Program Curriculum
Master of Science Program
Specific Program Requirements (Hegis Code 0410)
Students must achieve an overall “B” average in all physiology courses (GPA = 3.00 or better). In addition, for all physiology required and elective courses, only those in which a grade of B- or better has been earned may count towards fulfilling the degree requirements. Elective credits are normally earned only through advanced physiology courses, but advanced courses offered by other departments may qualify for elective credit with the approval of the physiology program director. Only didactic (letter-graded) courses may be used to fulfill elective credit requirements.
PLAN A: A minimum of 30 credits is required, including the one-credit Master’s Literature Review.
| Required Courses | |
| Mammalian Physiology I & II (PHYS–1010, 1020) | 8 credits |
| Pharmacology I and II (PHARM–1010, 1020) OR General Biochemistry I & II (BIOC–1010, 1020) | 8 credits |
| Lectures in Histology (CELL–1320) OR Cell Biology (CELL–1360) OR Biochemistry of Gene Expression (BIOC–1250) | 3 - 4 credits |
| Master's Literature Review (PHYS–9750) | 1 credit |
| Electives – Physiology | 9 - 10 credits |
TOTAL |
30 credits |
PLAN B: A minimum of 30 credits is required, including a one-credit Master’s Thesis.
| Required Courses | |
| Mammalian Physiology I & II (PHYS–1010, 1020) | 8 credits |
| Pharmacology I and II (PHARM–1010, 1020) OR General Biochemistry I & II (BIOC–1010, 1020) | 8 credits |
| Histology (CELL–1320) OR Cell Biology (CELL–1360) OR Biochemistry of Gene Expression (BIOC–1250) | 3 - 4 credits |
| Master's Thesis Research (PHYS– 9800) | up to 5 credits |
| Master's Thesis (PHYS–9850) | 1 credit |
| Electives – Physiology | 4 - 10 credits |
TOTAL |
30 credits |
Doctor of Philosophy
Specific Program Requirements (Hegis Code 0410)
Candidates for the Ph.D. degree are required to complete a minimum of 45 course credits as listed below. PHYS–8300 must be taken each Spring and PHYS–8010 and PHYS–8020 each semester in residence, but only 1 credit per course may be counted toward the 45-credit program requirement.
| Required Courses | |
| Mammalian Physiology I & II (PHYS–1010, 1020) | 8 credits |
| Pharmacology I and II (PHARM–1010, 1020) | 8 credits |
| General Biochemistry I & II (BIOC–1010, 1020) | 8 credits |
| Lectures in Histology (CELL–1320) OR Cell Biology (CELL–1360) OR Biochemistry of Gene Expression (BIOC–1250) | 3 - 4 credits |
| Predoctoral Research Rotation (PHYS–9110) | 3 credits* |
| Practical Laboratory (PHYS–8300) | 1 credit* |
| Journal Club (PHYS–8010) | 1 credit* |
| Seminar/ Research Rounds (PHYS–8020) | 1 credit* |
Physiology Electives |
11 - 12 credits |
Subtotal, course credits |
45 credits |
| Doctoral Dissertation Research (PHYS-9900) | 15 credits |
TOTAL |
60 credits |
*These courses may be taken multiple times, but only the indicated number of credits may be applied to Ph.D. credit requirements.
Qualifying Examination
This exam consists of two parts.
Part 1: Ph.D. students must take a Preliminary Exam after the first year of study. This exam consists of essay questions on topics in all aspects of cellular and systems physiology. The written exam is followed by an oral examination on selected topics.
Part 2: After the second year, the candidate's are tested for in-depth knowledge of their field of specialization and their capacity for critical analysis. This involves preparation of a written scholarly review of an assigned topic, followed by a formal oral presentation of the topic and oral examination by the faculty.
Candidacy
The student is eligible to enter doctoral candidacy after successful completion of both parts of the Qualifying Exam, the accumulation of at least 30 didactic credits including all the required courses, and the recommendation of the program faculty. M.D./Ph.D. students are eligible for candidacy under the same conditions except that the credit requirement consists only of the required graduate courses and the Qualifying Exam consists of the modified version described above.
Dissertation Committee
The dissertation committee must comprise at least 5 members, including the sponsor, at least three members of the Physiology Graduate Faculty and one graduate faculty member from another program. One member may be from another institution. The research sponsor serves as chair of the committee.