Qualifying examinations are usually completed before the end of the second year. The Ph.D. degree program usually requires four to five years of graduate work. The Molecular Microbiology Graduate Program is housed in the Department of Microbiology, which has 35,000 square feet of space in a modern basic sciences building. A complete departmental library with copies of current journals is available to graduate students, as is a graduate student office suite where each student has a desk and access to computer facilities. Financial Aid Students receive a nationally competitive stipend plus a liberal health insurance allowance.
Most students receive a waiver of nonresident tuition.
There are employment opportunities in the medical and business communities for spouses. Living and Housing Costs Students find attractive accommodations in the many privately owned apartment complexes, duplexes, and houses nearby that may be rented at reasonable rates. Students enrolled in the Graduate School numbered 427. Also on the campus were 809 medical students and 350 students in the Southwestern Allied Health Sciences School. A very active Graduate Student Organization is present on campus, and an International Visitors Network exists to assist students from other countries.