PhD, MD/PhD in Molecular Medicine
The Graduate Program in Molecular Medicine at Boston University is an interdepartmental program based in the Department of Medicine. The curriculum consists of a year of basic science courses offered through the Division of Graduate Medical Sciences followed by a second year of electives and an innovative Molecular Medicine Core Curriculum. This Core Curriculum includes the following courses: Genetics and Epidemiology of Disease, Cancer Biology, Immunity and Infection, Molecular Basis of Organ System Diseases, Molecules to Molecular Therapeutics: The Translation of Molecular Observations to Clinical Implementation, and a new course, introduced this fall: Biological Core Technologies. During the first year and intervening summer, students rotate in different laboratories within the Department of Medicine or affiliated laboratories and choose a laboratory where they will conduct their research leading to a dissertation. In the winter following the first semester, students take the Tier 1 Qualifying Examination, which is a review of a scientific paper in an examination format. Following completion of all coursework, students write and orally defend their Tier 2 Qualifying Examination, which is a mock research grant on the topic of thesis research.
Students are expected to participate in Journal Club, seminars, ARCs, the annual Evans Medicine Research Days, and the Henry I. Russek Student Achievement Day.
The Graduate Program in Molecular Medicine avails itself of the Evans Center for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research. The purpose of this center is to promote growth and discovery in emerging interdisciplinary biomedical research and educational areas by providing faculty affiliated with the Department of Medicine and with various schools, departments and centers at Boston University a dynamic, interdisciplinary organizational structure that allows investigators with different areas of expertise to collectively address mechanisms of disease, and to facilitate new training opportunities.
Students can matriculate into the Graduate Program in Molecular Medicine after completing a bachelor’s or master’s program or through the combined MD/PhD program at Boston University School of Medicine. In addition, MDs who desire to pursue rigorous scientific training in preparation for a career in academic medicine and research are encouraged to apply. Students admitted to the program are offered full tuition support and an annual stipend.
The Department of Medicine occupies modern research laboratories on the Boston University Medical Campus in the Center for Advanced Biomedical Research and the Evans Biomedical Research Center. These buildings provide state-of-the-art research space in an open, spacious environment that is fully supported by research core facilities for computing, animals and transgenic mice, sequencing, microarrays, and others.
Boston University’s Medical Campus (BUMC), encompassing Boston University School of Medicine, Boston Medical Center, BU School of Public Health, and BU’s Goldman School of Dental Medicine, is located in the city’s historic South End, approximately one mile south from downtown Boston. The South End is a vibrant and renewed urban community. With three medical schools and many major universities, Boston has a rich and interactive biomedical community and is the center of the biotechnology industry. Boston is a cosmopolitan city with a rich academic and intellectual environment and panoply of cultural, recreational, and sports activities.
Boston University is a private institution founded in 1839. It is among the top twenty institutions in the country in NIH-derived research support. The faculty of the Evans Department of Medicine at the Boston University School of Medicine conducts research programs in basic biomedical sciences, translational medicine, and clinical outcomes and epidemiology.
Applications to the Graduate Program in Molecular Medicine are submitted through the Boston University School of Medicine Division of Graduate Medical Sciences. Applicants should forward an undergraduate transcript, a medical school transcript (post-MD candidates only), and GRE, MCAT, or TOEFL scores, if applicable. Candidates being considered for the program are asked to interview on campus with relevant faculty. Admission to the program is based upon objective evidence of academic excellence, research background and interest, and interviews.
Course of Study
Candidates for a PhD in Molecular Medicine will have varied scientific and medical backgrounds. To meet the stated goals of the GPMM and provide intensive scientific training and research experience culminating in a PhD, as well as equip its graduates to carry out independent research, the course of study will be individualized for each candidate depending upon his/her background. This course will be developed by each candidate and his/her Program Advisor in the GPMM. The program of study must be approved by the Student Performance Committee.
The PhD program is divided into three parts: Part I, Basic Science Curriculum; Part II, Molecular Medicine Curriculum; and Part III, Dissertation Research. After successful completion of Parts I and II and prior to initiating dissertation research, each candidate will be expected to complete the Tier 2 Qualifying Examination.
Part I: Basic Science Courses:
A typical curriculum for first year students consists of 20 credits (10 per semester), made up of formal course work and credits derived from research and attendance at DOM seminars and Journal Club. The first-year basic science curriculum consists of courses in Biochemistry (4 credits) and Molecular Biology (4 credits) plus electives (10 credits total) appropriate for the student’s research interest (Cell Biology, Genetics & Genomics, and Biostatistics are strongly recommended).
Part II: Molecular Medicine Core Curriculum:
The Core Curriculum consists of two semesters covering topics on the scientific basis and research methodology of the molecular basis of disease. These courses are taught as advanced graduate seminars. They are required of all GPMM students in the second year and are open to other students in the Division of Graduate Medical Sciences.
Four courses are offered that address major fields in the molecular basis of human disease: MM 701, MM 703, MM 705, and MM 707 (descriptions below). Each course meets one day a week for two hours. GPMM students are required to take MM 707 and two of the other three courses and are encouraged to take all four. Also required are courses MM 710 and MM 730. Each course will have its own outside reading.
Fall Semester
- GMS MM 701 Genetics & Epidemiology of Human Disease 2 credits
- GMS MM 703, Cancer Biology and Genetics 2 credits
- GMS MM 707, Organ System Diseases 2 credits
- GMS MM 730 Biological Core Technologies 2 credits
Required
Spring Semester
- GMS MM705 Immunity and Infection
- GMS MM 710 Molecules to Molecular Therapeutics: The Translation of Molecular Observations to Clinical Implementation 4 credits
