UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER

The University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry’s Biomedical Sciences Program provides broad-based didactic and research experiences for beginning doctoral students with maximum flexibility in the choice of research area.  Students admitted into our program have the opportunity to pursue doctoral research with more than 200 faculty in the School of Medicine and Dentistry and in the College.  In the first year of study, students enroll in a core curriculum, designed to provide fundamental concepts and knowledge in the biomedical sciences, including biochemistry, cell biology, and molecular biology and genetics.  Three laboratory rotations and other basic science courses required by the training cluster and academic program provide students with research experience and additional interactions with faculty.  At the end of the first year, students choose their mentor and the Ph.D. degree to be earned.  On average students can expect to complete research and coursework leading to the Ph.D. degree in six years.

The School of Medicine and Dentistry offers the Ph.D. degree in:

Anatomy
Biochemistry
Biophysics
Genetics
Microbiology & Immunology
Neuroscience
Pathology
Pharmacology
Physiology
Toxicology

Training clusters serve as the route of admission to the Ph.D. program.  This arrangement provides our students with an exceptionally diverse choice of research area, encompassing virtually all aspects of modern biomedical sciences.

Because our training clusters are more flexible than traditional academic departments, graduate training is more effectively maintained at the leading edge of today’s rapid advances in biomedical sciences.  The cluster organization provides our graduate students with the best of two worlds-they are part of a unit that has a strong scientific focus, yet they are able to independently explore research opportunities in a wide range of departments, centers and programs.  Interdisciplinary Research Clusters include: Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology; Biophysics and Structural Biology; Cellular and Molecular Basis of Medicine; Genetics, Genomics and Development; Immunology, Microbiology, and Vaccine Biology; Neuroscience; and Toxicology.  Every research cluster possesses many unique yet shared resources-many housed in specialized centers.  Students have access to instrumentation which includes scanning and transmission electron and confocal microscopy, macromolecular X-ray crystallography, electron and nuclear magnetic resonance spetroscopy, high resolution image analysis, oligonucleotide, synthesizers, automated protein/peptide and DNA sequencers, and a host of other state-of-the-aret apparatus necessary for current research.  The University also houses ten core facilities, which provide services to all researchers.

Requirements

Admission to the Ph.D. program requires a baccalaureate degree in the natural or physical sciences; outstanding applicants with preparation in other academic areas may be considered.  Most applicants have a strong background in biology, general, and organic chemistry, physics, and mathematics.  The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is required.  It is strongly recommended that scores be submitted as well as one of the subject tests, usually Biology, Chemistry, or Physics.  The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is required for all applicants who native language is not English.

Financial Aid and Tuition

Students appointed to the Ph.D. program receive fellowships that provide an annual stipend, full tuition scholarship, and individual health coverage as long as they are making satisfactory progress toward their degree and are in compliance with University policy and academic program requirements.  The stipend level is $20,000 for the 2002-2003 academic year.

Other Programs

The School of Medicine and Dentistry also offers Ph.D. programs in Health Services Research and Policy and in Statistics and terminal Masters programs in Dental Science, Marriage and Family Therapy, Microbiology, Public Health, and Statistics.

M.D./Ph.D. Programs

Rochester has a long-standing and very successful combined degree Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) funded by the National Institutes of Health.  Applications for this program will be considered from students who have exceptional credentials and previous research experience, and aspire to research and teaching careers in academic medicine.  For more information, please visit http://www.urmc.rochester.edu/smd/mdphd/.

Summer Undergraduate Research Scholars

The Summer Scholars Program offers summer research fellowships to undergraduate students who are interested in pursuing a career in research, and who may be considering applying to graduate school at the University of Rochester.  The ten-week program provides an intensive immersion in laboratory-based research at the medical center with student trainees participating in research and educational seminars.  Students present the results of their research at a poster session held at the conclusion of the program.  Additional information is available at http://www.urmc.rochester.edu/GEBS/summer.htm.

The University of Rochester

Founded in 1850 as an independent privately endowed institution, the University of Rochester has developed into an institution providing the academic opportunities of a renowned university and environment tailored to the individual.  The University’s major divisions are The College (Arts & Sciences, Engineering, and Applied Sciences), the Warner School of Education and Human Development, the Eastman School of Music, the Simon Graduate School of Business, the School of Medicine and Dentistry, and the School of Nursing.  Of a total matriculated student population of 8,000, about 3,000 are enrolled in advanced-degree programs.  Rochester consistently ranks among the top institutions, both public and private, in federal funding for research.  The Carnegie Foundation lists the University in its highest category, “Doctoral/Research Universities-Extensive”, which includes 28 prestigious private universities in the United States-among them Cornell, Duke, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, U Penn, and Stanford.  Rochester faculty and alumni include 6 Nobel Laureates and 11 Pulitzer Prize winners.

The School of Medicine and Dentistry was established in 1920.  The Medical Center comprising of the School of Medicine and Dentistry, the School of Nursing, and Strong Memorial Hospital, is entirely under one roof and is located adjacent to the University’s River Campus, permitting close interactions among the colleges.  The Medical Center has constructed a new 240,000 square foot research building, the Arthur Kornberg Medical Research Building and the Aab Institute of Biomedical Sciences to complement the strength of the Medical Center’s existing programs.  The Institute is organized into interdisciplinary research centers: The Center for Aging and Developmental Biology; The Center for Cancer Biology; The Center for Cardiovascular Research; The Center for Human Genetics and Molecular Pediatric Diseases; The Center for Oral Biology; and the Center for Vaccine Biology and Immunology.

Visit our website at http://www.urmc.rochester.edu/smd/grad/.

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