PhD Training Program in Microbiology and Immunology

The graduate program in the Department of Microbiology and Immunologyprovides a well-integrated curriculum designed to train students to becomeindependent researchers in cellular, biochemical and molecular aspects ofimmunology, virology, and bacteriology.  In general students in the department completetheir Ph.D. program within a period of 5-6 years.

The great majority of the coursework is completed within the firstacademic year, enabling students to begin their dissertation projects in thesubsequent summer.  The most importantelement in our graduate program is training students how to effectively designand conduct a research project that leads to publication in the scientificliterature. The quality of a person's track record of publication constitutesthe main criterion by which success is measured in a research career. Asevidenced by the strong publication record of our students and the quality oftheir subsequent career growth, our program has been very successful indeveloping these skills in students. In large part, our success has beendependent upon the strong mentoring skills of the faculty.

Another important aspect of our graduate training is to help our studentssecure the best possible position at the next step in their careers, which is usuallya postdoctoral fellowship. The choice of postdoctoral position is a criticallyimportant element for success, since it is usually from a postdoctoralfellowship position that our graduates seek independent positions in theacademic, government or commercial sectors.  Help and advice in choosing the appropriatepostdoctoral position to match a student’s career goals is a high priority forevery faculty member who serves as a mentor for our students.

Program Requirements

Coursework: Students in the program are required to take the threeelective courses offered by the department: bacteriology, immunology andvirology.  If these were not completed inthe first year they can be taken in year two following entry into theprogram.  In years two and three,students also participate in Advanced Topics, a literature-based,discussion-oriented course in which students present and critique currentresearch articles. As a part of this course, students receive training ingrant-writing and review. 

Candidacy Examination: Studentswho have taken two semesters of Advanced Topics and have no less than a 3.0 GPAare eligible to take the PhD Candidacy Examination.  The student's Thesis Advisory Committee willserve as the Candidacy Committee.  Eachstudent will prepare a research grant proposal on his/her proposed thesis workusing the current NIH grant proposal format. The proposal is written in consultation with the advisor or any otherresource person.  The student will submitthe proposal to the Candidacy Committee at least two weeks prior to theexamination date. The examination will be scheduled to occur prior to August 15^thof the second year. 

Thesis defense: The ThesisCommittee will consist of the members of the Advisory Committee.  The Chairperson of the committee shall be fromanother department.  The thesis defensewill consist of a formal seminar on the thesis research presented by thestudent to the committee and other members of the University community.  This is  followed by a question period with the committee. The committee will provide an evaluationof the thesis defense according to the guidelines of the Graduate School.

Seminar series: Students attend the weekly departmental seminarseries.  Research conferences onimmunology, bacteriology, and virology are presented by invited faculty fromother institutions.  In addition,students in the third year and beyond present research progress seminars inthis venue.

Teaching requirement: As part of the training as teachers, each studentwill present a lecture to graduate students during their fourth year oftraining. The student may request to lecture in the core Bacteriology,Virology, or Immunology courses, or to direct a session of the Advanced Topicscourse.  The student will work with theiradvisor and the course director on the development of the lecture. 

Students apply and enter through the Molecular and Cellular Biosciences interdisciplinary program.