Curriculum
BBCB PhD Curriculum:
*BBCB Students must take 2 electives TOTAL
- Electives can be taken after the candidacy exam, if needed
- We recommend taking your electives in Fall and Spring of Year 1
Year 1 (PhD): Lab Rotations/Selection of Thesis Advisor
Three laboratory rotations (BBCB 6990)
Rotations are approximately 7 weeks each – This is flexible!
Fall 1 - Sept-Oct
Fall 2 - Nov-Dec
Spring 1 - Jan-Feb
Spring 2 (Optional 4th Rotation) - Mar-Apr
At the end of each rotation students will complete one each of:
- Written
- Oral
- Poster reports
By Summer Year 1: All students doing pre-dissertation work in their thesis lab
Candidacy Examination
- Transition from formal classroom instruction to guided but independent research
- Helps you formulate your dissertation topic
- An important “legal” requirement for admission to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree
- Completed in Fall of Year 2
The format of the Candidacy Exam:
- Dissertation-related topic
- Formed around the preparation of an NIH-style grant proposal.
- Many students use this as the basis for successful F32 fellowship applications
- Supported by a mini-course focusing on grant writing
Dissertation Research
- The main focus of the PhD degree!
- Target of 3-4 years post-candidacy exam
- Guided by a committee of three faculty, meet annually
First meeting by August of Year 2
- Many opportunities to present and discuss your research:
- FRD, Annual Retreat, Lab Meetings, National Meetings
- Often multi-disciplinary and collaborative – Co-advisors common
- 30% of student-authored papers have BBCB faculty other than their advisor on them