By Letty Fernandez

RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley has received approval from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to create a Master of Science (MS) degree program in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

The new program will be offered this fall, and will allow students to pursue an advanced degree that will prepare them for jobs in the biotechnology industry – to include biomedical, pharmaceutical and agricultural biotechnology, and health and environmental sciences – and for entry into doctoral programs.

Dr. Parwinder Grewal, UTRGV executive vice president for Research, Graduate Studies and New Program Development, said the new MS is an exciting interdisciplinary graduate program.

“In addition to our current graduate programs in Biology and Chemistry, this new program in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology will provide a more focused and more in depth laboratory training for students seeking to enter into medicine, health and biomedical professions, and academia,” he said.

The program will be housed in the UTRGV College of Sciences, and will utilize faculty from the Biology and Chemistry departments.

University officials say the first year of the program will produce 10 majors, with growth projected at 10 annually thereafter.

Dr. Mohammed Farooqui, interim dean of the College of Sciences, said they expect graduate students in the new major to come from already existing Chemistry, Biology and Health-related majors.

“The new program is highly versatile, leading to opportunities in a broad range of areas,” he said.

This degree is consistent with the goals of UTRGV and of The UT System by providing an advanced graduate-level degree to prepare students with skills required to assume leadership roles in the growing medical/bio-medical research arena.