Participation in a seminar course in molecular biology is required for all first and second-year graduate students. In addition, students are required to take four or more elective courses from an approved list for a total of at least ten semester hours. Students are encouraged to obtain maximum laboratory research experience during the first two years of the program. To ensure that students will obtain early involvement in laboratory research, students are required to register for research credits during the first year of graduate studies. After successful completion of the comprehensive examination, a student would be expected to devote the major portion of their effort towards thesis research.
Students usually take the comprehensive examination during the second year of studies.
The comprehensive examination will involve the preparation and oral defense of one written research proposal. The proposal must be the product of the student's original and independent preparation and must be on a topic in molecular biology unrelated to their thesis research. Following successful completion of the comprehensive examination and advancement to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree, a dissertation committee is appointed to advise the student during the intensive research phase of training and to conduct the final examination. On successful completion of all requirements, including the written dissertation and successful oral defense of the dissertation, the Ph.D. in Molecular Biology is awarded.