 2009-10 General Catalog |
 |
 |
 |
2009-10 General Catalog |
|
|
|
|
Catalog Home |
|||||||||||||||||
BiosciencesDirector
Affiliated faculty
Graduate ProgramParticipation in the Biosciences Program leads to a Ph.D. degree in a biosciences discipline. The program provides graduate students the freedom to explore research in any of 14 University of Iowa biosciences research departments and programs: the Departments of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Biochemistry, Biology, Chemistry, Communication Sciences and Disorders, Microbiology, Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, and Pharmacology; and the Programs in Free Radical and Radiation Biology, Genetics, Human Toxicology, Immunology, Molecular and Cellular Biology, and Neuroscience. Biosciences students enjoy the flexibility of investigating several disciplines through research rotations in the laboratories of Biosciences Program faculty members. Following completion of their first year in the program, students select a research laboratory and program affiliation and decide on a thesis project that will lead to a Ph.D. Semester hour requirements for the doctorate vary by program, but all Ph.D. degrees at Iowa require at least 72 s.h. of graduate credit. For detailed information on Graduate College policies, see the Manual of Rules and Regulations of the Graduate College. CurriculumDuring their first year in the program, students perform three 10-week research rotations in Biosciences Program departments and programs of their choice. They also take a principles course (156:201 Fundamentals of Gene Expression), a seminar course (156:265 Biosciences Critical Thinking and Communication), and one or more electives. Biosciences students are advised on course selection, research rotations, and registration by a faculty member closely related to the student's research and academic interests. As research rotations are assigned, the faculty advisor works in consultation with the student's rotation advisors until the end of the first year. Biosciences students provide a short oral presentation following each research rotation to an audience of their primary advisor, research advisor(s), and other biosciences students. Rotation advisors provide rotation reports, and rotations are evaluated by the student's primary advisor. The student's primary advisor also confers with the student on course grades, subsequent rotations, and the student's selection of a department or program and lab for thesis research. In addition to laboratory rotations, all biosciences students take 156:201 Fundamentals of Gene Expression, which provides a foundation for understanding basic principles of molecular and cell biology relevant to all bioscience disciplines and teaches students how to evaluate literature critically. They also take 156:265 Biosciences Critical Thinking and Communication, which dovetails with research rotations and seminar series offered by the Biosciences Program's departments and programs. The course involves weekly discussions of selected papers and oral and written presentations tied to the student's research rotations. Overall student progress is monitored by the student's primary advisor, rotation advisor(s), and program director, who meet at the end of each semester to review the student's work. At the end of the second semester, the primary advisor, in cooperation with the rotation advisor(s), makes a recommendation to the Biosciences Program director whether the student should continue in the Ph.D. program. University guidelines, such as maintaining a cumulative g.p.a. of 3.00 or higher, are considered, along with performance in rotations. During the second semester, Biosciences Program students meet with prospective mentors regarding thesis proposals and openings available in the mentors' laboratories. Students identify the program and laboratory they would like to join. Two weeks before the spring semester ends, students submit their choice of graduate programs and faculty mentors to the Biosciences Program office, which coordinates each student's transfer to his or her chosen program. From that point on, the department or program advises the student and evaluates his or her performance. Most participating departments and programs require that students take a comprehensive exam at the end of the second year and no later than the third year. Following successful completion of the exam, students advance to Ph.D. candidacy. REQUIRED COURSESAll Biosciences Program students must complete the following course work. Students earn at least 12 s.h. each semester. Fall Semester
Spring Semester
AdmissionThe program accepts students with a variety of backgrounds in the biological and physical sciences. Entering students must hold a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university and should have completed courses in biology, chemistry, physics, and calculus consistent with requirements for a baccalaureate degree in the sciences. An undergraduate g.p.a. of at least 3.00 is required. Applicants must submit their scores on the Graduate Record Examination; a combined verbal and quantitative score of 1200 and an analytical writing score of 4.5 or higher are preferred. Applicants whose first language is not English must score at least 600 (paper-based), 250 (computer-based), or 100 (Internet-based) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Other indicators of academic accomplishments, such as research experience and letters of recommendation, are considered. Information about graduate training and application materials are available from the Biosciences Program office. Applicants must meet the admission requirements of the Graduate College; see the Manual of Rules and Regulations of the Graduate College or the Graduate College section of the Catalog. Financial SupportGraduate students receive stipend and tuition support from The University of Iowa and other sources. Students promoted to the second year in the program receive support from their graduate departments and programs. The Biosciences Program also helps some students apply for competitive national awards for outstanding academic and research achievement. FacilitiesThe Carver College of Medicine provides state-of-the-art facilities for students, researchers, and instructors. The Medical Education and Research Facility, completed in 2002, provides 220,000 square feet of modern laboratories, lecture halls, clinical examinations rooms, and study and meeting space for students. The Carver Biomedical Research building opened in 2005. The 135,000 square-foot building is devoted to research, with five floors of specialized laboratories and new technology. In addition to its new buildings, the college offers recently renovated laboratories and classrooms. The health sciences campus provides parking, food service, and enjoyable outdoor common areas and pedestrian routes. Most of the University's health sciences colleges and clinical facilities are located there. The basic science and clinical departments of the Carver College of Medicine are housed primarily in the Bowen Science Building, Carver Biomedical Research Building, Eckstein Medical Research Building, Medical Education and Research Facility, Medical Laboratories, and University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. Nearby are the Hardin Library for the Health Sciences and the Iowa City Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The Departments of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, and Pharmacology are housed in the Bowen Science Building. Laboratories of clinical departments are located primarily in the Medical Laboratories and the Medical Research Center. The Eckstein Medical Research Building houses major core facilities for microscopy, image analysis, flow cytometry, protein structure, and monoclonal antibody production, as well as research laboratories for basic investigators with interdisciplinary approaches to cancer, molecular biology, genetics, and immunology. The geographic proximity of these facilities promotes interchange among clinical and basic science faculty members and students and maximizes use of the University's extensive core facilities for biomedical research. Integral to the University's research environment are the Carver Family Center for Macular Degeneration, Center for Auditory Regeneration and Deafness, Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases, Center for Functional Genomics of Hypertension, Center for Gene Therapy of Cystic Fibrosis and Other Genetic Diseases, Center for Research on the Implementation of Innovative Strategies in Practice, Center on Aging, Craniofacial Center Collaboratory, Cystic Fibrosis Research Center, General Clinical Research Center, Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center, Huntington's Disease Center for Excellence, Iowa Center for Muscular Dystrophy Research, Iowa Cardiovascular Center, Iowa Comprehensive Lung Imaging Center, Helen C. Levitt Center for Viral Pathogenesis, George M. O'Brien Kidney Research Center, Specialized Center for Research in Osteoarthritis, and the Senator Paul D. Wellstone Muscular Dystrophy Cooperative Research Center. In addition to the University's extensive facilities for research support, the Carver College of Medicine and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences operate a variety of research support facilities. Tissue culture, autoclaving, purified water, darkrooms, counters, and a variety of general-use equipment and services are available on a shared basis. |
|||||||||||||||||
|
Copyright 2009 The University of Iowa. All rights reserved.
Updated November 2009 |
