Cell & Molecular Biology

The interdisciplinary Cell & Molecular Biology Program takes advantage of the individual resources of the seven academic departments in the Division of Graduate Medical Sciences at the Boston University School of Medicine. The program focuses on basic scientific and clinical issues related to molecular and cellular biology. The participation of a large number of faculty members offers a diversity of research opportunities and a wealth of productive interactions. Areas of expertise include molecular mechanisms regulating gene expression and developmental programs, cell structure/function relationships, molecular characterization of receptors and signal transduction processes, structural analyses of macromolecules, and the impact of health and disease on all of these areas. The availability of core facilities (e.g., FACS cell sorter, confocal microscope, microscopic imaging, transgenic mouse colony, University-wide computer network) allows for the state-of-the-art technological approaches to address critical research issues.

Students are admitted to the program and spend the first year developing an advanced understanding of cell and molecular biology. Emphasis is placed on the historical development of conceptual and technological advances which have led to the current approaches and solutions to questions in cell and molecular biology. After one year of study, students enter a participating basic science department. Each student, in consultation with his or her thesis advisor and advisory committee, designs an individual program of specialized coursework built upon a core program of molecular and cellular biology. Students graduate with a PhD in a basic science department, distinguished by the phrase, “Program in Cell & Molecular Biology.”

This guide is intended to provide all graduate students within the Cell & Molecular Biology Program with a list of faculty and requirements. Students must also adhere to the guidelines of the Division of Graduate Medical Sciences at Boston University School of Medicine as well as Boston University at large. Students are advised to consult the appropriate personnel if they have further questions regarding policies concerning graduate study at Boston University.

The program is designed so that all entering students take coursework during the first year to fulfill the requirements of the Cell & Molecular Biology Program, as well as all participating departments within the Division of Graduate Medical Sciences. In addition, students rotate through four laboratories during the first year to aid in the decision as to who will serve as mentor throughout the remainder of the student’s graduate school career. At the end of the first year, the student then becomes a member of a department and will fulfill the requirements of that department, as well as those of the Cell & Molecular Biology Program.

Academic Advisors

All students will be assigned a faculty member as academic advisor when they enter into the program. The advisors are chosen by the Student Advisory Committee and all are active members of the Cell & Molecular Biology Program. Students, please keep in touch with your advisor, who will counsel you on academic issues and guide you in your choice of lab rotations throughout the first year. Upon completion of the first year of study, students will choose a mentor who will serve as permanent research advisor for the remainder of his/her graduate school career.

Academic Requirements

The post-bachelor’s PhD program requires 64 credits. The MD/PhD and post-master’s PhD programs require 32 credits. Students who enter the program are required to take the following courses in the first year.

• GMS BI 755/756 Biochemistry (8)
• GMS MS 753 Cell Biology (4)
• GMS CM 761/762 Critical Thinking (4)
• GMS BI 782 Molecular Biology (4)

In the second year, the student will take courses required by the specific department he/she joins. In addition, to fulfill the requirements of the Cell & Molecular Biology program, a minimum of 2 mini courses (2 credits) are required.

GMS CM 765/766 Mini Courses (2)

The subjects of the courses change each year. Each course is given for a six week period (1 credit/course). There is 1 course given per semester and only after the completion of both courses, the student will be given 2 credits. Please see the information on mini courses in the “Courses” section.

The course of study is designed so that the PhD student can complete the required coursework during the first two years of graduate study. In addition to taking all courses required by the department in which the student will complete his/her studies, all other departmental requirements including qualifying examinations must be met. When working in the laboratory, students will register for research credits (research credits in Cell & Molecular Biology are available), until the student has taken the required total number of credits required for his/her degree.

Those students who wish to join the laboratory of a faculty member in the Department of Molecular & Cell Biology in the Dental School, please see the list of requirements below under qualifying exams and thesis committee.

Qualifying Exams

The student must pass a qualifying examination, which is administered by each department, except for students in the Department of Molecular & Cell Biology. The latter group of students will take a qualifying examination after their first or second year. The specifics on the examination will require agreement between the Department of Molecular & Cell Biology and the Cell & Molecular Biology Program Executive Committee. The Qualifying Exam Committee will include five faculty members, including two members from the Department of Molecular & Cell Biology and three members from the Executive Committee in the Cell & Molecular Biology Program. Students will have two chances to pass this examination.

Research Training and Dissertation Advisory Committees

The Dissertation Advisory Committee is set up by each department and will include members of the Cell & Molecular Biology Program, except for students in the Department of Molecular & Cell Biology. The latter group of students will be assigned an Advisory Committee, once the student has passed his/her qualifying examination. The Advisory Committee will consist of five members, one of whom will be the research advisor, three of whom must be members of the Cell & Molecular Biology Program and one of whom must be outside of the Department of Molecular & Cell Biology but a member of the Cell & Molecular Biology Program.

Within six months of passing the qualifying examination, the trainee is expected to present a research proposal to a Dissertation Advisory Committee that will monitor his/her research progress on a regular basis, meeting at least once a year. One week prior to each meeting, the student will present a written summary of research progress to the committee for review.

