Program Description
The Ph.D. program is designed to prepare students for a research-oriented career in academia or the private sector. The core of this degree program is an original independent research project under the supervision of a faculty advisor. While emphasizing independent research in biochemistry and molecular biology, the program also provides a background of courses designed to match the needs and interests of each student. A recommended schedule of courses is shown below. Selection of an independent research project, leading to a final thesis and dissertation, is facilitated by a series of "rotations", in which the student is introduced to ongoing research in the Department of Biochemistry. PhD students are expected to enroll as full-time graduate students.
Comprehensive Examinations
By three (3) months prior to taking written comprehensive exams, a Graduate Student Advisory Committee and
Course Plan form must be submitted through Grad Trak (https://www.apps.som.vcu.edu/gradtrak/login/login.aspx)
and approved by the advisor, graduate program director, and Associate Dean for Graduate Education.
The comprehensive examinations and all other requirements for admission to candidacy should be completed prior
to the end of the third year in the Program.
The comprehensive examination will consist of two parts: a written examination consisting of a research
proposal and an oral examination consisting of a defense of the proposal. The grant proposal is prepared in
the format of an NIH predoctoral fellowship by the student in an independent manner. In the case where a
similar proposal is being sent to a granting agency as part of a pre-doctoral fellowship application, the
proposal submitted for the written comprehensive examination must be a version that has been written by the
student with only minor input from her/his advisor. No part of the student’s proposal should come from a grant
proposal written by the advisor. The student’s advisor will certify to the student’s advisory committee, in
the form of a letter, that the student has been the primary and only writer of the proposal and that no part of
the proposal has been taken from her/his grant applications. Students are subject to the VCU Honor code when
preparing the grant proposal (consult the following link for details
http://www.provost.vcu.edu/pdfs/Honor_system_policy.pdf ).
The student’s advisory committee will score the proposal on a 5 point NIH scale (1-1.5= outstanding; 1.5-2=
excellent; 2-2.5=very good; 2.5-3=good; 3-3.5= marginal; below 3.5=poor). Students must achieve an average
score or 3 or better to pass the proposal. Students with scores between 3-3.5 are allowed one opportunity to
revise the grant proposal based on the comments and criticisms of the committee. The revision must be
completed within one month of receiving a non-passing grade. Failure to pass the proposal the second time will
result in termination from the program. A student must pass the proposal before scheduling the oral
examination. A Documentation of Completion of Written Exam form (
http://www.vcu.edu/biochem/students/g-forms.shtml) should be submitted to the graduate program director once
the exam is completed.
The oral comprehensive must be completed within 6 months of completing the written examination. Thus, students
should take the oral comprehensive exam no later than the third year. The oral examination uses a grant
proposal, prepared independently by the student in the format of an NIH predoctoral fellowship (or other
comparable) application. The proposal is viewed as a departure point for questioning by the examining
committee. The examination tests knowledge related to the grant proposal as well as general knowledge of
biochemistry, cell, and molecular biology. The School requires that the Office of Graduate Education schedule
this examination no later than 10 days before the exam date. The student should schedule the exam using an Exam
Scheduling Form (available on GradTrak https://www.apps.som.vcu.edu/gradtrak/login/login.aspx ). A member of
the graduate program committee (GPC) must be present at the exam. This individual is present as an observer and
does not ask questions or vote. The GPC representative may be a standing member of the student’s advisory
committee. In addition, Dean’s representative must be present at the examination. This individual should be a
member of the graduate faculty who does not hold a primary appointment in the Department of Biochemistry. The
Dean’s representative manages the examination. The student’s advisor may attend the examination but does not
ask questions or contribute to the examination in any way. The oral comprehensive examination is open to all
members of the faculty. The time and place of the examination shall be posted at least 10 working days in
advance. Faculty members in attendance may ask questions of the candidate, but their questions shall not be
presented until after the Student’s Examining Committee has completed its questions. Faculty members other than
those on the examining committee shall not vote on the success or failure of the candidate. A favorable vote of
the student’s Examining Committee with no more than one negative vote is required to pass. Upon passing the
oral comprehensive examination, the student’s Graduate Advisory Committee will review the progress of the
student and recommend to the Graduate Program Director that the student be admitted to candidacy for the Ph.D.
