Program overview
Cell biology is a core foundational discipline of life sciences. Simply put, it studies how cells—the basic units of life—work, divide, die, and communicate with each other. You'll learn core knowledge such as cell structure, cell metabolism, signal transduction, cell cycle, stem cells, and apoptosis. Courses include cell biology techniques (microscopy, flow cytometry, molecular cloning, etc.), biochemistry, genetics, and developmental biology. If you're curious about the microscopic world and enjoy doing experiments and analyzing data, this major is a great fit. Chinese universities have many strengths in cell biology—for example, the Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences (Chinese Academy of Sciences), Peking University, and Tsinghua University all have strong research teams, especially in stem cells, tumor cell biology, and organelle interactions, with international influence. Many labs are well-equipped, supervisors are resourceful, and international students have opportunities to participate in cutting-edge research.