Program Requirements
General Program Requirements:
Number of Credits Required Beyond the Baccalaureate: 37
Required Courses:
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses 1 | ||
| BMSC 8101 | Molecules to Cells | 6 |
| BMSC 8102 | Experimental Design and Biostatistics | 1 |
| BMSC 8103 | Scientific Integrity and Bioethics | 1 |
| BMSC 8104 | Introduction to Laboratory Research I | 1 |
| BMSC 8201 | Organ Systems: Function, Dysfunction and Therapeutics | 4 |
| BMSC 8202 | Scientific Communications | 1 |
| BMSC 8203 | Introduction to Bioinformatic Tools and Applications | 1 |
| BMSC 8204 | Introduction to Laboratory Research II | 1 |
| BMSC 8401 | Scientific Grant Writing | 1 |
| Student Seminar and Journal Club (1 per year) 2 | 4 | |
| Basic and Advanced Concentration-Specific Electives | 10 | |
| Research Courses 3 | 6 | |
BMSC 9994 | Preliminary Exam Preparation | |
BMSC 9998 | Postcandidacy Research | |
BMSC 9999 | Dissertation Writing | |
| Total Credit Hours | 37 | |
- 1
All students in the Biomedical Sciences program participate in a common first-year interdisciplinary experience that includes the core courses identified.
- 2
To complete this requirement, students select from BMSC 8500 Cancer Biology and Genetics Student Seminar and Journal Club, BMSC 8600 Infectious Disease and Immunity Student Seminar and Journal Club, BMSC 8700 Molecular and Cellular Biosciences Student Seminar and Journal Club, BMSC 8800 Neuroscience Student Seminar and Journal Club, or BMSC 8900 Organ Systems and Translational Medicine Student Seminar and Journal Club. Students register one time a year in the Spring term. Registration begins in their second year and then continuously throughout their matriculation. Students must complete a minimum of 3 credits before defending their dissertation. Students who fulfill the BMSC-PHD requirements prior to the Spring semester of their fifth year take an additional credit of BMSC 9999 in the term they defend their dissertation to fulfill the PhD credit requirement.
- 3
Students must take at least 6 credits of BMSC 9994, BMSC 9998, and/or BMSC 9999, with a minimum of 2 credits of BMSC 9999 taken after elevation to PhD candidacy to defend their dissertation. Students who have fulfilled the BMSC-PHD requirements prior to the Spring term of their fifth year take 7 credits of BMSC 9994, BMSC 9998, and/or BMSC 9999, with at least 3 credits of BMSC 9999 taken after elevation to PhD candidacy to defend their dissertation.
Additional Requirements:
Laboratory Research:
In the first year, students complete three laboratory rotations. In subsequent years, they participate in seminars and journal clubs in addition to performing research in the laboratory of their choice.
Research Advisory Committee Meetings:
Students are required to meet with their Research Advisory Committee each term to evaluate their progress toward the degree.
Publications:
Students must have sufficient data for at least one full-length, high-quality, first-author publication, excluding review articles, before receiving permission to write the dissertation. If a manuscript has not been accepted for publication at the time a student requests permission to write the dissertation, the student must present a submission-ready manuscript and evidence that the manuscript has been submitted for publication. The evidence is to include the name of the journal and acknowledgement of receipt of the manuscript from the journal.
Outside Research Proposal:
In the Spring term of the second year of study, students are required to prepare and defend an NIH-style grant proposal in their area of concentration on a topic that is distinct from the student's research. This is a requirement for elevation to candidacy.
Culminating Events:
Dissertation Proposal:
The dissertation proposal demonstrates the student's knowledge of and ability to conduct the proposed research. The proposal should describe the context and background surrounding a particular research problem and a methodological plan for investigating the problem. The proposal is a requirement for admission to candidacy and should be submitted and approved during the Fall term of the third year in the program.
Dissertation:
The PhD in Biomedical Sciences is a research degree. Research training begins with three research rotations in the first year of the graduate program and continues with the selection of an area of concentration and a Dissertation Research Advisor, who is a member of the Graduate Faculty from within the selected area of concentration. The areas of concentration include Cancer Biology and Genetics, Infectious Disease and Immunity, Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, Neuroscience, and Organ Systems and Translational Medicine.
Under the direction of the Dissertation Research Advisor, the student develops an original research project. Dissertation research involves meaningful, critical thinking and the execution of ideas in the laboratory through the use of the scientific method. Dissertation research conducted by the student should be an original contribution to scientific knowledge. The quality of the student's PhD dissertation research should be equivalent to that found in reputable biomedical sciences journals.
Upon selection of an area of concentration and a Dissertation Research Advisor, a Research Advisory Committee is formed for each student. This Committee is responsible for the review of the student's research and academic progress twice yearly. It determines whether the content of the student's research is sufficient for the PhD dissertation.
The student submits the dissertation in complete form not less than 14 days prior to the date of the final examination. The dissertation must have been read and approved by the Dissertation Research Advisor prior to distribution. After the student has arranged the time, date and room for the dissertation defense, the "Announcement of Dissertation Defense" form, found in TUportal under the Tools tab within “University Forms,” is completed and forwarded to the Graduate School on Main Campus and to the Office of Graduate Studies on the Health Sciences Center Campus at least 10 working days before the defense. Announcements of the defense are posted and emailed to all members of the cluster/area of concentration.
The Final Examination Committee evaluates the student's dissertation and demonstration of competence within the field of the dissertation and related areas. This Committee consists of five faculty members, including the Dissertation Research Advisor, Research Advisory Committee, and one additional faculty member from another cluster. The Committee evaluates the quality of the dissertation research and the student's ability to express, both in writing and orally, their research question, methodological approach, primary findings and implications. The Committee votes to pass or fail the dissertation and the defense at the conclusion of the public presentation and private question/answer period.