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 & Molecular Biology. 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 signed by the advisor, the department
head and the program director and sent to the Office of Graduate Education for the
School of Medicine (Sanger Hall 1st floor) for approval by the Office of the Dean.
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.
Students who matriculated in the program before Fall 2004 must follow PLAN A as the
format for the written comprehensive examination.
Students who matriculated in the program in 2004 or 2005 may opt for PLAN A or PLAN B
as the format for the written comprehensive examination.
Students who matriculate in the program after Fall 2005 must follow PLAN B as the
format for the written comprehensive examination.
PLAN A: The comprehensive examination will consist of three parts; a written
examination, a research proposal, and an oral examination including defense of the
proposal. The written examination will consist of questions written by the student’s
Graduate Advisory Committee and will be designed to test the student’s ability to
work creatively, (ie: essay or problem solving questions requiring interpretation or
synthesis and extrapolation by the individual student). The questions are usually
open book and may be related to but not necessarily limited to the specific area of
research of the student. Students are subject to the VCU Honor code when completing
this examination (consult the following link for details
http://www.students.vcu.edu/rg/policies/rg7honor.html). The GPC will assure that the
test is administered on a timely basis and approve the questions before they are
administered. Each examiner will specify the time allotted to complete his/ her
question (typically 24-48 hours). The advisor will distribute the questions one at a
time and the student will respond within the specified time frame. Although the
student can take time off between questions, the entire examination must be completed
within two weeks.
The questions will be scored by the student’s Graduate Advisory Committee, which will
recommend to the GPC whether the student passes or must retake the entire exam or
selected portions. The passing grade on each question is 70% and student must pass
all questions. Students are not allowed to rewrite questions that they do not pass.
A student who does not pass will be given a second opportunity to take another
question from the same examiner. Failure to pass the examination the second time will
result in termination from the program. A student must pass the written examination
prior to taking the oral comprehensive examination. A Documentation of Completion of
Written Exam (http://www.vcu.edu/biochem/students/g-forms.shtml) form should be
submitted to the graduate program director once the exam is completed.
PLAN B: 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.students.vcu.edu/rg/policies/rg7honor.html).
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.
Note: format of the oral comprehensive examination is the same for all students
(PLANS A & B).
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. 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 & Molecular Biology. 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.
For Plan A, both comprehensive examinations must be completed by the end of the third
year in the program. For Plan B, 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 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
dissertation before the defense can be scheduled. The student’s advisory committee
must approve of the filing of a graduation application and of the dissertation
document before the graduate program director can sign the graduation application or
final examination scheduling forms (
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 & Molecular Biology 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 ($23,100 as of fall 2006). 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 & Molecular Biology 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.
The following graduate courses are required:
- BIOC 505/ 506: Experimental biochemistry/ research rotation (typically year 01, two rotations required)
- BIOC 690: Biochemistry Seminar (each semester)
- BIOC 691, 901: Special Topics in Biochemistry/ student seminar (each semester)
- MICR 512: Laboratory Safety (typically year 01)
- MICR 510: Scientific Integrity (typically year 02)
- BIOC 697: Directed research in Biochemistry (each semester)
The following graduate courses are recommended:
Some graduate courses listed above may be taken after the comprehensive examination.
The core set of required courses can be supplemented with elective courses offered by the department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology or other departments. Electives may include: Techniques in Molecular Biology & Genetics, Bioinformatics, Statistics, Immunology, Microbiology, Molecular genetics, Mammalian physiology, Advanced organic and physical chemistry.
A typical course plan for the full-time Ph.D. student is described below.
| Credit Hours |
| Fall Year 1 |
|
BIOC
503 Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular
Biology
|
5.0
|
|
BIOC
505 Experimental Biochemistry ("Rotation")
|
2.0
|
|
BIOC
690 Biochemistry Research Seminar
|
1.0
|
|
BIOC
691, 901 Special Topics in Biochemistry
(Department Seminar)
|
1.0
|
|
MICR 512 Laboratory Safety
|
1.0
|
|
BIOC
697 Directed Research in Biochemistry
|
variable
|
| |
|
| Spring |
|
BIOC
504 Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular
Biology
|
5.0
|
|
BIOC
505 Experimental Biochemistry ("Rotation")
|
2.0
|
|
BIOC
602 Physical Properties of Macromolecules
|
3.0
|
|
BIOC
690 Biochemistry Research Seminar
|
1.0
|
|
BIOC
691, 901 Special Topics in Biochemistry
(Department Seminar)
|
1.0
|
|
BIOC
697 Directed Research in Biochemistry
|
variable
|
| |
|
| Summer |
|
BIOC
697 Directed Research in Biochemistry
|
6.0
|
|
BIOC
505 Experimental Biochemistry ("Rotation") first year students only
|
2.0
|
| |
|
| Fall Year 2 |
|
BIOC
605 Advanced Topics in Molecular Biology
|
2.0
|
|
BIOC
604 Enzymology
|
3.0
|
|
BIOC
690 Biochemistry Research Seminar
|
1.0
|
|
BIOC
691, 901 Special Topics in Biochemistry
(Department Seminar)
|
1.0
|
|
MICR 510 Scientific Integrity
|
1.0
|
|
BIOC
697 Directed Research in Biochemistry
|
variable
|
| |
|
| Spring |
|
BIOC
606 Signal Transduction
|
3.0
|
|
BIOC
690 Biochemistry Research Seminar
|
1.0
|
|
BIOC
691, 901 Special Topics in Biochemistry
(Department Seminar)
|
1.0
|
|
BIOC
697 Directed Research in Biochemistry
|
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
| |
|