The committee will consist of five–six members, including the research advisor, one other representative of the major department, and three members of the Cell & Molecular Biology Program faculty. At least one member of the committee must be from a department that is not the major department. The chair, who should not be the research advisor, will keep written records of the meetings. It is the committee’s responsibility to provide an objective evaluation of the project as well as to contribute to the research direction. A vital function of the committee is to help focus and limit the scope of the research so that the trainee has a clear concept of the overall design of the dissertation proposal. It is expected that this design will change in response to experimental findings; however, it is critical that the trainee be guided to define scope and quality. Research in the advisor’s lab will commence in the summer after the first year of courses. Full-time research is expected to begin the summer of the second year (after successful completion of all required courses and the qualifying examinations). Failure to maintain an acceptable research program will result in termination of PhD candidacy.

Academic Policies

Academic policies and procedures dictated by the Division of Graduate Medical Sciences are described in the Division of Graduate Medical Sciences Bulletin. Briefly, all students are required to maintain a minimum grade point average of B (3.0) or better. Any student receiving a grade of C or below will be placed on academic probation and must repeat the course and must attain a grade of B (not B–) or above in the course. Students who have received 4 credits of a grade(s) of B– will be placed on academic probation. Any students placed on academic probation will receive a letter detailing the expectations for remediation.

Financial Support

A number of full fellowships (tuition plus stipend) for the first year of graduate school are offered to incoming students who have been accepted into the PhD program in Cell & Molecular Biology at Boston University. PhD students who complete the first year of graduate work in Cell & Molecular Biology in good standing typically obtain full fellowship support (tuition plus stipend) for subsequent graduate coursework and dissertation research through grants and training programs available within the individual department and laboratory of chosen PhD thesis advisors.

Admission Requirements

Applicants for PhD training in molecular and cellular biology should have a bachelor’s degree with emphasis in the biochemical, biological, or chemical sciences. Post-master’s graduate students and MD/PhD students also qualify for admission. Students in the first year of a degree program in one of the academic departments at Boston University School of Medicine may also apply. The CMB program is also available to students who may have chosen alternate career paths such as biotechnology and education.

Students are admitted in September for the fall semester. The general requirements for the program are the standard requirements for admission to the graduate school, as detailed in the bulletin (see below).

Mary Jo Murnane, PhD, mmurnane@bu.edu, is the chair of our program admissions committee.

Curriculum for first year CMB students

Semester 1

• MS 753 Cell Biology 4 c
• BI 755 Biochemistry 4 c
• CM 761 Critical Thinking in Cell and Molecular Biology 2 cr

Semester 2

• BI 782 Molecular Biology 4 cr
• BI 756 Biochemistry 4 cr
• CM 762 Critical Thinking in Cell and Molecular Biology 2 cr

Each student will attend scheduled meetings with the CMB faculty and participate in three research rotations in order to familiarize themselves with the faculty and the Basic Science Departments. The students do not receive academic credits for the research rotations. In addition, Cell & Molecular Biology Research Seminars are held three to four times each month. An invited speaker from outside of the Medical Campus speaks once each month, and CMB faculty and advanced CMB graduate students discuss their research two to three times each month. CMB graduate students are expected to attend. No academic research credits will be offered for this seminar series.

Projected curriculum for second year CMB students

The curriculum for the second year depends largely on the basic science department chosen by the student:

Anatomy and Neurobiology (*at least two of these courses must be taken)

Semester I

• *GMS AN 701 Gross Anatomy (8 cr)
• *GMS AN 705 Microscopic Anatomy (6 cr)

Semester II

• *GMS MS 703 Neuroscience (4 cr)
• Three courses from an approved department list (may also be taken in year 3)
• A minimum of 2 minicourses (2 cr)
• Two semesters of Anatomy Seminar (2 cr)
• 12 cr of additional research and/or electives (maximum)

Biochemistry

• A minimum of three courses (8 cr) from the approved department list
• A minimum of two minicourses (2 cr)
• Two semesters of Biochemistry Seminar (2 cr)
• 20 cr of additional research and/or electives (maximum)

Biophysics

• GMS BY 771 Macromolecular Assemblies (4 cr)
• A minimum of two minicourses (2 cr)
• Two semesters of Biophysics Seminar (2 cr)
• 22 cr of additional research and/or electives (maximum)

Microbiology

• 8 credits of Microbiology courses from the approved department list
• A minimum of two minicourses (2 cr)
• Two semesters of Microbiology Seminar (2 cr)
• 20 cr of additional research and/or electives (maximum)

Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Semester I

• GMS PA 700 Basic and Experimental Pathology (6 cr)

Semester II

• GMS PA 801 Special Topics in Pathology (2 cr)
• GMS EB 703 Biostatistics (4 cr)
• A minimum of 2 minicourses (2 cr)
• Two semesters of Pathology Seminar (2 cr)
• 16 cr of additional research and/or electives (maximum)

Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics

Semester I

• GMS PM 810 Current Topics in Pharmacology (2 cr)

Semester II

• GMS PM 700 Molecular Neurobiology (4 cr)
• A minimum of 2 minicourses (2 cr)
• Two semesters of Pharmacology Seminar (2 cr)
• 22 cr of additional research and/or electives (maximum)

Physiology

Semester I

• GMS PH 542 Human Physiology (4 cr)
• GMS PH 741 Experimental Methods in Physiology (2 cr)

Semester II

• GMS PH 543 Human Physiology (4 cr)
• GMS PH 742 Experimental Methods in Physiology B (2 cr)
• GMS EB 702 or 703 Biostatistics (4 cr)
• A minimum of 2 minicourses (2 cr)
• Two semesters of Physiology Seminar (2 cr)
• 12 cr of additional research and/or electives (maximum)