BMB Graduate Program

Welcome
The goal of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology is to produce the next generation of highly trained, independent thinking scientists. We are very excited about our Ph.D. program and confident that the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology can offer you the education and graduate research experience that you will need to achieve your career goals. We invite you to explore this web site and learn about our department.

Prerequisites
It is recommended that applicants have the following undergraduate preparation:

1 year Biology
1 year Chemistry
1 or 2 terms Genetics
1 year Organic Chemistry
1 or 2 terms Physical Chemistry (Biological emphasis)
1 year Physics (with Calculus preferred)
1 year Calculus

Please see the admissions page for an application and further information on applying to the OHSU Program in Molecular and Cellular Biosciences.

Note: the PMCB program does not accept students for a Master's degree.

Core Courses

A major goal of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology is to provide its graduate students with a rigorous and complete education in the underlying principles and practice of modern biochemistry and molecular biology.

To do so, the department furnishes a thorough didactic education. In the 1st year, students take required PMCB courses in the Structure and Function of Biological Molecules (CON 661), genetic mechanisms (CON 662), Bioregulation (CON 663), and Molecular and Cell Biology (CON 664). BMB students also study the biophysical chemistry of macromolecules (CON 668).

In addition to these core classes, 2nd year BMB students take courses in advanced topics in membrane biochemistry (BCMB 620), and advanced molecular biology and nucleic acid biochemistry (BCMB 625). The students also students hone their presentation skills in a yearlong seminar course (BCMB 619) that teaches them how to present scientific data clearly, concisely and accurately. This course is supplanted in subsequent years by an annual, formal presentation to the Department (BMCB 607).

As a key complement to this course work, the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology offers outstanding opportunities for our students to do cutting-edge research on a wide variety of biochemical and molecular problems. The choice of which laboratory to join is the most important decision of your graduate career and members of the department will be happy to guide you in that selection. To help you choose the most appropriate laboratory you will carry out three laboratory rotations during your first year. From these you will select a mentor with whom you will develop a thesis project. Following your decision you and your mentor will form a research advisory committee, the function of which is to help you reach your research goals.

Electives

Beyond the courses required by the department, BMB graduate students take at least two additional electives. These classes can be any of those offered at OHSU but are usually closely related to the student's research area, e.g., signal transduction (CON 654) or protein biochemistry (BCMB 618). These choices are made in consultation with your advisor and research advisory committee. Our students also participate in a journal club, which best matches their research interests, analyzing and discussing the most recent primary literature.

A description of the courses offered by the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology can be found in this web site. Typically, BMB students complete their required and elective course work by the end of their second year. During the summer term of the second year you will take the qualifying examination. Following the successful completion of this two-part examination you are granted candidate status and are able to pursue your research full time. Most students complete and defend their thesis by the end of their fifth year. As a measure of the research accomplishments of our graduate students, many are offered postdoctoral fellowships at some of the most prestigious institutions, including Harvard, Stanford, Rockefeller, Duke, UCSF and Scripps Research Institute.

Specific information...

BMB Graduate Program
Graduate Faculty
Applying to OHSU
Graduate Courses
Course Timeline

The BMB Graduate Program Director: David Farrens, Ph.D., farrensd@ohsu.edu or 503-494-0583.

The BMB Graduate Student Coordinator, Jeni Wroblewski, wroblews@ohsu.edu or 503-494-2541.

You can request a brochure and a graduate studies application via our materials request form, or you can also write us at the BMB address on the left.

BMB Graduate Program
Graduate Faculty
Applying to OHSU
Graduate Courses
Course Timeline

The BMB Graduate Program Director: David Farrens, Ph.D., farrensd at ohsu.edu or 503-494-0583.

The BMB Graduate Student Coordinator, Jeni Wroblewski, wroblews@ohsu.edu or 503-494-2541.

You can request a brochure and a graduate studies application via our materials request form,
or you can also write us at the BMB address on the left.

For more information about the graduate studies program please contact the graduate program director David Farrens, Ph.D., (farrensd at ohsu.edu). Other inquiries can be dircted to Guy Super, department administrator, at superg@ohsu.edu.
Last modified: November 6, 2007.