General Information
CURRICULUM
The IPBS curriculum has been designed to provide broad-based, cross-disciplinary
training to students while at the same time remaining flexible enough
to allow in-depth study in a specific area.
All IPBS students enroll in a first-year core curriculum that includes
courses in Systems Biology, Cellular and Molecular Biology, and IPBS Seminars.
In addition, students receive credit for research rotations in prospective
Research Advisors’ laboratories.
During the first 2 years, students must complete 6 credit hours of electives.
Certain tracks may have specific expectations of the elective courses
to be taken. This information can be found at the track site.
In the second year, students must also participate in a journal club.
All Ph.D. degree-seeking students in the College must complete the Integrity
in the Conduct of Scientific Research course prior to graduation.
LABORATORY ROTATIONS
Identifying a Research Advisor is the single most important decision
a student will make in graduate school. This is best accomplished by performing
rotations through prospective laboratories. IPBS students may perform
rotations in eligible laboratories in any of the seven tracks.
During the first six weeks of the program, seven research colloquia (one
for each track) are conducted to introduce students to prospective laboratories.
Afterwards, students select four laboratories in which to perform 6-week
rotations. After the final rotation period (at the end of the first year
of study), students select a Research Advisor based on mutual consent.
EXAMINATIONS
In addition to tests that accompany courses, students must pass an admission
to candidacy examination and have their research topic approved prior
to defending their dissertation.
The admission to candidacy examination is a written test designed to
determine the student’s fund of information in the sciences related
to the chosen field of study and to evaluate the student’s ability
to reason critically. This examination is taken at the end of the second
year.
Before the end of students’ third year of study, they must have
their research topic approved. This is accomplished by providing their
research committee with a written research plan following the guidelines
of an NIH grant proposal.
SUMMARY OF THE ACADEMIC PROGRAM
Year 1
Fall
Systems Biology (10 credit hours)
Cellular and Molecular Biology (8)
IPBS Seminars (1)
Doctoral Dissertation and Research (Variable)
Attend research colloquia and perform one laboratory rotation
Spring
Systems Biology (continues for the first 6 weeks of the semester)
Cellular and Molecular Biology (continues for the first 6 weeks of the
semester)
IPBS Seminars (1)
Doctoral Dissertation and Research (V)
Elective* (V) (if desired)
Perform three laboratory rotations and select a Research Advisor
Year 2
Fall
Doctoral Dissertation and Research (V)
Elective* (V)
Spring
Doctoral Dissertation and Research (V)
Integrity in the Conduct of Scientific Research (1)
Elective* (V) (if necessary)
Take admission to candidacy examination at the end of the term
Year 3
Fall
Doctoral Dissertation and Research (V)
Spring
Doctoral Dissertation and Research (V)
Obtain approval of research topic by the end of the term
Year 4 and Beyond
Fall and Spring
Doctoral Dissertation and Research (V)
*See each track for a list of approved electives.
STIPENDS AND SCHOLARSHIPS
Tuition and fees are covered by the College for the first 6 years. In
addition, the College of Graduate Health Sciences offers stipend support
and coverage in the University's single student health insurance plan
to all incoming IPBS students for the first 2 years. After this time,
students receive an annual stipend and insurance coverage from their supporting
mentor.
Currently, stipends are $23,000 per year, and students may also receive
yearly cost of living increases. Outstanding graduates of US institutions
are eligible for Alumni Endowment Scholarships that contribute up to $3,000
of additional annual support.
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
The minimum requirements for admission are a bachelor’s degree
with a documented grade point average of 3.0. In addition, three letters
of recommendation and official scores on the General Test of the Graduate
Record Examination (GRE) must be submitted. A minimum combined score of
1,000 is required on the verbal and quantitative sections of the GRE.
To be competitive, international applicants should have a GRE score above
1,200 and must also demonstrate proficiency in English by a TOEFL score
above 213 on the computer-based exam.
Our institution code for the GRE and TOEFL is 1850.
WHEN AND HOW TO APPLY
The application deadline is March 1, but most students apply before December.
Review of applications begins in January, and our top domestic candidates
are supported for travel to campus for interviews.
It is important that you complete the application and send all required
materials as soon as possible.
Applying online is free and easy. Paper applications are available, but
a $50 nonrefundable processing fee is charged.
For US applicants, official transcripts, official test
scores, and three letters of recommendation should be sent directly from
the contributing source and not by the student to the address below.
For non-US applicants, official test scores and three
letters of recommendation should be sent directly from the contributing
source and not by the student to the address below. Transcripts from any
non-US institution must be verified and certified to generate a grade
point average (GPA). Service agencies include, but are not limited to,
Educational Credit Evaluation (ECE) at www.ece.org
and World Education Services (WES) at www.wes.org.
A document-by-document certification is not acceptable. These agencies
charge a fee for service.
Documents and any other supporting materials should be mailed to
Office of Enrollment Services
University of Tennessee Health Science Center
910 Madison Avenue Suite 525
Memphis, TN 38163
Revised 20 February 2008
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