Curriculum for the Combined M.D./Ph.D. Program, Anatomical Sciences Track Years One and Two: Medical students enter the graduate phase after completing the first two years of the medical curriculum. Students must be in the upper two-thirds of their class and have achieved grades above the mean of the class in the principal anatomical subdisciplines: gross anatomy, histology, embryology, and neuroscience. These professional anatomy courses then fully meet the requirements for the anatomical subdisciplines associated with the Ph.D. degree. During the summer after their first medical year, students work in prospective laboratories. By the end of the second medical year, the student must apply to the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, and select an advisor who is a member of its faculty. Students also enroll in Seminar (ANAT 690) during each semester of their graduate phase. Summer following second year: Directed Research (ANAT 697, 6 cr. hrs.) Work in the research laboratory their chosen thesis advisor. Third year, fall semester: Techniques in Neuroscience and Cell Biology (ANAT 615, 2 credits) Directed Research (ANAT 697, 12 credits) Seminar (ANAT 690, 1 credit) Third year, spring semester: Scientific Writing (ANAT 691, 2 credits) Directed Research (ANAT 697, 12 credits) Seminar (ANAT 690, 1 credit) Electives: Two one-semester basic health science electives outside the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology totaling a minimum of 6 credits. Suggested electives include: Fall semester electives: Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience (ANAT/PHTX 509, 4 credits) Biochemistry, Cell & Molecular Biology (BIOC 503, 5 credits) Techniques in Molecular Biology and Genetics (MICR 507, 2 credits) Scientific Integrity (MICR 510, 1 credit) Statistical Methods (BIOS 543, 3 credits) Immunobiology (MICR 505, 3 credits) Spring semester electives: Biochemistry, Cell & Molecular Biology (BIOC 504, 5 credits) Cell Physiology (PHIS 604, 4 credits) Ion Channels in Membranes (PHIS 620, 3 credits) Neurochemical Pharmacology (PHTX 632, 3 credits) Principles of Pharmacology and Toxicology (PHTX 536, 4 credits) Students also teach assist in either Histology or Gross Anatomy. Students must maintain a 3.0 overall cumulative grade point average to continue in the doctoral program. Summer following third Year: During the summer following the second year the student will take the written and oral comprehensive exams. Students also register for Directed Research (ANAT 697, 6 credits) and work in the research laboratory their chosen thesis advisor. Written Comprehensive: The written exam consists of two parts. Part one is an open book written exam which is designed to: 1) assess the student's ability to integrate course material and 2) demonstrate critical thinking and evaluation of the literature in the basic health sciences related to student's area of research. For part two, the student will prepare an NIH-style grant proposal based on their research plan. Oral Comprehensive: After successful completion of both parts of the Written Comprehensive Exam, the student's graduate advisor committee will administer the Oral Comprehensive Examination which entails an oral defense of the student's grant proposal as well as the topics covered in part one of the Written Comprehensive. The Oral Comprehensive Exam covers (1) course work (anatomy and other basic health sciences) related to the student's proposed research, (2) the literature cited in or related to the proposal, and (3) the hypotheses, research techniques and procedures presented in the proposal. Successful completion of the Oral Comprehensive Exam advances the student to candidacy for the Doctoral degree. Fourth academic year and beyond There is no expectation of the time required to complete the doctoral degree. The student must fulfill the University requirement of being registered as a full time graduate student for a minimum of two years (two summers of research are equivalent to one year), including registering for Seminar (ANAT 690) for no less than four semesters. Beginning with the Fall semester of the fourth year the student will devote their full time to conducting their research in the laboratory of the advisor. Students are also required to register for 14 units of Directed Research (ANAT 697) one unit of Seminar (ANAT 690) each semester. During the summer, students register for six credits of Directed Research (ANAT 697). At the appropriate time in their research, the student will prepare a dissertation and schedule a Final Oral Defense of the thesis. The Final Oral Examination (defense of the dissertation) will be limited to the subject of the candidate's dissertation and related basic science. After completion of the Ph.D. requirement, the student returns to medical school for the third (and final) clinical year. For more details on the M.D./Ph.D. program visit www.vcu.edu/mdphd. Contact John W. Bigbee for questions, comments regarding this site. Responsible unit - Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology Virginia Commonwealth University