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             M.Sc. course on “Genomics” was initiated as a part of the “Centre with Potential for Excellence in Genomic Sciences” programme of Xth plan initiatives of the University Grants Commission. By considering the national level recognition and demand for the course, UGC supported this programme in the XIth plan period also. At present, Department of Biotechnology, Govt. of India, came forward to up-grade the PG and research programmes in School of Biological Sciences through the DBT-MKU Interdisciplinary Life Science Programme for Advanced Research and Education (DBT-MKU-IPLS). Thus the M.Sc. Genomics programme has been upgraded to Integrated M.Sc.– Ph.D. in Genomics. (This upgradation includes: i) increase in the number of students admitted to the course, ii) upgradation of laboratory, instrumentation and class room facility to accommodate the increased student intake, and iii) establishment of state-of-the art core equipment facility for the education and research in the focused area of the programme, “Disease Diagnostics and Therapeutics”. This upgradation is financially supported by Department of Biotechnology, Govt. of India.

Students with high academic standards in Bachelors degree are selected through a national level entrance test conducted by the University. This course pattern with an orientation towards basic and applied research in Genomic Sciences which provide opportunity to the students with an ambition of becoming scientists of international standard. The students joining this course are taught fundamental subjects as well as the basic and applied aspects of Genomics in the initial two years. This programme provides a platform, orientation and competence for them to carry out their doctoral research work in the focussed area of “Disease Diagnostics and Therapeutics”. On successful completion of the course, the students would receive both M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in five years period.

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	STUDENTSHIP: The students admitted to the integrated M.Sc. – Ph.D, Genomics course would be provided with the studentship of Rs. 1200/ per month for the period of initial 2 years. Any changes in this studentship amount would be implemented as per the regulations and instructions of DBT, New Delhi.
	FELLOWSHIP  The fellowship for the students admitted to Ph.D. will be Rs. 12000/- p.m + 15 % HRA + MA for first two years and Rs. 14000/- p.m + 15 % HRA + MA for the third year.

Redesigning / upgrading of post-graduate teaching and research programmes

Introduction of faculty positions in emerging areas of life science research

Infrastructure development to support the research and teaching in DBT-MKU interdisciplinary
    School of Life Sciences

Focused research investigations in “Diagnostics & Therapeutics”

           The School of Biological Sciences, Madurai Kamaraj University, had a humble origin in the early 60’s as the postgraduate extension centre of the Zoology department of the Madras University at Madurai. The man in command was Prof. S. Krishnaswamy, popularly known as SK. He was a dreamer and a visionary. At a time, perhaps even now, when the teaching of life sciences was compartmentalized into Botany, Zoology, Microbiology etc., he conceived the idea of teaching Biology as an integrated discipline. For him Botany, Zoology etc., was nothing more than different ways of looking at the same thing, namely, the living state. He felt that the totality of the living state was more important than studying animals or plants in isolation. When the PG extension centre became the Madurai (later Madurai Kamaraj) University in 1966, SK founded the Department of Biological Sciences, the first integrated department in the country. Just a decade later, the Department of Biological Sciences was elevated to a School of Biological Science (SBS) on the recommendation of the University Grants Commission (UGC) Expert Committee. The UGC had recognized the School of Biological Sciences for continuous support through several levels of assistance such as COSIP, DRS, COSIST, DSA (Phase I, II and III) and Centre of Advanced Studies (CAS) in Functional Genomics and Centre for Excellence in Genomic Sciences (CEGS). Recently, School of Biological Sciences got recognized as UGC’s Networking Resource Centre in Biological Sciences (UGC-NRCBS) to promote the research activities in biological Sciences.