Curriculum for the PhD

The Toxicology graduate curriculum consists of several components: (1) core course requirements, (2) seminar requirements, (3) elective course requirements, and (4) experimental research. It is our belief that research is the most important part of this doctoral training program. As such, the PhD degree is awarded only after a student has conducted an independent, hypothesis driven research project and then written a dissertation that demonstrates a high level of intellectual competence.

A total of 96 credit hours are required to complete the PhD program and The Graduate School requires an academic load of 16 credit hours per semester. A minimum of 30 graduate credit hours must be accumulated before taking the qualifying examination. The credits are accumulated from core courses, electives, seminars, and research (TOX 595, PhD Research in Toxicology); of the total, 24 credit hours must be course work credit. Given that toxicology is highly interdisciplinary, our curriculum reflects that a thorough grounding in basic sciences is indispensable. To ensure that our trainees obtain broad and in- depth knowledge necessary for success, in addition to the Core Curriculum, 6 credit hours as electives are required, and at least 3 of these credits must be from toxicology (TOX) electives.

Core Curriculum (required courses)

Exemptions from the Core Curriculum

A student who is interested in an exemption from any core course listed above should discuss this with the Program Directors, who will help determine whether this may be appropriate. Students should come to this meeting with the details about the content of prior graduate-
level courses (description, syllabus) and the grade earned. After a review of this material, the Program Director may advise the student to take the required course or the Program Director will approve and recommend that the student proceed to request a formal exemption. To do this, the student must submit a signed waiver form along with the information mentioned above. The request then needs to be reviewed and approved by the course instructor and the Senior Associate Dean for Graduate Education. The instructions and the form (Course Waiver) for making this request are found on the GEPA website on the forms page at the following link:https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/education/graduate/home/forms.aspx

This seminar is designed to give graduate students experience presenting scientific content to an audience of peers and experts, refine public speaking skills, and to assist in the development of the student’s ability to identify critical problems and ask critical questions regarding a particular research area. Therefore, in addition to giving an oral presentation, all students are required to attend and be active participants in the course by asking questions and by providing written feedback to peers. The seminar must be taken 4 times before the thesis defense. It is offered every spring semester. Students in years 1-4 are required to register for and attend all seminars. Students in year 5+ are strongly encouraged to continue to attend the seminars.

First year students After consultation with the Course Director, first year students will give a presentation that will generally be derived from topics pertinent to toxicology and environmental health. Commonly, the topic is closely associated with one of the laboratories in which the student has rotated. Second-, third-, and fourth-year students will present a seminar based on their ongoing research. The order of student presentations will be distributed just prior to the start of the term and will generally proceed alphabetically by year, with the fourth-year students going at the start of the term and first year students presenting at the end of the term. A grade below a B- will necessitate repeating the course by the student (i.e., registering for the course and giving an oral presentation during the 5th year). Poor attendance can result in a failing grade. If a student misses their seminar and it cannot be rescheduled in the same semester, this may necessitate taking the course a fifth time.

Prior to the PhD thesis defense, a minimum of 6 credit hours must be earned from elective courses, and at least 3 of these credits must be from toxicology (TOX) electives. The selection of a strong supplementary course program should be conducted in consultation with the student’s faculty mentor and thesis advisory committee. Some recommendations are provided below. However, this list is by no means exhaustive and the frequency of these course offerings is approximate (see the link below for the Course Directory). While the Program strives to keep updated with elective offerings and schedules, it is important that you check the scope and availability of courses in any given year since offerings change over time: https://cdcs.ur.rochester.edu/

Toxicology Electives*

Selected Additional Electives ^A

Concentrations

The Toxicology Program has two NY State-approved concentrations: Bioinformatics and Cancer Biology. These require additional electives. For more information, see the Program website.

Students continue to earn credit through their last FULL semester. Once all other coursework is completed, students must register for 16 credit hours of TOX 595 (Research in Toxicology) each semester.