degree. This documentation requires signatures on a form at that will be obtained from the Dean’s
Representative. A copy of the signed form should be delivered to the graduate program director as
documentation that the oral comprehensive examination has been completed. If failed, this exam must be
retaken within 30 days following approval of the Graduate Program Director and the MCV Graduate Committee. If
the exam is failed a second time the student will be dismissed from the Ph.D. program.
The written proposal should be submitted to the Graduate Advisory Committee by January 1st of the second year
in the program and both comprehensive examinations must be completed by the end of the second year in the
program. Students who do not complete the examinations within this timeframe will be administratively
terminated from the program for noncompliance.
Dissertation
Upon completion of their research project, the student writes and defends a dissertation which is reviewed by
the Graduate Advisory Committee. The Graduate Advisory Committee must meet during the semester in which the
student intends to defend and approve the student’s request to file a graduation application. In addition, the
committee must approve of the dissertation before the final exam scheduling form can be submitted and approved
by the Program Director. The student should schedule the exam using an Exam Scheduling Form (available on
GradTrak https://www.apps.som.vcu.edu/gradtrak/login/login.aspx ). The student must submit the dissertation to
his/ her Committee at least 10 working days before submission of the final exam scheduling form which, in turn,
must be submitted at least 10 working days before the defense. As such, students should allow approximately 20
working days between submission of the dissertation and the date of the final defense. Departmental permission
forms for filing of the graduation application and final exam scheduling form are available at
http://www.vcu.edu/biochem/students/g-forms.shtml. The dissertation is then defended in a final oral
examination which is open to the public, but only the student's Graduate Advisory Committee votes on passage of
the exam. It is expected that students will present reports of their work at scientific meetings and publish
their findings in scientific journals.
Teaching
Students will have the opportunity to assist in the teaching of courses offered by the Department.
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology PhD Program Support/Stipends
All applicants who are selected for admission to the Ph.D. graduate program in Biochemistry are eligible for financial support. Assistantships and fellowships are awarded on a competitive basis. Tuition and fees are also paid for students receiving fellowships and assistantships. Currently, all of our doctoral students receive a yearly stipend ($23,200 as of fall 2008). No special application for financial aid is necessary. Details of the financial arrangements are communicated directly to the students at the time of acceptance into the graduate program.
PhD Curriculum in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ph.D. students in Biochemistry take courses designed for graduate students with an emphasis on
research design and experimentation. Usually, a student will have earned about 30 semester hour
credits before taking the written examination. For students holding the MD, DDS, or other professional
degrees, successful completion of biochemistry/ cell biology is equivalent to the BIOC 503-504 series.
