YEAR 1
Fall
MSCI 811: Proteins, Energy, & Metabolism (5 credit
hrs)
MSC 929: Techniques in Molecular Biology (4)
MSCI 829: Student Literature Presentation (1)
MSCI 910: Student Seminar (1)
MSCI 800: Rotation Research (1)
Spring
MSCI: Molecular Biology (4)
MSCI 826: Cell Biology (4)
MSCI 829: Student Literature Presentation (1)
MSCI 910: Student Seminar (1)
MSCI 800: Rotation Research (1)
At the end of year one, all students must pass
comprehensive written exams covering the first year course material.
YEAR 2
Fall
MSCI 829: Student Literature Presentation (1)
MSCI 910: Student Seminar (1)
MSCI 900: Doctoral Dissertation and Research (V)
Elective (V)
Spring
MSCI 829: Student Literature Presentation (1)
MSCI 910: Student Seminar (1)
MSCI 900: Doctoral Dissertation and Research (V)
Elective (V)
IP 801: Integrity in the Conduct of Scientific
Research (1)
YEAR 3 AND BEYOND
Fall
MSCI 910: Student Seminar (1)
MSCI 900: Doctoral Dissertation and Research (V)
Spring
MSCI 910: Student Seminar (1)
MSCI 900Doctoral Dissertation and Research (V)
Before completion of the third year, students
must pass a written and oral exam to gain admission to Ph.D.
candidacy.
Students must successfully defend their
dissertations before graduating.
ELECTIVES
Students will be required to take a minimum of
six credit hours from the following list. Electives will be offered
on a rotating basis every two years in the fall and spring terms. A
minimum number of students will be required for a course to be
offered.
Integrated Concepts of Physiology, Pathology, and
Pharmacology (5)
Proteins and Enzymes (3)
Immunology (3) or Advanced Topics in Immunology (5)
Virology (3)
Bacterial Pathogenesis (3)
Prokaryotic Genetics (3)
Principles of Mass Spectrometry (2)
Bioinformatics: Sequence Analysis and Sequence
Databases (3)
Advanced Topics in Eukaryotic Biology (3)
COMPREHENSIVE EXAMS AT THE END OF THE FIRST YEAR
In the comprehensive exams, questions are
submitted by the faculty, and all students answer the same set of
questions to be graded by the faculty. The scope of the exams
includes: biochemistry, molecular biology, molecular biology
techniques, and cell biology.
EXAM FOR ADMISSION TO PH.D. CANDIDACY
Prior to scheduling the exam, students hold a
research committee meeting to gain approval of the research topic.
By the end of their fifth semester, students submit a written
proposal of their dissertation work in a NIH grant format to their
committee. The document is evaluated and an exam is held in which
the student offers a short presentation of the work and orally
defends the proposal.
STUDENT ROTATIONS AND LABORATORY SELECTION
It is expected that students will participate in
six four-week rotations to identify a lab for their dissertation
research. This will allow students to select a permanent lab by
mid-Spring.
