Curriculum Of The Multidisciplinary PhD Program In Biomedical Science

The curriculum includes a limited number of courses required of all students in the biomedical sciences (mostly focused on professional development), courses required of students in a particular track, and courses that fit the educational needs and research interests of the individual student. The emphasis is on a personalized curriculum for each student. Students will complete 24-30 credits of coursework and 10-16 credits of research prior to the Candidacy Exam in March/April of the second year. Research rotations begin in the first semester of the Multidisciplinary PhD Program, and it is anticipated that most students will have selected a thesis mentor and research laboratory by the summer at the end of the first year.

All Multidisciplinary PhD students take:
Introduction to Biomedical Sciences (5 credits)
Experimental Design & Statistics (2 credits)
Responsible Conduct of Research (1 credit)
Professional Skills I - Presentation Skills (1 credit)
Professional Skills II - Grantsmanship Skills (2 credits)

Track-specific curriculum:
(Courses will generally be 2 credits each)
1-5 required courses (select from a menu of courses)
2-4 elective courses related to research specialization
2-3 literature reading, presentation, and professional skills courses

Non-credit career development activities.
Research seminar series
Annual seminar presentation (GSA Symposium; Intra-department seminar series)
Annual Thesis Advisory Committee meeting and IDP (Individual Development Plan)
iJOBS and Alliance for Career Advancement (ACA) participation
External scientific meetings