THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF BASIC MEDICAL SCIENCES

The Graduate School of Basic Medical Sciences (referred to hereafter as the Graduate School) offers many attractions to the student wishing to pursue graduate study in the basic sciences related to medicine.

The Graduate Faculty includes excellent teachers and investigators of national and international reputation, who are on the cutting edge of research in their respective fields. The Graduate Faculty consists of approximately 85 individuals with primary or secondary appointments in the basic science departments. All have earned doctoral degrees.

The student:faculty ratio is low - only about 2 to 1 when all enrolled students are considered. Class size is also favorably small. The largest survey courses include only 30-50 students while many of the advanced courses have fewer than 15 students. Thus, the opportunity for individual attention from instructors is excellent. All programs include the opportunity for students to work in a research laboratory, where they receive individual, hands-on training from faculty and other experienced senior laboratory staff. Ph.D. students, of course, receive immeasurable and invaluable individual attention from their mentors while they are conducting their dissertation research.

The College faculty, led by the faculty of the Graduate School, annually attracts over $40 million dollars in external funding for its biomedical research projects. The Graduate School's basic science departments currently house two NIH program project grants, four MERIT investigators and numerous other well-funded research programs.

The physical resources available to students in the Graduate School are excellent. The College's research laboratories, located in the Basic Sciences Building and other adjacent buildings, are equipped with state-of-the-art investigative equipment that provides the capacity for protein sequencing, mass spectometry, gas or liquid (HPLC) chromatography, confocal and intravital microscopy, cell cytometry, in vivo physiological monitoring and other advanced research techniques. Our Comparative Medicine Facility, which is fully accredited by the prestigious Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care, provides excellent housing and husbandry for research animals. Specialized accommodations for large, small, and pathogen-free animals are available. Several small "procedure rooms" are also available for sterile surgery, diagnostic testing, and veterinary treatment.

The Medical Sciences Library contains an extensive collection of periodicals and books relevant to the medical science disciplines. On-line computer databases and journals allow remote access to the current scientific literature, gene libraries, factual reference material, and other retrievable information. An expanding collection of videotapes, software and other educational material is available for student use.

The Graduate School is located on a large, safe, and attractive campus in suburban Valhalla. The campus contains significant open and wooded space, and has a pleasant rural atmosphere. The uncrowded campus nevertheless includes not only the facilities of the Graduate School, but also buildings housing the College Administration, the College's School of Public Health, several clinical research labs and research institutes, and the Westchester Medical Center, an excellent tertiary medical care facility.

A cafeteria in the Basic Sciences Building serves hot and cold food and snacks. There is a Bookstore, adjacent to the cafeteria, which sells textbooks, stationery supplies and other miscellaneous items. The Academic Computer Center, located in the Learning Center, offers graduate and medical students access to computers and personal instruction on computer use. The Center for Interactive Learning, a state-of-the-art multi-media classroom and studio, permits videoconferencing and interactive distance learning opportunities - e.g., for specialty conferences downloaded from a satellite feed. Our campus computer network allows easy access from throughout the campus to e-mail, the Internet, and an extensive intranet of databases, reference material and programs. There are several meeting rooms and lounges available for use by individual students or student groups.

The Student Health Service is located within the Basic Sciences Building. Attractive new student housing is located on campus, less than a five-minute's walk from the front door of the Basic Sciences Building. Extensive shopping, recreation and entertainment are available within short distances from the campus. New York City, with all its cultural attractions, is 25 miles to the south, and is accessible by public transportation.

Between 1969 and 2002, the Graduate School of Basic Medical Sciences has awarded 267 Ph.D. degrees and 452 M.S. degrees. During the past five years (1998-2002), 50 Ph.D. degrees (average of 10 per year) and 118 M.S. degrees (average of 24 per year) have been conferred. For the Fall 2002 semester, our enrollment included 54 Ph.D. students, 74 Master's students, and a number of undeclared students (non-matriculants) who have not yet decided upon a program of study.