Neurobiology and Anatomy Home Page

Department of Neurobiology & Anatomy

Education

Graduate Education Medical Education Academic Honors Program in Medical Neurobiology (M.D.-M.S.) Application to Ph.D. Program Undergraduate Education Department History

MD-PhD Program Requirements

Year 1

Fall

Spring

Lab Rotations

Two lab rotations are typically completed during the first two years of medical school.

1 Electives

Students are required to complete at least 6 credits of elective in the first year of graduate school.

2 Statistics Requirement

All students must demonstrate a proficiency in statistics. This may be met by STT 463 Introduction to Biostatistics, BCS 510 Data Analysis or equivalent. This is best completed in years 1 or 2, depending upon scheduling. In cases where students have completed statistics coursework previously, they may petition the NBA Graduate Education Committee for a waiver.

Thesis Advisor

By the end of spring semester of the first year, students are expected to select an advisor and laboratory for their PhD dissertation project.

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Year 2 & Beyond

Fall

Advanced students in NBA are expected to attend

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Other Requirements & Related Details

3 Journal Club (ANA 521) options in the NBA Graduate Program:

Qualifying Exam (Part I)

The Part 1 exam determines whether a student is qualified to pursue further studies toward completion of a PhD dissertation. Each student with the help of their advisor will select a committee of 3 faculty with expertise in the area of their research. Together, they will select at least 50 relevant papers to be read by the student during a ~2 month period. The student will formulate and submit exam questions to the Examination Committee based upon these readings. The Committee will select a subset of these questions, and supplement them with several of its own. For the exam, the student will compose written answers to these questions over a period of several days. (Must be completed no later than August 1st following the 4th semester of graduate studies)

Qualifying Exam (Part II): Thesis Proposal

Written (NIH pre-doc application format) as well as oral presentations, and a defense with the Thesis Committee. (Must be completed by the end of the 5th semester of graduate studies).

PhD Dissertation and Defense

After the successful completion of the Part II Qualifying Exam and completion of the thesis research project, students submit a written dissertation of their work for review by the Thesis Committee. Students present their project in a lecture to the community, followed by a closed defense of their research with the Thesis Committee.

Thesis Advisor

Students are expected to select a Thesis Advisor and laboratory for their PhD dissertation project by the end of spring semester of year 1. The Thesis Advisor must be an appointee in NBA (primary or secondary). Collaborative efforts with faculty outside NBA are encouraged, and co-advisorships are possible with approval by the NBA Graduate Committee.

Thesis Committee

The student and their Thesis Advisor will assemble the Committee by the fall of year 2 of graduate study. In addition to the Thesis Advisor, three tenure-track faculty must be included, of which two must be NBA faculty and one outside the Department. The committee will meet at least once per year and provide a written evaluation of the student's progress. An additional member from outside the University is encouraged to join the Committee for the thesis defense (requires special approval by the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies).

The medical school curriculum: Students satisfy several NBA requirements, including HSF and MBB, and 2 lab rotations during the first two years of their medical school curriculum. Upon entering graduate school, M.D./Ph.D. students are expected to display proficiency in biostatistics, complete at least 2 graduate level elective courses of their choosing (a minimum of 6 credits), and complete a teaching tutorial.