The Program

Cell and Molecular Biology Program

This guide is intended to provide all graduate students within the Cell and Molecular Biology Program with a list of faculty and requirements. Students must also adhere to the guidelines of the Division of Graduate Medical Sciences at Boston University School of Medicine as well as Boston University at large. Students are advised to consult the appropriate personnel if they have further questions regarding policies concerning graduate study at Boston University.

The program is designed so that all entering students take coursework during the first year to fulfill the requirements of the Cell and Molecular Biology Program, as well as all participating departments within the Division of Graduate Medical Sciences. In addition, students rotate through 4 laboratories during the first year to aid in the decision as to who will serve as mentor throughout the remainder of the student’s graduate school career. At the end of the first year, the student then becomes a member of a department and will fulfill the requirements of that department, as well as those of the Cell and Molecular Biology Program.

 

Academic Advisors

All students will be assigned a faculty member as academic advisor when they enter into the program. The advisors are chosen by the Student Advisory Committee and all are active members of the Cell and Molecular Biology Program. Students, please keep in touch with your advisor, who will counsel you on academic issues and guide you in your choice of lab rotations throughout the first year. Upon completion of the first year of study, students will choose a mentor who will serve as permanent research advisor for the remainder of his/her graduate school career.

Academic Requirements

The Postbachelor’s Ph.D. program requires 64 credits. The M.D./Ph.D. and Postmasters Ph.D. programs require 32 credits. Students who enter the program are required to take the following courses in the first year.

  • GMS BI 755/756 Biochemistry (8)
  • GMS MS 753 Cell Biology (4)
  • GMS CM 761/762 Critical Thinking (4)
  • GMS BI 782 Molecular Biology (4)

In the second year, the student will take courses required by the specific department he/she joins. In addition, to fulfill the requirements of the Cell and Molecular Biology Program, a minimum of 2 mini courses (2 credits) are required.

GMS CM 765/766 Mini Courses (2)

The subjects of the courses change each year. Each course is given for a six week period (1 credit/course). There is 1 course given per semester and only after the completion of both courses, the student will be given 2 credits. Please see the information on mini-courses for ’00-’01 year, which is included in this handout.

The course of study is designed so that the Ph.D. student can complete the required coursework during the first two years of graduate study. In addition to taking all courses required by the department in which the student will complete his/her studies, all other departmental requirements including qualifying examinations must be met. When working in the laboratory, students will register for research credits (research credits in Cell and Molecular Biology are available), until the student has taken the required total number of credits required for his/her degree.

Those students who wish to join the laboratory of a faculty member in the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology in the Dental School, please see the list of requirements below under qualifying exams and thesis committee.

Qualifying Exams

The student must pass a qualifying examination, which is administered by each department, except for students in the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology. The latter group of students will take a qualifying examination after their first or second year. The specifics on the examination will require agreement between the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology and the Cell and Molecular Biology Program Executive Committee. The Qualifying Exam Committee will include 5 faculty members, including 2 members from the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and 3 members from the Executive Committee in the Cell and Molecular Biology Program. Students will have 2 chances to pass this examination.

Research Training and Dissertation Advisory Committees

The Dissertation Advisory Committee is set up by each department and will include members of the Cell and Molecular Biology Program, except for students in the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology. The latter group of students will be assigned an Advisory Committee, once the student has passed his/her qualifying examination. The Advisory Committee will consist of 5 members, 1 of whom will be the research advisor, 3 of whom must be members of the Cell and Molecular Biology Program and 1 of whom must be outside of the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology but a member of the Cell and Molecular Biology Program..

Within 6 months of passing the qualifying examination, the trainee is expected to present a research proposal to a Dissertation Advisory Committee that will monitor his/her research progress on a regular basis, meeting at least once a year. One week prior to each meeting, the student will present a written summary of research progress to the committee for review.

The committee will consist of 5-6 members, including the research advisor, one other representative of the major department and 3 members of the Cell and Molecular Biology Program faculty. At least 1 member of the committee must be from a department which is not the major department. The chair, who should not be the research advisor, will keep written records of the meetings. It is the committee’s responsibility to provide an objective evaluation of the project as well as to contribute to the research direction. A vital function of the committee is to help focus and limit the scope of the research so that the trainee has a clear concept of the overall design of the dissertation proposal. It is expected that this design will change in response to experimental findings; however, it is critical that the trainee be guided to define scope and quality. Research in the advisors lab will commence in the summer after the first year of courses. Full time research is expected to begin the summer of the second year (after successful completion of all required courses and the qualifying examinations). Failure to maintain an acceptable research program will result in termination of Ph.D. candidacy.

Academic Policies

Academic policies and procedures dictated by the Division of Graduate Medical Sciences are described in the Division of Graduate Medical Sciences Bulletin. Briefly, all students are required to maintain a minimum grade point average of B (3.0) or better. Any student receiving a grade of C or below will be placed on academic probation and must repeat the course and must attain a grade of B (not B-) or above in the course. Students who have received 4 credits of a grade(s) of B- will be placed on academic probation. Any students placed on academic probation will receive a letter detailing the expectations for remediation.