Graduate Program in Molecular Medicine

The Graduate Program in Molecular Medicine at Boston University is an interdepartmental program based in the Department of Medicine. The curriculum consists of a year of basic science courses offered through the Division of Graduate Medical Sciences followed by a second year of electives and an innovative Molecular Medicine Core Curriculum. This Core Curriculum includes courses in Genetics and Epidemiology of Disease, Cancer Biology, Immunity and Infection, Molecular Basis of Organ System Diseases, Molecules to Molecular Therapeutics: The Translation of Molecular Observations to Clinical Implementation and a new course, introduced this fall Biological Core Technologies. During the first year and intervening summer, students rotate in different laboratories within the Department of Medicine or affiliated laboratories and choose a laboratory where they will conduct their research leading to a dissertation. In the winter following first semester, students take the Tier 1 Qualifying Examination, which is a review of a scientific paper in an examination format. Following completion of all coursework, students write and orally defend their Tier 2 Qualifying Examination, which is a Mock Research Grant on the topic of thesis research.

Students are expected to participate in Journal Club, seminars, ARCs, the annual Evans Medicine Research Days and the Henry I. Russek Student Achievement Day.

The Graduate Program in Molecular Medicine avails itself of the Evans Center for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research (http://www.bumc.bu.edu/evanscenteribr/). The purpose of this center is to promote growth and discovery in emerging interdisciplinary biomedical research and educational areas by providing faculty affiliated with the Department of Medicine and with various schools, departments and centers at Boston University a dynamic, interdisciplinary organizational structure, which allows investigators with different areas of expertise to collectively address mechanisms of disease, and to facilitate new training opportunities.

Students can matriculate into the Graduate Program in Molecular Medicine after completing a bachelor’s degree or Master’s program or through the combined M.D./Ph.D. program at Boston University School of Medicine. In addition, M.D.s who desire to pursue rigorous scientific training in preparation for a career in academic medicine and research are encouraged to apply. Students admitted to the program are offered full tuition support and an annual stipend.

The Department of Medicine occupies modern research laboratories on the Boston University Medical Center campus in the Center for Advanced Biomedical Research and the Evans Biomedical Research Center. These buildings provide state-of-the-art research space in an open, spacious environment that is fully supported by research core facilities for computing, animals and transgenic mice, sequencing, microarrays, and others.

Boston University’s Medical Campus (BUMC), encompassing  Boston University School of Medicine, Boston Medical Center, BU School of Public Health and BU’s Goldman School of Dental Medicine, is located in the city’s historic South End, approximately one mile south of downtown. The South End is a vibrant and renewed urban community. With three medical schools and many major universities, Boston has a rich and interactive biomedical community and is the center of the biotechnology industry. Boston is a cosmopolitan city with a rich academic and intellectual environment and panoply of cultural, recreational, and sports activities.

Boston University is a private institution founded in 1839. It is among the top twenty institutions in the country in NIH-derived research support. The faculty of the Evans Department of Medicine of the Boston University School of Medicine conducts research programs in basic biomedical sciences, translational medicine, and clinical outcomes and epidemiology.

Applications to the Graduate Program in Molecular Medicine are submitted through the Boston University School of Medicine Division of Graduate Medical Sciences. Applicants should forward an undergraduate transcript, a medical school transcript (post-MD candidates only), and GRE, MCAT, or TOEFL scores, if applicable. Candidates being considered for the program are asked to interview on campus with relevant faculty. Admission to the program is based upon objective evidence of academic excellence, research background and interest, and interviews.