pertains to the study of living systems at the molecular level, especially DNA and RNA, and provides a background appropriate for further work in the rapidly expanding areas of genomics, cell biology, biotechnology, microbiology, diagnostics, and therapeutics.  Molecular biology techniques including DNA manipulation, sequencing, cloning, subcloning, library construction, screening, RNA isolation and characterization, analysis of expression, cDNA synthesis (RT-PCR) and analysis, micro arrays and gene chips, and PCR, Northern blotting, southern blotting, Gel electrophoresis.