The Department of Basic Sciences in the School of Medicine administers the Integrated Biomedical Graduate Studies Program with emphasis in:
- Anatomy
- Cancer, Development and Regenerative Biology (CDRB)
- Infection, Immunity, and Inflammation (III)
- Neurosciences, Systems Biology and Bioengineering (NSBB)
General Description
PhD students admitted to the Integrated Biomedical Graduate Studies Program will enroll in a core curriculum during the first year. The core curriculum consists of:
- An integrated content course covering major aspects of biomedical sciences from the disciplines in which degrees are offered
- A weekly journal club discussing literature relevant to topics from the course
- A companion course covering research related topics such as ethics, presentation of findings, data analysis, statistics, and grant writing
- Two seminar series--one for invited speakers of national renown and one for student presentations
- Research laboratory rotations
At the end of the first year, each student will select the program from which they wish to earn a PhD as well as a research mentor in whose laboratory they will complete their dissertation research. During the second year, students will take additional courses as determined by the selected department and will continue working on the selected dissertation project. At the end of the second year, students will take a written comprehensive examination. Upon passing this examination, students will choose a guidance committee in consultation with the mentor and graduate student advisor. This committee will administer an oral examination covering the proposed dissertation research. Students will be admitted to candidacy upon the successful completion of both the written and oral comprehensive examinations. Students will continue working on the selected dissertation project as guided and advised by both the research mentor and the Graduate Guidance Committee. Upon completion of this work, students will write and orally defend the doctoral dissertation.
Both thesis and non-thesis MS degrees are available for Anatomy, Cancer, Development and Regenerative Biology (CDRB), Infection, Immunity, and Inflammation (III), Neurosciences, Systems Biology and Bioengineering (NSBB). Students will enroll in courses as described for the individual programs. In lieu of writing and defending a thesis, non-thesis MS students must pass a written comprehensive examination.