Program

OVERVIEW

After a formal application and interview process, successful Ph.D. and M.D./Ph.D. candidates are admitted into the Immunology Training Program through either the Department of Microbiology or the Department of Pathology. The course requirements vary somewhat for students admitted into the different departments, but all students are expected to develop a strong background in multiple areas of the biomedical sciences and a solid foundation in molecular and cellular immunology.

In addition to the successful completion of the prescribed course work, Ph.D. and M.D./Ph.D. candidates also must complete laboratory rotations, participate in seminars and journal clubs, pass a qualifying examination, and successfully defend a dissertation based on original laboratory research.

ADMISSIONS

Students enter the Immunology Training Program through either the Department of Microbiology or the Department of Pathology. Applicants must apply for admission through the Division of Graduate Medical Sciences of the Boston University School of Medicine. Departmental Preference should be noted on the application. You can apply here.

For more information, please contact:

Division of Graduate Medical Sciences
72 East Concord Street, L-317
Boston, MA 02118
Phone: (617) 638-5255
Fax: (617) 638-5740

CRITERIA FOR ADMISSIONS

Students must have received a baccalaureate degree from an accredited university with a strong background in biological and physical sciences. The applicant’s academic record, references, GRE test results and related work experience are considered in the admissions process. The GRE General Test is required. The GRE Subject test is not required. International students must demonstrate competence in English. Candidates are encouraged to take the GRE tests in October and to complete their applications before December 31.

FINANCIAL SUPPORT

All Ph.D. and M.D.-Ph.D. students who are admitted to the Department are automatically considered eligible for full financial aid. Financial aid consists of a stipend, tuition, activity fees and health insurance.  For the 2011/2012  academic year, the stipend will be $30,500 for entering students, and $31,500 for students who have passed their qualifying exams.

Students are also eligible to compete for support from outside agencies, such as the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. While in graduate school, students are also eligible to compete with other students in the Division for research and travel awards from the Department and Boston University School of Medicine.

COURSE WORK

The curriculum for students in the ITP offers flexibility in training and is designed with the interests of the student and his/her prior background and training in mind. Formal coursework emphasizes breadth and depth in various areas of immunology, microbiology, molecular biology, cell biology and biochemistry. There are slight differences in the coursework for students in the Department of Microbiology and Pathology.

Formal coursework is normally completed within the first 2 years of study, with the majority of courses taken during the first year. Students complete 28 credit hours of graded coursework, taken from an approved list of required and elective courses that span several disciplines including basic and advanced immunology, molecular biology, biochemistry, and human genetics

LABORATORY ROTATIONS

All predoctoral students are required to complete laboratory rotations. The purpose of laboratory rotations is to help students acquire a complete set of research tools, to experience different approaches to research, and to identify a major advisor for their dissertation research. Students are normally required to rotate through 3 laboratories before choosing one for their dissertation research. Students are strongly encouraged to begin their laboratory rotations during the first semester of their first year of graduate study. In some cases, rotations can begin the summer before commencement of class work.

SEMINARS

During the fall and spring semesters, the immunology program sponsors a weekly seminar featuring a nationally or internationally recognized immunologist. Students are encouraged to attend all of these seminars and to join the speaker over an informal lunch. In this way students are exposed to leading edge concepts in a rapidly advancing field and are able to discuss the science with the immunologists driving these advances. Making connections with invited speakers also is important for networking for postdoctoral positions or other jobs after completion of the doctoral thesis. In addition, all Immunology Training Program students are expected to attend and participate in their respective Departmental seminars and in seminars offered by a variety of divisions and centers throughout the BU Medical and Charles River Campuses. This menu of seminar choices affords the student ample opportunity to sample multiple diverse areas of interest from cutting edge advances in molecular biology to the ethics of human genome research. Students may also attend a variety of seminars offered by our neighboring institutions including, but not limited to, Tufts Medical School, Harvard Medical School, MIT, Brandeis University and Massachusetts General Hospital. Students are expected to give at least one formal seminar a year.

RESEARCH LABORATORIES

A broad range of immunology research is conducted in the laboratories of the ITP faculty members.  Particular areas of interest and expertise include adaptive immunity, innate immunity and inflammation, cytokine and chemokine biology, immune tolerance, autoimmunity, cancer immunology and immunotherapy, immunotoxicology, microbial and viral immunology, and stem cell biology.

FRIDAY’S @ 4

Two student lead journal clubs are available to Microbiology and Microbiology and Immunology students as part of the Friday’s @ 4 series. Announcements of Friday’s @ 4 are posted on the Microbiology (www.bumc.bu.edu/microbiology) and Immunology (www.bumc.bu.edu/immunology) websites and on the Graduate Student Bulletin Boards. Journal clubs are held on a rotating basis with Research in Progress talks and a “variable” topic week.

All (Microbiology, CMB, HPI, Immunology) first and second year graduate students in the Department of Microbiology are required to attend and participate in Friday’s @ 4. First and second year Immunology students in the Department of Microbiology are required to attend and participate in the Immunology journal club as well. Attendance and participation by more senior students is strongly encouraged.

TEACHING

Teaching is an integral part of the learning process. In order to provide students with some teaching experience, all students in the Department of Microbiology are expected to assist faculty in the laboratory portion of a microbiology course for one semester, or more at the student’s discretion. Students receive remuneration for this service. In addition, many students also have participated in the City Year program at BU. This program is a BU-based educational resource, the goals of which are to introduce Boston High School students to the biological sciences.

QUALIFYING EXAMINATIONS

Ph.D. and M.D.-Ph.D. candidates in the Department of Microbiology typically take their qualifying exams during their second year of graduate study. The goals of the examination are two-fold: 1) to test the student’s ability to research a scientific area, identify gaps in the field that are important to resolve and are amenable to experimentation, and to develop rational approaches to address these issues; and 2) to allow the faculty to assess the student’s accrued knowledge and understanding of the major areas of biomedical sciences that should be important for his/her future scientific career. The basis of the exam is a research proposal that is developed and presented by the student. This proposal forms the basis for the written and oral components of a qualifying exam. The topic of the proposal is chosen by the student, and is distinct from the subject of the student’s proposed thesis work.
Please see the Department of Pathology website for specifics on the format for the Pathology qualifying examination.

LABORATORY RESEARCH

Research is the central part of the graduate student’s training, and as such most of the time spent in graduate school is devoted to original laboratory research. This is carried out in the laboratory of a faculty member chosen by the student who serves as the student’s mentor and scientific advisor. A faculty research advisory committee, composed of scientists who provide additional expertise and guidance to the student, meets regularly to help direct the course of research. Students are expected to publish the results of their original research in refereed scientific journals.

 

DISSERTATION – Ph.D. PROGRAM

As part of the Ph.D. requirements, a written dissertation describing the student’s research accomplishments must be submitted and defended.