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Programs

Translational Biomedical Science

Information about faculty and research can be found on the Translational Biomedical Science website.

AdmissionsLink to section

Applying to Doctoral ProgramsLink to section

Candidates for admission to the translational biomedical science PhD program have foundational knowledge of the basic sciences and statistical methods. While not required, having this knowledge before starting the program can be pivotal for coursework during the first years of training. Background in statistical programming is also desirable.

Applicants must have earned a U.S. baccalaureate degree or its equivalent from a college, university, or technical school of acceptable standing. Students in their final year of undergraduate study may be admitted on the condition that their bachelor’s degrees are awarded before they matriculate. Evidence of the earned degree is required before matriculation in the form of an official transcript noting degree conferral.

Applicants must submit the following materials for consideration in their online application: statement of purpose, copies of transcripts from all previous undergraduate and graduate training, and three letters of formal recommendation. International applicants must also provide evidence of English proficiency (e.g., TOEFL, IELTS, or DuoLingo test score), unless approved for a waiver. Applicants may choose to submit additional materials to aid in application review (such as a personal statement, academic manuscripts). GRE scores are optional.

Applicants chosen to advance to the second round of the admissions process interview with at least three faculty members. Once applicants are interviewed, offers of acceptance are made to finalists. Entrants to the PhD program do not need to secure a mentor or principal investigator before admittance because they complete laboratory rotations during the first year. Full-time study is required.

Trainees entering with advanced training or prior coursework may transfer up to 30 credits at the discretion of the program director, and in accordance with University and School of Medicine and Dentistry policy. Coursework eligible for transfer must have a minimum grade of B- and been completed within the last five years.

AcademicsLink to section

Doctoral Degrees and RequirementsLink to section

The program and the trainee create a tentative program of study for the PhD at the beginning of program enrollment, and progress is tracked via annual summer meetings with program leadership. Coursework in translational biomedical science is concentrated in five core areas: translational skills, translational science, basic science, public health, and biostatistics. Trainees are required to complete 12 core curriculum courses. They have the option to take either three general elective courses or declare a formal degree concentration (bioinformatics or clinical research methods). Trainees also take a one-credit TBS student seminar each semester of program enrollment to gain extensive practice in searching literature and preparing and delivering presentations. Core coursework should generally be completed by the end of the fifth semester of training. Additional courses can be taken for audit or credit.

Trainees complete three laboratory rotations with tenure-track faculty during the first year of training. They designate their primary research mentor by the end of the second semester and begin dissertation proposal research in preparation for the qualifying examination.

PhD trainees complete an oral qualifying examination during the fifth semester of training, which consists of a written proposal document, in the style of an NIH F or R award proposal, and presentation of the proposal to the trainee’s dissertation committee. Trainees who successfully pass the exam qualify for doctoral degree candidacy. This PhD program does not offer an en passant master’s degree after completion of the qualifying examination.

Students must receive permission to write the dissertation from the dissertation committee six months before defense. Upon completing and submitting the written dissertation, doctoral candidates present their work at a public lecture, followed by an oral defense before the dissertation committee.

PhD students can elect to complete a concentration in either bioinformatics or clinical research methods, two areas of strong interest for our trainees and affiliated program faculty.

Trainees in the bioinformatics concentration must take three courses related to bioinformatics and data analysis, whereas traditional trainees take general elective courses relating to their areas of research. Completion of the specified concentration courses results in doctoral degree with a concentration in bioinformatics.

Trainees in the computer science concentration must take three courses related to data mining, machine learning, and artificial intelligence, whereas traditional trainees take general elective courses relating to their areas of research. Completion of the specified concentration courses results in doctoral degree with a concentration in computer science.

Trainees in the clinical research methods concentration take three courses related to clinical and populational research design and methods, whereas traditional trainees take generalized courses relating to their areas of research. Completion of the specified concentration courses results in a doctoral degree with a concentration in clinical research methods.

Graduate Course TitlesLink to section

  • IND 501: Ethics and Professional Integrity
  • PM 403: Research Team Science Seminar
  • IND 436: TBS Student Seminar
  • IND 439: Leadership Management for Scientists
  • IND 417: Workshop in Scientific Communications
  • IND 595: PhD Research
  • BST 465: Design of Clinical Trials
  • PM 485: Introduction to Biomedical Informatics
  • PM 487: Fundamentals of Science, Technology, and Health Policy
  • MBI 403: Drug Discovery
  • BME 431: FDA and Intellectual Property
  • BME 432: Navigating FDA Regulatory and Commercialization Landscapes
  • IND 431: Foundations of Modern Biology I
  • IND 432: Foundations of Modern Biology II
  • PM 415: Principles of Epidemiology
  • PM 426: Social and Behavioral Medicine
  • PM 445: Introduction to Health Services Research
  • PM 486: Medical Ecology in Global Context
  • PM 493: Health Policy Lab
  • BST 463: Introduction to Biostatistics
  • BST 467: Applied Biostatistics
  • DSCC 462: Computational Introduction to Statistics
  • IND 484: Current Topics in Bioinformatics Research
  • IND 419: Introduction to Quantitative Biology
  • BCH 521: Bioinformatics for Life Scientists
  • BIO 457: Applied Genomics
  • PM 410: Introduction to Data Management and Analysis
  • STAT 476: Statistical Computing in R
  • BST 432: High Dimensional Data Analysis
  • BST 434: Genomic Data Analysis
  • PM 413: Field Epidemiology
  • PM 416: Advanced Epidemiologic Methods
  • PM 419: Recruitment and Retention of Human Subjects in Clinical Research
  • PM 458: Qualitative Health Care Research