed by graded lab exercises. Modules are expected to include: essentials of laboratory safety, biomedical research ethics, bioinformatics, laboratory personnel management, data analysis and presentation, essentials of sterile technique and cell culture, optical microscopy techniques and flow cytometry analysis. Two one-hour sessions will be attended each week with an additional expected six hours of self-paced at-home and in-lab study weekly. Grading will be based on attendance (25%), in-class quizzes (25%) and lab-based exercises (50%).
BSGP 7240/MICRBIO 7724
In this course, students are introduced to a wide variety of pathogens and the mechanisms by which they cause disease. The course educates students on the methods to study host-microbe interactions. Students will also learn how pathogens deal with nutritional, innate and adaptive immunity.
MEDMCIM 7010
Using didactic teaching, and in-class discussion, this course provides students with an understanding of basic immunological concepts. The lectures describe the various components of the innate and adaptive immune systems to provide the student with a detailed understanding of the development and function of individual immune components and their interactions in concert. This course is team taught by faculty experts.
MEDMCIM 7500
The Department of Microbial Infection and Immunity Seminar Series will host nationally and internationally recognized speakers on a biweekly basis throughout the semester. This course will educate students in how to prepare for and comprehend these seminars through classroom journal club-format discussions and submission of written-format summary statements. Students are expected to attend all seminars and journal club sessions.
MEDMCIM 7998
This course provides an opportunity for individualized study in the fields of microbial infection and immunity. This research-focused course will allow students the opportunity to participate in a research environment under the supervision of one of the department’s faculty members.
MEDMCIM 8010
In this course, students will learn about complex immunological concepts and how they relate to specific diseases. Students will expand their knowledge of general immune mechanisms as learned in MEDMCIM 7010 to understand the plasticity and specificity of immune responses in health and diseases. An emphasis will be placed on the development of critical thinking skills via literature searches, reading, and preparing an oral presentation on selected topics of immunology and via group discussions. Students will develop scientific writing and analytical skills through preparing a written commentary for each topic (one page).
MEDMCIM 7400
Weekly members of the Viruses and Emerging Pathogens thematic area of the Ohio State Infectious Disease Institute will present a seminar on their cutting-edge virology research followed by a discussion. Topics will include basic virology, antiviral immunity, vaccines, viral pathogenesis and virus discovery.
MEDMCIM 6600
The course will consist of a combination of lecture presentations from the instructors followed by student presentations and critical discussion of research papers that represent classic and recent advances in CF pathophysiology/pathobiology aligned with the lecture topic.
BSGP 7400
Student led discussions of classic and current literature in microbial pathogenesis. Students are able to take this course multiple times for a maximum of 4 credit hours.
Electives
In addition to the required and recommended courses listed above, the curriculum includes a minimum of 10 credit hours of elective coursework to personalize your education to align with your interests and career goals. The courses below represent a few of the many examples of electives offered from various colleges and departments at The Ohio State University. Your research mentor or the course director will help advise you in selecting your elective courses.
Department of Microbiology, Ohio State University College of Arts and Sciences
- MICRBIOL 5147 (3 credits): Eukaryotic Pathogens
- MICRBIOL 5161 (3 credits): Bioinformatics and Molecular Microbiology
- MICRBIOL 5270 (3 credits): Antibiotics and Natural Products
- MICRBIOL 6010 (2 credits): Principles of Microbiology
- MICRBIOL 6020 (3 credits): Microbial Physiology and Biochemistry
- MICRBIOL 6080 (3 credits): Advanced Microbial Genetics
- MICRBIOL 6155 (3 credits): Microbial Ecology and Evolution
- MICRBIOL 7536 (2 credits): Advanced Food Microbiology
Division of Biostatistics, Ohio State University College of Public Health
- PUBHBIO 6210 (3 credits) - Applied Biostatistics I
Department of Microbial Infection and Immunity, Ohio State University College of Medicine
- MEDMCIM 6600 (3 credits) – Pathobiology of Cystic Fibrosis
- MEDMCIM 7100 (2 credits) – Foundational Discoveries: Pillars in Immunology and Microbial Pathogenesis
- MEDMCIM 7400 (1 credit) - Current Topics in Virus-Host Interactions
- MEDMCIM 7402 (2 credits) – Microbial Pathogenesis Journal Club
- MEDMCIM 7452 (2 credits) - Microbial Pathogenesis Journal Club
- MEDMCIM 7550 (1 credit) - Departmental Journal Club - Recent Discoveries in Immunology and Microbial Pathogenesis
- MEDMCIM 7998 (up to 6 credits/term) Graduate Research in Microbial Infection and Immunity
- MEDMCIM 8100 (3 credits) - Advanced Immunotherapeutics
- MEDMCIM 8200 (3 credits) - Current Topics in Immune Informatics
Department of Biological Chemistry and Pharmacology, Ohio State University College of Medicine
- BIOPHRM 5510 (1-2 credits) - Responsible Conduct in Biomedical Research
- BIOPHRM 5600 (3 credits) - Introduction to General Pharmacology
Department of Biomedical Informatics, Ohio State University College of Medicine
- BMI 5710 (3 credits): Introduction to Biomedical Informatics
- BMI 5750 (3 credits): Methods in Biomedical Informatics
- BMI 5760 (3 credits): Public Health Informatics
- BMI 5770 (3 credits): Health Analytics: Data to Discovery to Dissemination