PROGRAMS OF STUDY

The Graduate School offers programs leading to both the Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees in the basic medical sciences. There are 10 different M.S. programs and 6 different Ph.D. programs offered, plus a dual-degree M.D./Ph.D. program, as indicated in the following table.

Each Master's program requires the student to earn a minimum of 30 credits and to write either a Master's Literature Review of a current field of investigation, based upon the student's reading and library research (Plan A), or a Master's Thesis, based upon original laboratory research performed by the student under the guidance of a Graduate Faculty mentor (Plan B). In either case, the Master's program may be completed in as short a time as two years. All the M.S. programs are designed with sufficient flexibility, however, that a student may pursue this degree on a part-time basis, taking as long as five years to complete the requirements. Didactic courses are offered during the evening, so that students may complete the M.S. programs while concurrently being employed full-time or undertaking a full-time laboratory research project.

The Graduate School's Ph.D. programs require the student to earn 45 course credits and an additional 15 credits of dissertation research. At an intermediary stage in the program, each successful Ph.D. student must pass a Qualifying Exam, which is a comprehensive test of the candidate's suitability for advancing to the dissertation phase of the program. Each successful Ph.D. candidate must complete a significant body of original laboratory research, under the guidance of a Graduate Faculty mentor, and write and defend a doctoral dissertation based upon this work. The Ph.D. requirements may be completed in as short a time as four years of full-time effort, although the normal completion time is five to six years. It is generally not advisable to attempt to complete a Ph.D. program with anything less than a full- time effort, although certain accommodations may be feasible in exceptional circumstances. Leaves of absence for childbirth or other acceptable reasons are allowed for and should not, in themselves, be viewed as insurmountable obstacles to the successful pursuit of a Ph.D. degree. Most or all of the credits earned in pursuit of an M.S. degree can also be applied towards Ph.D. degree requirements, so students who begin their studies in a Master's program can later complete a Ph.D. program with minimal loss of time.

The M.D./Ph.D. program can be undertaken in any of the Graduate School's Ph.D. disciplines. Successful completion of the first two years of the medical school curriculum is required, plus a limited number of advanced graduate courses. The major activity of the Ph.D. portion of the program involves research training and completion of an original dissertation research project.

Each of the Graduate School's M.S. and Ph.D. programs are supervised by one of the six basic science departments of the College. The one exception to this rule is the M.S. Program in the Basic Medical Sciences, which is offered as an interdisciplinary program that spans all the basic medical sciences. The Department of Experimental Pathology offers three different specialized M.S. programs with concentrations in either Environmental Pathology, Toxicological Pathology or Applied Environmental Science and Health, in addition to its more general Experimental Pathology M.S. track.

The different programs all follow the same broad structure outlined above. Each program, however, has different specific course requirements, and may also have different specific admission requirements. The format of the Ph.D. Qualifying Exam may vary from one program to another. In the section that follows, general degree requirements, common to all programs, are presented. Following that, the various M.S. and Ph.D. programs are presented in more detail under the heading of the appropriate basic science discipline. In addition, information is presented about the faculty in each department and the courses offered. In general, the courses offered by each department are available as electives for students in other programs.

While every effort has been made to ensure that this Bulletin contains accurate descriptions of program, degree and course requirements, and the various Graduate School regulations, these requirements and regulations are subject to change at any time. Such changes are announced and promulgated in various ways to ensure wide-spread dissemination of this information, but it remains the student's responsibility to be aware of changes that may affect his or her program of study and pursuit of a degree.