Ph.D. in Biomedical Science: Area of ConcentrationGenetics & Developmental Biology
Program of Study
The Genetics and Developmental Biology program provides qualified
students with fundamental interdisciplinary training in modern molecular
genetics and developmental biology, emphasizing cellular and molecular
aspects as well as tissue interactions. Areas of research include the
mapping and cloning of human genes responsible for disease, RNA
processing (including RNA editing, alternative splicing, antisense
regulation, and RNA interference), the molecular mechanisms of aging,
signal transduction pathways, microbial pathogenesis, developmental
neurobiology, cell differentiation, musculoskeletal development,
morphogenesis and pattern formation, reproductive biology and
endocrinology. Faculty members are from several basic science and
clinical departments and study a wide range of organisms including
yeast, worms, fruit flies, mice, and humans. Students are encouraged to
obtain in-depth training in molecular genetics and developmental
biology. The program prepares students to compete for job opportunities
in traditional medical and dental school departments as well as a
productive research career in either academia or industry.
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Major Advisor and the Advisory (Thesis)
Committee
Upon entering the Biomedical Sciences program, student's will be
assigned an advisory committee to assist in the selection of suitable
courses and rotation laboratories. At the end of the first year of
study, students will select a major advisor who will be responsible for
both the course work and research components of the student's doctoral
program. The major advisor will work with the student to formulate an
advisory committee. This committee will be composed of at least two
other members of the Genetics and Developmental Biology graduate
program. Together with the major advisor, the committee will monitor the
student's progress, organize a plan of study (i.e., select courses to be
taken) and serve in a general advisory capacity. The committee, with the
major advisor, will construct and administer the preliminary (general)
examination. After completion of the preliminary examination, the
advisory committee will serve as a Ph.D. thesis advisory committee. This
committee may be expanded to up to five members. The additional advisor
may be a member of the graduate faculty of either another program here
at the Health Center or another university who is considered to be an
expert in the area of the student's dissertation research.
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Course of Study
With the guidance of the major advisor and the advisory committee, the
student will develop an individualized course of study. This course of
study must be submitted as a formal plan of study. This plan of study
must be submitted and approved by the Graduate School before the end of
the second year of graduate study. This plan consists of a list and
sequence of courses that the student will need to complete as part of
his/her Ph.D. program. The Ph.D. course work will consist of 44 credit
hours beyond the BS degree or 24 hours beyond the MS degree. Detailed information regarding the plan of study as well as the numerous
ways to fulfill the language requirement are outlined in the
Graduate School Student
Handbook.
In general the student will take formal course work during the first two
years. Note that a student is required to register for the Genetics and
Developmental Biology Journal Club every semester with a one semester
exemption for a student writing his/her dissertation. A generalized plan
for the first year is outlined below:
Year 1: Fall Semester
MEDS 350 - Biochemistry I, 4 credits
MEDS 365 - Genetics I, 3 credits
MEDS 310 - Responsible Conduct in Research, 1 credit
MEDS 323 - Genetics & Dev. Biology Journal Club, 1 credit
MEDS 496 - Lab Rotation, 1 credit
Year 1: Spring Semester
MEDS 380 - Cell Biology I, 4 credits
MEDS 497 - Intro to Devel Biol, 2 credits
MEDS 323 - Genetics & Dev. Biology Journal Club, 1 credit
MEDS 496 - Lab Rotation, 1 credit
Note: Lab Rotation (MEDS 496) may also be taken during the Summer
prior to the Fall semester and/or after the Spring semester.
During the second year, the student's plan of study should include
course work which can be selected from graduate-level courses that are
offered at the Health Center. To remain eligible for continued
assistantship support, second year students must complete at least 8
credits of regularly-graded courses/year. A generalized course of study
for the second year is presented below.
Year 2: Fall Semester
MEDS 369 - Advanced Genetics, 3 credits*
MEDS 322 - Sp. Topics in Genetics & Dev. Biology, 3 credits*
MEDS 495 - Independent study, 2 credits
MEDS 323 - Genetics & Dev. Biology Journal Club, 1 credit
Year 2: Spring Semester
MEDS 376 - Developmental Neurobiology, 3 credits*
MEDS 322 - Sp. Topics in Genetics &Dev. Biology, 3 credits*
MEDS 325 - Practical Applications of Seq. Analysis, 2 crd.*
MEDS 323 - Genetics & Dev. Biology Journal Club, 1 credit
*Electives may be taken from any of the course offerings. The
following is a list of some of the recommended elective courses:
MEDS 369 - Advanced Genetics, 3 credits
MEDS 376 - Developmental Neurobiology, 3 credits
MEDS 322+ - Sp. Topics in Genetics & Dev. Biology, 3 credits
MEDS 325 - Practical Applications of Seq. Analysis, 2 credits
MEDS 351 - Biochemistry II, 3 credits
MEDS 329 - Core Immunology, 2 credits
MEDS 467 - Biostatistics, 3 credits
+To insure that the Genetics and Developmental Biology students are
exposed to the most up-to-date information, a series of Special Topics
Courses in Genetics and Developmental Biology (MEDS 322) have been
developed. These courses are offered in the Fall and Spring semesters
and meet for 3 h/week for 7 weeks. Two special topics courses are
offered successively each semester. A list of some of the topics covered
in MEDS 322 recently is below:
- Human Genetics
- Developmental Drosophila Genetics
- Cell and Tissue Interaction
- Fertilization and Early Development
- Signal Transduction in Development
- Hormones in Development
- The Regulation of Gene Expression in the Nervous System
- Genomic Imprinting
The major focus of the third, fourth and if necessary the fifth year
of graduate study will be on the completion of the thesis.
