Any faculty member of the program who meets the requirements of the Graduate School may serve as a Dissertation Advisor. By the end of four years of study, the student is required to complete an original research project that is of publication quality as assessed by the Dissertation Committee, and to write a dissertation according to the rules of the Graduate School. The dissertation will be presented in a seminar format open to the public, followed by closer inspection by the Dissertation Committee. Students are required to attend 7 seminars per semester with 1-3 designated as required and the remainder to be chosen by the student. Students choose from the faculty in the program as their directors for each of the three different lab rotations.
Students complete two lab rotations in the spring.
The third rotation takes place in the summer after the first year. A minimum of 48 credit hours of course work and research is required. All formal course work is to be completed within the first two years. Students may take MCBP 799 Research for 1-5 credits per semester for a maximum of 12 credits total during the first two years. Students desiring any deviation from the core curriculum should submit their request in writing to the Co-Directors, who will review the request and make a recommendation to the Steering Committee for approval.