INTRODUCTION

Welcome to the web site of the Physiology Graduate Program at North Carolina State University. You will find information about the program, the faculty and associated research areas. The website is directed towards prospective students who are considering applying to graduate school at NC State, although there is much pertinent information for current students and faculty.

The NCSU Physiology Graduate Program involves more than 40 faculty members primarily drawn from the College of Veterinary Medicine and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

Degrees are offered through the NCSU Graduate School as an interdisciplinary and interdepartmental graduate program. Consequently, the program can accommodate students with a wide range of interests. This diversity is reflected in the areas of specialization of faculty which include reproductive and developmental physiology, gastrointestinal physiology, muscle physiology, neurophysiology, environmental and stress physiology and cellular physiology. Research is carried out using a variety of model organisms, laboratory and companion animals and agriculturally important species. This offers a unique opportunity for graduate students to customize their graduate training and become well grounded in the fundamentals of physiology.

Physiology provides the scientific basis for the transfer of knowledge gained at the molecular and cellular level to the whole animal whether the desired outcome is enhanced production, for example, by increased fertility, growth, milk and egg production, or in translation to a better understanding of animal and human disease processes.

Now that the genomes of a number of species have been completed, biomedical science has entered a new phase of scientific enquiry. The challenges are formidable in that the immense dataset generated from the genome projects must be placed into a functional context. Furthermore, studies of whole organisms or living systems are now needed to shed light on new molecular and cellular findings. Physiologists can meet such challenges, having the education, creativity and background knowledge to integrate the concepts and principles from molecular genetics to the whole animal function.

Physiology is one of the principal graduate programs at NC State University that can facilitate integration of research at the celular and molecular levels to the system level in a diverse range of animal species that serve as animal models of human diseases and directly relate to animal health and production, and in adaptation to the environment. Integrative physiology is the study of biological systems and is a key component of translational research with application to the study of disease processes in humans and animals.

An advanced degree in physiology is highly valued by the scientific community in offering the graduate successful professional opportunites and in maintaining scholarship. The higher degree in physiology can lead to careers in research and/or teaching in academia (e.g. basic agricultural science, human and veterinary medicine), academic and private research institutes, industry and government laboratories, public policy and consulting.

The NCSU Physiology Graduate Program offers students an outstanding opportunity for graduate training to meet the challenges provided by cutting edge research. The program provides a focused yet flexible curriculum and research opportunities leading to the Master of Science (MS) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degrees.

In addition, the program offers a Master of Physiology (MOP) non-thesis degree. This ia a terminal degree appropriate for students seeking to improve their academic credentials to become competitive for admission to professional schools or individuals desiring to improve their knowledge of advanced physiology.