Requirements for the Graduate Program in Biochemistry

(Updated Spring 2005)

1. Course work for the Ph.D.:

Ph.D. students with a Masters degree should take 22 - 24 credits total course work including the requirements given below. All other students need a total of 44 - 48 credits of coursework, comprising at least 22 - 24 credits of course work plus at least 15 credits of GRAD 495. All students should participate in the Departmental Graduate Seminar (MCB 374) and present their research results once each year while in the program. In addition, graduate students are encouraged to take a rotation of one credit of research (MCB 397) during each of their first two semesters in the program. No foreign language is required for the Ph.D. in Biochemistry.

2. Background course required:

MCB 204/301 (undergraduate or graduate biochemistry) or equivalent. Students with insufficient background in biochemistry are encouraged to take MCB 301 (or its equivalent without a lab as MCB 396) during their first semester.

Courses required:

MCB 312- Foundations of Structural Biochemistry

MCB 313- Structure and Function of Biological Macromolecules

Additional course requirements:

At least one course from column A and one from column B .

3. Oral Examination of Prospectus for Ph.D. students:

Students must defend a thesis-related or unrelated oral proposal by the end of their 4 th semester in the program. The proposal, comprising 15-20 double-spaced pages excluding references, should be based on a prospectus written in the style of an NIH application describing a student's planned Ph.D. thesis. Students should be prepared to defend in detail both the scope of the research and the methods planned to undertake the studies.

The oral examination of the prospectus will occur in a closed session with the student's committee consisting of a major advisor and two associate advisors , at least 2 examiners, and any other interested faculty. The presentation of the proposal should be 15-30 minutes. No data from the student's research are expected in the presentation. Students should expect that the examination will require at least 2 hours. An announcement of the examination will be made by the student one week prior to the examination and a copy of the prospectus be placed in each MCB office. The committee members and examiners will also be given the prospectus at least one week before the examination. If reexamination is required, this must be completed by the end of the 5 th semester.

4. Ph.D. Thesis

To complete the Ph.D., the student must write a thesis based on their original research, following the specifications as described by the Graduate School and with guidance from their advisory committee. The thesis and a final oral examination must by approved by the committee before completion of the Ph.D. It is expected that parts of the thesis will have been published or are obviously publishable in reputable international journals.

5. Master's Degree students:

Plan A ( Thesis Masters ) students should complete at least 15 credits of the courses described above, plus at least 9 credits of Grad 395 research credit. The Plan A MS student must complete and defend a Master's-level thesis based on their original research before their three member advisory committee.

Plan B (Non-thesis Masters) : at least 24 total credits of course work and passing of a final exit examination are required. A laboratory course or research credit is highly recommended. The recommendation for the plan B MS exit exam is a review paper on a topic chosen by the student. The topic will require prior approval from the three person advisory committee based on an outline of the paper. The paper should be at least 10 pages but not more than 14 pages double-spaced with a 12 point font and 1 inch margins. The full reference list and figures are not part of the page limit. The committee will review and grade the paper. Plan B Masters students should formulate a committee consisting of a major advisor and two associate advisors during their first year to assist in course planning and arrange the exit exam.

All graduate students need to follow the rules and regulations of the Graduate School as outlined in the Graduate Catalog in the Standards and Degree Requirements section, and are strongly encouraged to establish an Advisory Committee as soon as practically possible. Upon review of the student's background and academic interests, the Advisory Committee may modify the requirements for obtaining a degree in Biochemistry.