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Lab Rotations
Students are encouraged to set up their lab rotations as soon as
possible. Students will perform rotations in three different
laboratories during the first year. Ideally, the first rotation will
occur during the first Summer. During each rotation, the student will
spend one full time semester, or summer, in a laboratory learning
research procedures. These rotations are designed to allow the student
to get a detailed exposure to the research interest of different
laboratories before selecting a major advisor under whom the student
will do his/her dissertation research.
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Summary of the Course of Study
As outline above, there are three ways to earn the 44 credits required
for a Ph.D.: regular courses, journal clubs and lab
rotations/independent studies. It is suggested that the 44 credit hours
be distributed in the following manner. Regular course work should
comprise 21 credit hours with 15 of these credits taken in the first
year. Special topics courses may account for 9 credit hours and at least
8 credit hours be from the Genetics and Developmental Biology journal
clubs. Additional credit hours should be taken as lab
rotations/independent study. Fifteen credits must be of Graduate
Research, typically GRAD 495.
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Preliminary (General) Exam
In general, the student will take most all of the formal course work
during the first two years of study. However, the students are
encouraged to take their preliminary examination after their third
semester of course work. All students are expected to take the
preliminary examination by the end of the second academic year. Passing
this exam is important in that it formally admits the student to
doctoral candidacy. The purpose of this examination is for the student
to demonstrate his/her readiness to pursue independent research leading
to the Ph.D. degree. The format of the preliminary examination includes
both written and oral components as required by regulations of the
Graduate School. The written component takes the form of a NIH-style
grant proposal based on the subject of the student's thesis research. To
initiate the examination process, the student will meet with their
advisory committee to approve a set of specific aims that will be the
basis for the grant proposal. The student will be given 4 weeks from the
date of this meeting to complete the written proposal, at which time
they will hand it out to no fewer than five faculty members, including
all of the member of the advisory committee, who will participate in the
oral examination of the student. Typically 1 week after completing the
written component, the student will take an oral examination
administered by the five faculty members who reviewed the written
proposal. The oral examination will mainly focus on the content of the
grant proposal, but the student is expected to be prepared to answer
questions on any aspect of Genetics and Developmental Biology which flow
out of the grant/questions. This allows the examiners to explore the
ability of the candidate to relate basic science knowledge and
principles to problem solving and scientific thinking. Both the written
and oral exams will be graded on a pass-fail basis. The final decision
on the candidates performance will be made by the advisory committee,
unless the advisory committee have voted to include the two additional
examiners in the decision-making process. In the event that the advisory
committee determines that the student's performance is unsatisfactory,
the committee shall either recommend dismissal or prescribe the specific
course of action that the student must satisfactorily complete to remedy
the unsatisfactory performance. The amount of time available for
completion must be specified at this time.
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Thesis Prospectus
An outline of the student's proposed research project must be completed
within 12 months of passing the preliminary exam. This prospectus must
be filed on specific forms obtained at the Graduate School Office.
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Oral Defense/Final Exam and the Dissertation
The final exam will be an oral exam that will deal mainly with the
subject matter of the student's dissertation. Details regarding the
preparation of a dissertation can be found in the Graduate School
Student Handbook (http://grad.uchc.edu/handbook.html).
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Summary of Major Events
First Year:
1. Course work, approximately 20 hours
2. Laboratory rotations
3. Genetics and Developmental Biology Journal Club
Second Year:
1. Selection of major/thesis advisor
2. Additional course work per plan of study; language requirement
satisfied
3. Plan of study submitted after 12 credits are completed
4. Genetics and Developmental Biology Journal Club
5. Preliminary (General) Exam
Third Year:
1. Initiation/continuation of thesis research
2. Genetics and Developmental Biology Journal Club
3. Preparation of dissertation prospectus
Fourth and Fifth Year(s):
1. Thesis research completed; thesis written and approved
2. Genetics and Developmental Biology Journal Club
3. Oral/Final Exam
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