The Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology participates in the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in the Biomedical Sciences at the University of Kansas Medical Center. This program provides a diverse educational experience to prepare the student for a broad range of potential career paths. Students are able to complete nearly all of their course work in the first year, thus reducing the time required to complete the degree requirements. Course requirements in the first year of study are Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology, Cell Metabolism, Gene Expression and Development, and Molecular and Physiological Basis of Disease. Students also are introduced to biostatistics, bioethics, fundamentals of scientific presentation, and principles of laboratory technique.
Laboratory rotations begin in the second semester of the first year.
In most cases, students will take additional course work in the Fall of the second year before entering full-time into a research program. The student, with the guidance of his or her advisor, conducts an original research project. The student defends this research in a seminar open to all interested parties. Completion of the Ph.D. degree requirements requires approximately four full-time calendar years. D. program are, in addition to the first two years of the Medical school curriculum, specialized biomedical courses relevant to the student's dissertation research.