The first two semesters are devoted primarily to formal course work and laboratory rotations, whereas the later years are devoted to thesis research and to specialty courses in cancer biology.
Courses
Graduate students are generally expected to complete the equivalent of six full (3-credit) courses during their first two years in residence.
Required courses:
- Cancer Biology I: Cellular Signaling (MCB/CBI 417) taken in the second semester (3 units).
- Cancer biology II: Molecular Mechanisms of Oncogenesis (MCB 418) taken in the third semester (2 units).
- Cancer as a Disease (MCB 300) taken once in the fourth semester (2 units).
- Student Seminar (MCB 280) required for the first two years of the program, with presentations of ongoing work by advanced students in the program and critical evaluation of the literature linked to speaker presentation in the Signal Transduction Colloquium (2 units). Attendance at the weekly Signal Transduction Colloquium seminar series is expected of all students.
First and second semester courses:
In the first and second semesters, students generally take a combination of mini (half-semester) courses and full courses selected in consultation with the Advisory Committee (consisting of the Director, the Dean of Graduate Studies and additional faculty as appropriate.) The first year curriculum is designed to complement and extend the student’s undergraduate training. The course load expected is the equivalent to 2 1/2 –3 full courses in the first semester, and 2 - 2 1/2 full courses in the second.
TYPICAL SCHEDULE FOR FIRST TWO YEARS
First Year:
Semester 1
- 5/6 mini-courses, 3/4 mini-courses plus 1 full course, or 1/2 mini-courses plus two full courses (e.g. Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics)
- Student Seminar (MCB 280)
- Laboratory Rotations
Semester 2
- Cancer Biology I – Cellular Signaling
- One full-course or two mini-course elective(s); popular elective courses have been Tumor Immunology, Developmental Biology, Nucleic Acids, Proteins and Enzymes and Pharmacology
- Student Seminar (MCB 280)
- Laboratory Rotations
Second Year:
Semester 3
- Cancer Biology II – Molecular Mechanisms of Oncogenesis
- Student Seminar (MCB 280)
- Thesis Research
Semester 4
- Cancer as a Disease
- Student Seminar (MCB 280)
- Thesis Research
Students in their third year and beyond give a talk each year about their thesis work in the Student Seminar course.
CMB Transfers: Requirements for a PhD in Cancer Biology are the same as for MCB Program students with the exception that they are only required to take 2 semesters (rather than 4 semesters) of MCB 280.
MSTP students: Requirements for a PhD in Cancer Biology are the same for MCB Program students with the exception that MSTP students are not required to to take the general mini-courses or full general courses in the first semester but may opt to take MCB 418 if the student has the necessary background.
Lab Rotations:
Each first student is expected to complete a series of three laboratory rotations. Each rotation will involve approximately 10 weeks of work in a specific laboratory chosen by the student and agreed to by the director of the laboratory and the Director of Graduate Studies. Students are expected to spend a significant investment of time in laboratory work for each rotation. At the end of each rotation, the student will present to the lab director a report summarizing the experiments and results. The purpose of these rotations is two-fold: first to give the student close exposure to the techniques and problems in three different laboratories; and second to provide a basis for the eventual choice of a thesis laboratory. Performance after the rotation will be formally evaluated by the mentor.
The student should select a laboratory for thesis work following the third rotation and begin a research program in that laboratory. The choice of thesis laboratory must be agreed to by the thesis advisor (who must have the funding, laboratory space, and resources to support the research) and by the Director of Graduate Studies.
The Preliminary Examination for Doctoral Students in the Molecular Cancer Biology Program
The preliminary examination is taken by all students upon completion of their required course work and no later than the fall semester of their third year of study. Successful completion of this exam is required to formally accept a student as a candidate for a Ph.D degree. The exam serves several purposes: (a) it evaluates a student's progress since entering their respective training programs, (b) it allows students to test their ability to function as independent thinkers, (c) it allows students to define particular strengths and weaknesses, and finally (d) it serves as an important milestone in Ph.D. training. The preliminary examination is an extremely important aspect of a student's graduate training.
For information on the preliminary exam format and timetable, please click here.
The Thesis Committee
Upon successful completion of the preliminary examination, the student has six months to establish a thesis advisory committee. The first meeting with this committee must take place within one year of passing the preliminary exam.
Doctoral candidates meet with their thesis committee on an annual basis to present progress and evaluate the direction of the research program. A brief written report of each meeting must be submitted by the student to the Director of Graduate Studies. Upon completion of the dissertation research, each doctoral candidate will present a formal dissertation seminar. This seminar is considered a component of the dissertation defense. The dissertation defense is generally held immediately following the seminar.
The dissertation must conform to the regulations for the doctoral degree as stated in the Graduate School Bulletin. Work that has already been published or submitted for publication should be reformatted by the student as chapters in the thesis. In the case of multi-authored papers, the student should be careful to extract and/or delineate those parts for which he or she was primarily responsible.
