The program includes formal coursework, teaching experiences-written and oral examinations, independent research, and a dissertation. During the first year of graduate school, students obtain the necessary academic background in basic microbiology, virology, immunology, and biochemistry, as well as training in fundamental research skills. During the second year, students select a research problem and begin investigation of it. Students then participate in four or five advanced courses-one of which is taken outside the department. The emphasis throughout is on research, and students are expected to undertake independent, original experiments culminating in a new and significant contribution to scientific knowledge.
Research is supported by close collaboration with a member of the graduate faculty.
The department emphasizes a program of study leading to the Ph.D. degree in the principal fields of microbiology, virology, and immunology. D. degree program. Dual-degree students spend the first two years in the medical school being trained in basic sciences. Then they move into the graduate research phase of the curriculum, taking up to three years to earn the Ph.D. degree. Their final two years are devoted to clinical training at the medical school.