2026-2027 Course Catalog
Source: https://catalog.illinois.edu/graduate/las/biophysics-quantitative-biology-ms/ Parent: https://catalog.illinois.edu/graduate/
for the degree of Master of Science in Biophysics and Quantitative Biology
The Center for Biophysics and Quantitative Biology does not admit students to the Biophysics and Quantitative Biology MS degree program. Admission to graduate study is only through the PhD degree program. See Biophysics and Quantitative Biology PhD for more information about the PhD program.
Admission
The objective of the program in biophysics is to give students sufficient training in physics, chemistry, and biology to enable them to apply the conceptual, instrumental, and mathematical approaches of the physical sciences for solving biological problems. The curriculum is broadly based and provides sufficient flexibility for students entering with either previous training in the physical sciences or for students with a background in biology and some experience in the physical sciences.
Admission requirements are usually one year of college biology, one year of college physics, chemistry through organic chemistry, and mathematics through calculus; however deficiencies in one of these areas can be corrected during the first two years of study. The Biophysics and Quantitative Biology Program does not require the subject GRE for admission. The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL iBT) or IELTS is required for international applicants.
Please refer to the Biophysics and Quantitative Biology Admissions web page for additional information and application deadlines.
Graduate Teaching Experience
Experience in teaching is considered a vital part of the graduate program and is required as part of the academic work of all Ph.D. candidates in this program. Every biophysics student is required to serve as a teaching assistant for one semester at the quarter time level or higher.
Faculty Research Interests
Over 40 faculty members from the Schools of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Chemical Sciences, and Medicine, and the Colleges of Engineering and Veterinary Medicine, are affiliated with the Center for Biophysics and Quantitative Biology. Faculty interests range from experimental biophysics (single molecule spectroscopy, protein and RNA folding, molecular dynamics, cellular biophysics, imaging, etc.) to computational and theoretical biophysics (utilizing a wide range of computer platforms to simulate diverse biological phenomena at many levels as well as bioinformatics). Individual faculty interests can be found on the Biophysics website.
Facilities and Resources
Center faculty and students have access to world-class research facilities at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, including the Beckman Institute, the Carl R Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, Blue Waters Sustained Petascale Computing, the National Center for Supercomputing Applications, the Biomedical Imaging Center, the Roy J Carver Biotechnology Center, and the School of Chemical Sciences' Mass Spectroscopy Center and Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) Research Center.
Financial Aid
All incoming graduate students in biophysics will be supported by the Center for the first semester in the program. Continuing support for subsequent years will be granted as long as students remain in good standing and continue to make satisfactory academic progress, contingent upon the availability of funds. This support can be in the form of research assistantships, teaching assistantships, traineeships, or fellowships. After the first semester of study, most students are supported directly by their research advisor in the form of a research assistantship.
for the degree of Master of Science in Biophysics and Quantitative Biology
For additional details and requirements refer to the department's Student Handbook and the Graduate College Handbook.
Thesis Option
Course List
| Code | Title | Hours |
| --- | --- | --- | | 10 hours of 500-level biophysics courses with a minimum GPA of 3.25 (does not include seminar courses and/or research units and can include no more than 2 hours of tutorials). 500-level courses in other departments count towards this 500-level formal course requirement if they are on the approved Biophysics course list. | | 10 | | BIOP 401 | Introduction to Biophysics (or equivalent) | 3 | | Elective hours approved by Center Director to bring total hours to | | 32 | | BIOP 599 | Thesis Research (4 min applied toward degree) | 4 | | Total Hours | | 32 |
Other Requirements
Grad Other Degree Requirements
| Requirement | Description |
|---|---|
| Other requirements may overlap | |
| Minimum 500-level Hours Required Overall: | 12 |
| Minimum GPA: | 3.0 |
Non-Thesis Option
Course List
| Code | Title | Hours |
