Program Requirements

*An additional 12 credits of electives are taken at the student’s discretion during the first and second year.

To obtain the Ph.D in Physiology & Biophysics, students must successfully complete all required coursework. Within the course of laboratory rotations during the first year, students must obtain faculty sponsorship for their doctoral thesis research. By the end of the second year, students must complete their qualifying examination, which entails an oral defense of a research fellowship proposal on the topic of the student’s choosing. At the beginning of the third year, students are required to constitute their doctoral thesis examination committee containing at least one member from outside the Department. Advancement to candidacy is predicated on the successful presentation of the Thesis Proposal by the end of the third year. Once advanced to candidacy, students are expected to pursue a course of rigorous laboratory research. Successful completion of the degree program will entail a first-authored research publication in a peer-reviewed journal. All of these requirements are to be completed within seven years from the date of admission