Students are assisted by their advisory committees in the selection of interdisciplinary rotations with training faculty. A student together with his or her advisory committee will choose additional courses, journal clubs, and seminars. Students' initial courses will help them further define their training goals while they learn the language of basic molecular biomedical sciences. Students who have completed relevant graduate coursework at other institutions can get graduate credit for their coursework and may often be exempted from specific core requirements on the basis of courses already taken. Journal clubs and seminars are an important part of the student's program throughout the training period.
Students learn to analyze, evaluate, and prepare written and spoken research presentations.
Every opportunity is given to graduate students to meet with distinguished visiting scientists and to discuss their own projects with those guests. Students complete the Core Requirement during the first year of the program. During the second year, students will complete MTA-required advanced courses which are appropriate for their particular interests. Also, by this time, the student will have moved into a preceptor's laboratory and initiated his or her major research endeavor. By the end of the fifth semester, the student must have successfully completed the Qualifying Examination that covers general knowledge of his or her field of interest.