| --- | --- | --- | | 10 hours of 500-level biophysics courses with a minimum GPA of 3.25 (does not include seminar courses and/or research units and can include no more than 2 hours of tutorials). 500-level courses in other departments count towards this 500-level formal course requirement if they are on the approved Biophysics course list. | | 10 | | BIOP 401 | Introduction to Biophysics (or equivalent) | 3 | | Research/Project Hours (4 min applied toward degree) | | 4 | | Elective hours approved by Center Director to bring total course work hours to | | 32 | | Total Hours | | 32 |
Other Requirements
Grad Other Degree Requirements
| Requirement | Description |
|---|---|
| Other requirements may overlap | |
| Minimum 500-level Hours Required Overall: | 12 |
| Minimum GPA: | 3.0 |
for the degree of Master of Science in Biophysics and Quantitative Biology
Approved Biophysics Course List and Computational & Experimental Lab Course Lists
Biophysics Course List
Course List
| Code | Title | Hours |
| --- | --- | --- | | ANSC 542 | Applied Bioinformatics | 4 | | BIOE 505 | Computational Bioengineering | 4 | | BIOE 598 | Special Topics (section TL) | 1 to 4 | | BIOP 576 | Computational Chemical Biology | 4 | | CHBE 594 | Special Topics (section HZ2) | 1 to 4 | | CHEM 546 | Advanced Statistical Mechanics | 4 | | CHEM 570 | Concepts in Chemical Biology | 4 | | CHEM 572 | Enzyme Reaction Mechanisms | 3 or 4 | | CPSC 567 | Bioinformatics & Systems Biol | 4 | | CS 598 | Special Topics (section JP or SS) | 2 to 4 | | ECE 564 | Modern Light Microscopy | 4 | | MCB 571 | Bioinformatics | 4 | | PHYS 504 | Statistical Physics (section A) | 4 |
Computational Lab Course List
Course List
| Code | Title | Hours |
| --- | --- | --- | | BIOC 455 | Technqs Biochem & Biotech | 4 | | PHYS 598 | Special Topics in Physics (section OM or BP) | 1 to 4 | | CHEM 483 | Solid State Structural Anlys | 4 | | PATH 521 | Biophysics of Viruses | 2 |
Experimental Lab Course List
Course List
| Code | Title | Hours |
| --- | --- | --- | | ANSC 449 | | 3 or 4 | | BIOP 576 | Computational Chemical Biology | 4 | | BIOP 586 | Special Topics in Biophysics (section C) | 1 to 4 | | BIOE 505 | Computational Bioengineering | 4 | | BIOE 598 | Special Topics (section AGB) | 1 to 4 | | CHBE 571 | Bioinformatics | 4 | | MCB 432 | Computing in Molecular Biology | 3 | | STAT 530 | Bioinformatics | 4 |
for the degree of Master of Science in Biophysics and Quantitative Biology
The Center for Biophysics and Quantitative Biology does not admit students to the Biophysics and Quantitative Biology MS degree program. Admission to graduate study is only through the PhD degree program. See Biophysics and Quantitative Biology PhD for more information about the PhD program.
The Biophysics and Quantitative Biology program offers a direct doctoral (PhD) program for incoming students with a bachelor’s degree. Students graduating with a PhD in Biophysics and Quantitative Biology are expected to demonstrate the ability to:
- Apply the close interactions between theory and experiments to fundamental advances in our understanding of the physical basis of life using quantitative methods.
- Develop and demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of an interdisciplinary research area in experimental biophysics and quantitative and computational biology, such as systems biology, structural biology, molecular dynamics, neurophysiology, enzyme mechanisms, fluorescence microscopy, magnetic resonance, and others.
- Utilize a wide range of platforms to simulate diverse biological phenomena at many levels - from individual macromolecules, to membranes and single cells, to networks of neurons and higher order structures.
- Identify scientific problems, formulate hypotheses, design experiments and perform data analysis to test proposed hypotheses.
- Work in collaborative enterprises at the leading edge of interdisciplinary science, as well as in their specialized areas of expertise.
- Communicate research findings and their impact effectively to multiple stakeholders, both verbally and in writing.
- Develop effective leadership skills and intellectual potential to conduct collaborative research and work with a diverse team, both in academia and industry.
Graduate Degree Programs in Biophysics and Quantitative Biology
- Biophysics and Quantitative Biology, MS
- Biophysics and Quantitative Biology, PhD
- optional concentration:
for the degree of Master of Science in Biophysics and Quantitative Biology
Center for Biophysics and Quantitative Biology
Center Director: Satish Nair\ Biophysics website\ Biophysics faculty\ 318C Roger Adams Laboratory, 600 S Mathews Ave, Urbana, IL 61801\ (217) 333-1630\ biophysics@life.illinois.edu
College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
College of Liberal Arts & Sciences website
Admissions
Biophysics and Quantitative Biology Admissions\ Graduate College Admissions & Requirements