COURSE OF STUDY FOR PH.D.

• Introduction
• First Year
• Second and Subsequent Years
• Dissertation Defense

Introduction

The program's Graduate Studies Committee assists each entering student in tailoring a program to match his or her interests First year students take courses in a core curriculum taught by the faculties from the medical basic science departments. Courses are taught not only by formal lectures but also as seminars and informal discussions. The curriculum is designed to provide broad knowledge in the various aspects of modern cell biology, developmental biology, molecular biology and biochemistry in addition to intensive training in certain specialized areas of research according to the student's interests In the remaining years of study, nearly all of the student's time is spent on original laboratory research Students are usually admitted in the fall semester Minimum credit requirements for the Ph.D. degree are set by the University at 36 course credits and 24 credit hours of research. The course credits must be earned in graduate level (500 and above) courses Students may elect to take any of the other graduate courses offered by this program, or to choose from a large variety of advanced courses offered by other departments at the University of Miami. At the beginning of the first summer session students are required to take the comprehensive examination. This exam is designed to test the student's ability to integrate basic information and concepts and to design and defend a research proposal. During the summer the student is required to work in the laboratory of one of the faculty This will generally be the laboratory in which the student intends to do his/her thesis research.

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Core Courses for the First Three Semesters

Notes:
1) Award of the Ph.D. degree requires at least 60 credit hours beyond the Bachelors= Degree.
2) At least 24 hours must be in residence at the University of Miami.
3) Students must be enrolled for at least 9 credit hours/semester to maintain full time status.

Student orientation - During the first week of the semester, there will be a student orientation to discuss these requirements and the qualifying exam. This will be followed by a reception.

Lab Rotations

The rotations courses will be divided into three parts. The first 6 weeks will be a basic techniques section, coordinated by Dr. Grotendorst. During this period, the students will attend two sessions per week learning the principles of some commonly used protocol or technique. This section followed by 2 research rotations of approximately 12 weeks in length, in 2 different labs. The lab rotations will be arranged by the student selecting a lab, requesting to do a rotation and being accepted by the mentor as a rotation student. If necessary, a third rotation may be done in the summer.

The basic techniques section will open to students in this program ONLY! It will be team taught and cover the topics listed on the attached outline. It will include the radiation training and authorization seminar given by the Radiation Safety Office. Film badges for the first year students will be paid for by the program. During this time, the students will discuss rotation projects with 5 faculty members (confirmed by the signature of the faculty member). At the beginning of the semester, each faculty member should submit a brief summary of rotation projects available in their lab. These will be distributed to the students. The grading of the basic techniques section will be pass/fail.

The grading of the research rotations will be pass/fail. The evaluation will be based on an oral presentation (20 min. And 10 min. For questions) by the student to a committee consisting of the rotation mentor and 2 other faculty members. The rotation mentor will submit a confidential written evaluation of the student in a standard format to be designed by the Curriculum committee. It will include a statement regarding the willingness of the mentor to accept the student into the lab for their thesis research.

Faculty/Student Research Meetings - Each week, the first year students will have lunch with one of the faculty members. During this meeting, they will discuss a recent paper from the lab of the faculty member and research possibilities in the lab.

Seminar course (CBA 601)

First year students must attend the departmental seminars and will be graded pass/fail based on their attendance. Second year students will be expected to give a 30 minute seminar which together with their attendance will be part of their grade. The student seminars will be presented as part of the regular seminar series, once each month, but the notices will not be sent outside the department. Refreshments will be served at these presentations.

Admission to Candidacy

In order to be admitted to candidacy, students must pass both parts of a two part qualifying exam.
Component A
The students will be given a one day written exam comprised of questions to test the students general knowledge in Modern Cell Biology. The exam will be graded on a pass/fail basis by graduate faculty members, as assigned by the Steering Committee.
Component B
In the Fall semester of the 2nd year, each student must write a mini-grant on a topic different from his thesis, but may be related. The topic would be chosen by the student and approved by the student=s mentor and a member of the curriculum committee. The student should form a 4 member thesis committee by March. An abstract of the mini-grant must be approved before the beginning of the Spring semester finals. The mini-grant will be written after Spring finals and be completed in 4 weeks. The student will then submit the grant to the committee and orally present and defend the proposal to the committee within 2 weeks. The mini-grant would consist of no more than 10 pages and have between 20 and 50 references. This component of qualifying exam should be completed by the beginning of June.

To be admitted to candidacy the student must have completed all of the following:
1. Passed and/or received a B or better in all courses.
2. Pass written qualifier exam.
3. Pass component B of the qualifier exam.
4. Be accepted by a faculty member as a dissertation student.

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Second and Subsequent Years of Study

Students will take Seminar, research, and 610 courses to complete the number of units required for Ph.D. degree.

610 courses TBA.

Possible elective courses:
Advanced Cell Biology
Tumor Biology
Virology
Membranes
Signal transduction
Immunology
Research Opportunities in Human Disease
Histology - Basic Tissues
BMB 610 Advanced Topics (Miami Winter Symposium), Dr. Whelan, 3 credits

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Dissertation Defense

Students are generally expected to complete their studies in about four to five years. On completion of the laboratory work and on the recommendation of the student's committee, she/he will write the thesis As required by the rules of the Graduate School this draft thesis will be reviewed by the committee prior to the final defense. Combined Degree Program. The School of Medicine has established full tuition scholarships for exceptionally qualified and motivated students who are interested in obtaining both the M.D. and Ph.D. degree. The combined degree program takes about seven years to complete. In addition to a full tuition scholarship to medical school, accepted students will receive a tuition waiver and stipend for the graduate portion of the program. Applicants should apply to the Medical School indicating their interest in obtaining a Ph.D. in Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology. Write to Dr. Robert Hinkley, Office of Admissions (M 803), The University of Miami School of Medicine, P O Box 016159, Miami, Florida, 33101, U.S.A. Postgraduate Training. The Program has numerous openings for postdoctoral training in research as well. Inquiries as to the availability of postdoctoral positions may be addressed directly to the faculty member whose research area is of interest .

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