Ph.D. Program Description

The goal of the MCP program is to produce productive, independent biomedical researchers. The program is focused on developing skills in critical thinking, problem-solving, written and oral communication, and technical proficiency in the laboratory.

The program utilizes a flexible curriculum tailored to each student’s background and research area. We provide attentive and individualized advising and career counseling throughout the student’s tenure in the program.

Typical course of study

Incoming students take a school-wide course in basic cellular and molecular biology that provides the essential basic knowledge needed for their research and for pursuing more specialized coursework.

• First-year students are required to do three rotations in the labs of program faculty. The lab rotations provide the students with mentored, hands-on research experience and the opportunity to work closely with several faculty before choosing a dissertation mentor.
• Students choose a dissertation advisor by the end of the first year, and during the second year they develop a research project and establish a thesis committee.
• A wide range of elective courses are available at the School of Medicine, and students choose them in consultation with the program director and dissertation advisor.
• A qualifying exam, which includes the oral defense of a thesis prospectus, is taken during the second year.
• The student’s research progress is monitored through biannual thesis committee meetings and regular meetings with the Graduate Program Director.
• Students are required to present a research seminar to the departmental faculty at least three times before they graduate.
• A wide range of departmental and School of Medicine seminars provide a mechanism for students to expand their knowledge learn about the latest developments in multiple areas of biomedical science.
• Students are expected to present their research findings at national conferences and to publish at least one first-author research paper in a peer-reviewed journal before they graduate.
• The thesis is usually written and defended sometime during the fifth year.