PhD Requirements

The requirements outlined below apply to students pursuing the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Molecular and Cell Biology with concentration in Genetics and Genomics (G&G AOC) with enrollment beginning in the fall of 2022 or later. Students who began enrollment prior to fall 2022 may follow these curriculum suggestions, or follow the Ph.D. requirements for the G&G AOC in effect at the beginning of their enrollment in the program (found here for students who began enrollment prior to fall 2018; and here for students who began enrollment from fall 2018 through fall 2021.)

General requirements for PhD students enrolled in the Genetics and Genomics AOC within MCB (note that the Graduate School requirements are in bold):

    1. Organize your committee (five faculty) and submit your plan of study by the end of the Spring semester of your first year.
    2. Complete a second year review by the end of the Spring semester of your second year.
    3. Take your qualifying exam by the end of August of your third year.
    4. Before submitting your final dissertation you must have completed:
      • Successfully passed the qualifying exam for PhD candidacy (also known as general exam/thesis proposal/prospectus) and filed the exam report with the graduate school.  Link to report form here. 
      • Course credits (15 total): Defined as content-driven, interactive coursework in MCB or a closely-related field of study, as discussed with and approved by the major advisor and committee.  No class may be repeated to satisfy this requirement.
  • Research credits (30 total): A minimum 15 credits of MCB research and/or special topics (such as MCB 6897) and a minimum of 15 credits of GRAD 6950.  These courses may be repeated to satisfy this requirement and to keep in good standing (you must register for a minimum of 6 credits each semester; MCB 6897 and GRAD 6950 may be used for this purpose).

More details about the MCB PhD requirements for the first year can be found here.

Information about the PhD milestones for MCB can be found here.

Information on the General exam (dissertation proposal) can be found here.

Graduate school requirements for graduation can be found in the current graduate catalog

Course requirements and timeline:

1st semester (Fall), you must register for:

MCB 5896-038 Introduction to MCB Research (3 credits)

MCB 5896-037 Investigation of Special Topics: Intro to MCB Faculty Research

MCB 5896-013 Rotations in MCB (3 credits)

MCB 5884-001 MCB Research in Progress (1 credit)

 2nd semester (Spring), you must register for:

MCB 5801 Scientific Writing and Project Development for MCB Graduate Students

GRAD 5910 Responsible Conduct in Research

MCB 6897 Research, 3 credits (this can be served with your newly chosen faculty advisor or with the advisor overseeing a fourth, semester-long rotation if you opted for an extra rotation)

And for one of the following courses:

MCB 5426 Genetic Engineering and Functional Genomics (3 credits)

MCB 5219 Developmental and Regenerative Biology (3 credits)

Or, for students needing a more basic background in genetics and functional genomics you may instead take one of these courses following discussion with your advisor, the course instructor, and/or AOC head:

MCB 3201 Gene Expression (3 credits)

MCB 5896-037 Concepts of Genetic Analysis (3 credits)

In addition, you may register for:

MCB 5484 Current Topics in Genetics and Genomics (1 credit)

MCB 5884-001 MCB Research in Progress (1 credit)

Prior to registering for courses for your third semester, you must discuss planned coursework with the AOC head and/or your faculty advisor.

3rd semester (Fall), pick one didactic course:

MCB 5445 Genome Dynamics and Epigenetics (3 credits)

MCB 5452 Problems in Genetics of Eukaryotes (3 credits)

MCB 5217 Biosynthesis of Nucleic Acids and Proteins (3 credits)

MCB 5621 Molecular Biology and Genetics of Prokaryotes (3 credits)

In addition to one course selected from above, you may register for:

MCB 5484 Current Topics in Genetics and Genomics (1 credit)

MCB 5884-001 MCB Research in Progress (1 credit)

MCB 5427 Laboratory Techniques in Functional Genomics (offered in Fall and Spring)

MCB 5672 Applied Bioinformatics (Fall)

From the 4th semester onward:

Between years 2 and 4, all students must take MCB 5984 MCB Invited Seminar.

Additionally, students may choose from didactic courses not previously taken from the above lists and from the following:

Spring Semester

MCB 5426 Genetic Engineering and Functional Genomics (3 credits)

MCB 5219 Developmental and Regenerative Biology (3 credits)

MCB 5446: 3D Genome in Development, Disease, and Evolution

MCB 5895 Special Topics: Non-Mendelian Inheritance and Meiotic Drive

MCB 3895-002 Special Topics: Fundamentals of light microscopy and digital imaging

EEB 4100 Big Data Science for Biologists (4 credits)

EEB 5300 Applied Genomics for Ecology and Evolution (3 credits)

Fall Semester

MCB 5430 Analysis of Eukaryotic Functional Genomic Data (3 credits)

MCB 5243 Molecular Analysis of Development (3 credits)

Optional courses for students with a research focus in molecular evolution/microbial genetics:

MCB 5471 Current Topics in Molecular Evolution (1 credit)

MCB 3637 Practical Methods in Microbial Genomics (3 credits)

EEB 6486 Systematics Seminar (1 credit)

The following Intensive didactic courses are recommended for students with a research focus on molecular evolution/population genetics (note that these are not offered every year):

EEB 5348 Population Genetics (3 credits)

EEB 5349 Phylogenetics (3 credits)

Updated 10/28/2021