Microbiology Graduate Program

Graduate Microbiology Program

Iowa State University offers graduate (M.S. & Ph.D.) degrees in microbiology. The Interdepartmental Graduate Microbiology Program coordinates graduate education and research in areas including: prokaryotic and eukaryotic microbiology, virology, microbe interactions with animals, plants and arthropods, and the responses of those hosts to the microbes. The involvement of professors from a wide range of departments reflects the richness and diversity of the microbiologists at the university and in the Ames area.

The faculty members of the Graduate Microbiology Program have diverse research interests including: biochemistry; ecology; genetics and molecular biology of microbes; biogeochemistry; food safety and security; bacteriology; microbe-host interactions; virology; immunology; parasitology;

Contributed by Dennis Bazylinski.

mycology; and microbial genomics. A tradition of cooperation among faculty throughout the university ensures graduate student access to equipment, techniques, and expertise necessary for planning and executing successful research.

The programs of study (POS) for graduate microbiology students are variable depending on the POS committee and the background and goals of the individual. A core of required courses ensures a solid foundation in the field of microbiology. The POS committee administers a final oral exam for the M.S., a comprehensive preliminary exam to establish Ph.D. candidacy and a final oral defense of the dissertation.

Please note that applications for admission and for fellowships or assistantships should be completed by January 1st. Earlier applications are encouraged.