Biomedical Sciences PhD

Students in the BMS Graduate Program have the ability to choose among several curricular emphasis options:

Biochemistry, Genetics and Genomics (BGG)

The objective of the BGG curriculum is to provide course work and laboratory training that focus on the principles and application of biochemical, genetic, and genomic analysis. These approaches play key roles in identifying and characterizing cellular processes and elucidating the structure and function of key macromolecules including DNA, RNA, proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates. The curricular track also stresses the biological intersections of these classes of macromolecules. The combination of didactic courses, colloquia, seminars, and laboratory research provides students with an integrated approach for applying biochemical, genetic, and genomic analyses to interrogate and manipulate basic cellular processes and macromolecules of biomedical significance. The training afforded by this track exposes graduates to the fundamentals needed to experimentally address scientific questions in areas such as epigenetic control of gene expression, structure/function, biomolecular engineering, and systems analysis using these approaches.

Cancer Biology (CB)

The CB curriculum provides comprehensive, interdisciplinary training in cancer research, thus preparing students to pursue competitive careers in the field of cancer biology. The track provides fundamental knowledge in cancer biology, while emphasizing state-of-the-art research approaches. The curriculum provides an appreciation for the dynamic nature of cancer research by exposing students to current paradigms in this quickly changing field of research. The CB curricular track includes courses that highlight essential knowledge of the basic cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying cancer etiology, cancer progression, and metastasis, together with an understanding of translational research and cancer treatment. The track also allows flexibility for students to individually tailor their studies by choosing additional CB courses in basic, population, or clinical science aspects of cancer research. This intensive training program will prepare trainees for advanced careers in a variety of areas of cancer research.

Cellular and Integrative Physiology (CIP)

The CIP curriculum is designed to train students in investigating biological mechanisms across molecular, cellular, tissue, and organismal levels to understand the basis of health and disease. Through a combination of didactic coursework, colloquia, seminars, and hands-on laboratory research, students gain a comprehensive, integrated perspective using advanced imaging, biochemical, biophysical, computational and molecular analysis techniques. The program equips students with the foundational skills necessary to experimentally address key scientific questions in areas such as metabolism and cellular signaling, structure and function of ion channels and transporters, intracellular organelles and trafficking, molecular motors, and intercellular communication. Approaches that include a diverse array of model organisms, ranging from simple microbes to shrimp, zebrafish, fruit flies, and transgenic rodents that mimic different diseases, are used to explore fundamental biological questions and discover therapies.

Translational Therapeutics (TT)

The Translational Therapeutics, or Pharmacology, curriculum is designed to give students a firm foundation in the principles the science of the interaction of chemical agents with biological systems. Student will explore the identification of disease targets, development of therapeutic strategies, and refinement of drug delivery approaches. Primary emphasis is placed on the molecular mechanism by which drugs act in the body and by which the body transforms drugs.

Virology and Immunology (VIRIM)

The VIRIM curriculum aims to provide graduate students with the opportunity to concentrate on their graduate-level coursework and laboratory research in areas related to virology and immunology. The research areas within virology include viral oncology, virus-host interactions, virus structure and assembly, functional roles of viral gene products, molecular mechanisms of viral replication, and virus-induced latency. Research areas within immunology encompass adaptive and innate immunity, cellular and humoral immune responses, antigen presentation, tumor immunology, vaccine development, and neuroimmunology. The VIRIM track enables students to develop integrative research approaches by combining elements of biochemistry, molecular and cellular biology, and genetics to investigate scientific questions relevant to virology and immunology.

The program offers extensive flexibility to tailor curriculum and dissertation research to each individual student’s interests.

With the research emphasis of the program, students also participate in research rotations in at least three laboratories during the first year before choosing the laboratory for their dissertation research.

Students admitted to the Biomedical Sciences PhD program receive a financial assistance package that includes a stipend and tuition. For the 2025-26 academic year, the stipend is $35,919.

A limited number of first-year supplemental awards and fellowships are also available on a competitive basis.

The program pays the stipend and tuition for the first four semesters (Fall/Spring/Summer/Fall). Subsequently, the adviser for the dissertation research is responsible for the stipend and tuition. To ensure that students will be able to complete their dissertation research in this laboratory, the departmental chair guarantees this support.

Non-Tuition Costs

Medical insurance is required for all students, with the University paying 80 percent of the cost of medical, dental and vision coverage.