TYPICAL GRADUATE PROGRAM OF STUDY

Below are the major activities in which a graduate student in the Department of Molecular and Medical Genetics participates during their years in the graduate program. This is a typical program and students may have modifications of this program according to individual needs.

First Year

• Coursework 
  
• • Begin required and elective courses
    
  • Seminars (Departmental and PMCB)
    
  • PMCB Literature Club
    
• Research Rotation – All students are required to rotate in at least three different laboratories during the first year.  The laboratories are selected by the student.  Each rotation lasts one quarter (10 weeks) and the course loads are light enough that students are able to spend more than 20 hours per week in the laboratory. Rotation students are expected to become fully integrated into the laboratory so that they are exposed to the primary methodologies and research approaches of the rotation advisor.  At the end of the third lab rotation, students are expected to choose a dissertation advisor, but additional rotations are available if needed.
  
• Meetings with the PMCB Advising Committee - During the first two years, the student will be mentored by a PMCB advisor, appointed by the PMCB Advisory Committee.  Each student meets quarterly with the PMCB Advising Committee, a group of faculty representing each department. Discussions generally center on the research rotations, progress on the core curriculum, course electives, the general direction of the student's research interests, and the choice of thesis lab and advisor. The Advising Committee is responsible for monitoring the student's progress to candidacy.
  
• Select a Dissertation Advisor – At the end of the third term, students choose a dissertation advisor.
  
• Select a Department – At the end of the third term students choose one of five participating departments as their home base.  The student is expected to follow the academic guidelines and course requirements of the chosen department in order to successfully complete the PhD program.  
  
• First Year Comprehensive Written Exam - At the end of the summer of the first year, PMCB students take a written comprehensive qualifying exam that tests their ability to think scientifically using concepts covered during the first year of coursework. The comprehensive exam is prepared by the PMCB Examination Committee. The exam is divided into two parts and administered over two days. The first part of the exam consists of a series of questions requiring essay-style answers that gauge the student's grasp of the core concepts of biochemistry, genetics and cell and developmental biology (CON661-664). The second part of the exam gauges the student's ability to read and interpret scientific literature. For this part of the exam, students are provided with six journal articles one week prior to the test. Students are tested on their ability to interpret the data, explain methodologies, identify strengths and weaknesses, and integrate the results of the paper into the larger fields of molecular and cell biology.

Second Year

• Coursework – students complete course requirements for their selected department.  Typical requirements for the Department of Molecular and Medical Genetics are outlined below.  To view course descriptions click here.
  
• • Complete required and elective courses
  • Departmental Seminars
  • Departmental Journal Club
  • Molecular and Medical Genetics Grand Rounds Series
    
• Research – initiate explorative research in the laboratory of the thesis advisor to identify possible dissertation topics.
  
• Qualifying Exam - by the end of the second year, and when required classes have been completed, students prepare a written research proposal focused on a topic they select, and distinct from his or her own research. The proposal is written in the style of an NRSA application. A PMCB Qualifying Exam Committee consisting of five faculty members then evaluates the written proposal and examines them orally on the proposal. Three members of the committee are members of the student's selected department and two members are from other departments. In addition, a member of the PMCB steering committee will attend the examination as a non-voting observer. The student is expected to answer questions regarding the scientific background, rationale, and methodologies of the proposal. Upon successful completion of this two-part qualifying exam (written proposal and oral defense), the student is advanced to candidacy.
  
• Dissertation Advisory Committee - Once the student has advanced to candidacy his or her dissertation advisory committee takes over the responsibility of advising the student.  The Dissertation Advisory Committee is chosen by the student and mentor in coordination with the Department Chairperson. The student typically meets once a year with the Dissertation Advisory Committee to discuss research progress (more often if the student or committee deems it valuable) until it is determined that the quality and scope of the work is sufficient to submit a doctoral dissertation.

Subsequent Years

• Attend and Participate in Departmental Seminars and Journal Clubs
  
• Continue Dissertation Research – under the direction of thesis advisor and thesis advisory committee
  
• Annual Dissertation Advisory Committee Meetings
  
• Complete Dissertation Research and Write Dissertation
  
• Dissertation Defense - consists of a public seminar followed immediately by a question-and-answer session with the Dissertation Committee. This session is also public but only members of the dissertation committee are allowed to test and ask questions of the student.

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