|
Overview
Admissions
Application
Support
Teaching Minor
FAQ
Past Graduates
GSO
The PhD Dollar
Grad Guide
Graduate Courses
Departmental Retreat
Update form
MCDB Program
Overview
Timeline
Mentors
Requirements
- Courses
- Syllabus
- Graduate Ethics
- Rotations
- Teaching
- TA Policy
- Exams
- Comp FAQ
EE Program
Overview
Mentors
Requirements
- Courses
- Graduate Ethics
- Teaching
- Exams
- Comp FAQ
- OTS
- OTS Courses
MD/PhD Program
Overview
Awards
Crawford
McManus
Pisum
|
|
Dr. Deborah Chapman and Erin McFadden at the microscope.
Dr. Graham Hatfull and John Lewis study experimental results.
Jun Xu shows Dr. Roger Hendrix his latest work.
Interested in pursing graduate studies in Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology? Then take a closer look at our MCDB Program.
But please note that this program of study has a broad scope, and includes the areas of Genetics, Microbiology, Biochemistry and Virology among others.
This not only reflects the breadth of research interests of our faculty, but nicely complements our other graduate program in
Ecology and Evolution (EE).
If you are considering applying to graduate school, then you will have discovered that there are many similar sounding programs offered elsewhere.
We have designed our MCDB Program with two important goals in mind. First, that your Ph.D. is a high-quality qualification that generates a broad array of
career opportunities and enables you to fulfil your dreams. Second, that you can earn your Ph.D. within a reasonable time frame.
With these goals in mind we have structured our program with the following features:
- Size. We have found (not surprisingly) that the number of students in each entering class and in the program as a whole is a
critical factor. We currently accept 8-11 students in the MCDB Program each year and there are about 50 students in total. Thus each student gets close attention
from their faculty advisor, and gets to develop strong and lasting contacts with their classmates. It is also rare that a student is unable to enter a labortaory of their
choice on the basis of the number of students that are already there.
- Horses for courses. Failure in graduate school rarely is caused by a bad student, a bad mentor, or a bad project!
But it can occur if a student finds themselves in a lab that they don't like and are not motivated to do the research. To maximize the chances for students
to find the right lab for them, our MCDB students do three 10-week research rotations during their first year in virtually any of over twenty labs from which to
choose in a risk-free opportunity to identify a suitable lab for their dissertation project.
- Scientific impact. You can only get a first-rate graduate training if you have a first-rate mentor. Our faculty are energetic,
active, and have all achieved national and international reputations for their particular area of scientific investigation.
- Balance. Sticking your nose to the laboratory grindstone for four to five years non-stop might get you a Ph.D. but is it fun?
We try to provide a balanced training in an enjoyable environment. There are lots of seminars, research discussions and social events, as well as teaching opportunities
and possibilitires for attending both national and international conferences.
- Qualifications. There are three qualifications that you absolutely must have to join our MCDB Program.
Curiosity, curiosity and curiosity.
Nitty-gritty
What do I have to do to get my Ph.D. in your MCDB Program? The timeline for a typical graduate student may vary from
person to person, but there are a few constants. In their first year, students take a modular Core Course, a seminar course, and
do three research rotations from which they have over twenty faculty advisors to choose.
At the end of their first year, students begin their thesis work with their chosen mentor and typically defend their Ph. D. thesis after four years of research.
On the pages listed to the left, examine the mechanics of our graduate program. Then look over the research interests of our faculty,
and spend some time looking over some of the other ongoing, collaborative research projects in the Department. If you are looking
for a mid-sized program where you can get personal attention from a faculty of cutting-edge researchers, then you may have found a home.
|