The following graduate courses are required and constitute the core courses of the curriculum:
- BIOC 505: Experimental biochemistry/ research rotation (typically year 01, three rotations required)
- BIOC 503: Biochemistry, Cellular, and Molecular Biology I (typically year 01)
- BIOC 504: Biochemistry, Cellular, and Molecular Biology II (typically year 01)
- BIOC 602: Physical Properties of Macromolecules (1-4 modules, typically year 01)*
- BIOC 604: Enzymology (1-3 modules, typically year 02)*
- BIOC 605: Advanced Topics in Molecular Biology (typically year 02)
- MICR 507: Techniques in Molecular Biology and Genetics (typically year 02)
- BIOC 690: Biochemistry Seminar (each semester)
- BIOC 691.901: Special Topics in Biochemistry/ student seminar (each semester)
- BIOC 691.904: Special Topics in Biochemistry: Critical Thinking (typically year 01)
- MICR 512: Laboratory Safety (typically year 01)
- MICR 510: Scientific Integrity (typically year 02)
- BIOC 697: Directed research in Biochemistry (each semester)
* Students will select modules from 602 and 604 to get 4 credits (at least 1 credit from each)
In addition to the Core Curriculum, PhD students are required to complete two optional courses, chosen from the following list:
- BIOC 606, Control Processes & Signal Transduction
- BIOC 601, Lipids & Membranes
- MICR 605, Prokaryotic Molecular Genetics
- ANAT 615, Techniques in Neuroscience and Cell Biology
- MICR 653, Adv. Molecular Genetics: Bioinformatics
- GEN 501, Human Genetics
- MICR 505, Immunology
- PHTX 691, 803, Research Design Analysis (A. Lichtman—statistics)
Some graduate courses listed above may be taken after the comprehensive examination. Most of this course work should be taken during the first two years of the program. Students are encouraged to take additional courses that relate to their personal research project.
A typical course plan for the full-time Ph.D. student is described below.
| Credit Hours |
| First Fall Semester |
|
BIOC
503 Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular
Biology I
|
5.0
|
|
MICR 512 Laboratory Safety
|
1.0
|
|
BIOC
690 Biochemistry Research Seminar
|
1.0
|
|
BIOC
691 Critical Scientific Thinking
(Department Seminar)
|
1.0
|
|
BIOC
505 Experimental Biochemistry (Laboratory Rotation)
|
2.0
|
| |
|
| First Spring Semester |
|
BIOC
504 Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular
Biology II
|
5.0
|
|
BIOC
602 Physical Properties of Macromolecules
Students will select modules from 602 and 604 to get 4 credits (at least 1 credit from each)
|
1-4.0
|
|
BIOC
690 Biochemistry Research Seminar
|
1.0
|
|
ANAT
691 Scientific Writing
|
2.0
|
|
BIOC
691 Critical Scientific Thinking
(Department Seminar)
|
1.0
|
|
BIOC
505 Experimental Biochemistry (Laboratory Rotation)
|
2.0
|
| |
|
| Second Fall Semester |
|
BIOC
605 Advanced Topics in Molecular Biology
|
3.0
|
|
BIOC
604 Enzymology
Students will select modules from 602 and 604 to get 4 credits (at least 1 credit from each)
|
1-3.0
|
|
MICR
507 Techniques in Molecular Biology & Genetics
|
2.0
|
|
MICR 510 Scientific Integrity
|
1.0
|
|
BIOC
690 Biochemistry Research Seminar
|
1.0
|
|
BIOC
691 Student Seminar
|
1.0
|
|
BIOC
697 Directed Research in Biochemistry
|
variable
|
| |
|
| Second Spring Semester |
|
BIOC
690 Biochemistry Research Seminar
|
1.0
|
|
BIOC
691 Student Seminar
|
1.0
|
|
BIOC
697 Directed Research in Biochemistry
Optional Course
|
variable
|
Approximately 30 credit hours exclusive of research credit is generally required to complete the PhD.
Training in the Responsible Conduct of Research
Beginning in Fall 2005, all PhD students are required to complete the following training in the responsible conduct of research:
- MICR 510, Scientific Integrity, 2 cr, Fall Semester, year 02
- Collaborative Investigator Training Initiative (CITI) : this is an on-line course that provides training in Human Subjects Research. The course must be completed during the Fall Semester of year 02. Students should submit the “Certificate of Completion” before starting the Spring Semester of year 02. Consult the following link to access the course:
http://www.research.vcu.edu/irb/education.htm
- Research Training. Org: this is an on-line course that provides training in Animal Subjects Research. The course must be completed during the Fall Semester of year 02. Students should submit the “Certificate of Completion” before starting the Spring Semester of year 02. Consult the following link to access the course:
http://www.research.vcu.edu/iacuc/lata.htm
| |
|
