During Year 1, all new graduate students in the biomedical sciences graduate programs matriculate in a common interdisciplinary core curriculum. This integrated first year allows students to build competence in key areas of contemporary science, gain exposure to the various training program options, meet potential thesis advisors, and form social connections with each other before having to select an advisor, training program, or research specialization.

Thus, the first year of the Ph.D. program is both undifferentiated and integrated to provide maximum flexibility. This enables students to select a training program that fits their goals. For students who had pre-selected a specific department upon application, this integrated first year gives them the opportunity to change programs at the end of Year 1 without disrupting their academic progress or their stipend support.

In the second semester of Year 1, students who already have clear research or program interests may customize their coursework by selecting from an array of program-specific electives. At the end of Year 1, students can select Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, or one of the other program tracks, for their graduate research training. Ph.D. training typically takes 4-5 years to complete. Stipend support and tuition waivers are provided for the duration of this training.

M.S. and M.D./Ph.D. Options

The M.S. degree is a two-year program that includes the integrated core curriculum. The Department also participates in a joint M.D./Ph.D. program. These students take the first two years of the medical curriculum, followed typically by three years of research for the Ph.D. degree, before returning to the M.D. program.

Curriculum: Immunology and Microbial Pathogenesis

Department of Immunology and Microbial Pathogenesis
Graduate Director: Jia Luo, Ph.D.
304-293-7416