PhD in Genetics & Genomics

The Graduate Program in Genetics & Genomics aims to teach our students not only how to apply the approaches of hypothesis-testing genetics and hypothesis-generating genomics to biomedical research, but also how to function as ethical members of the scientific community who can clearly communicate ideas, critically evaluate biomedical research, mentor others in scientific scholarship, and promote equity in their professional activities.

Learning Outcomes

The doctoral programs in Graduate Medical Sciences at BU Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine are designed to train scholars to be leaders in their respective fields of biomedical research. Trainees become fluent in their areas of specialization, as well as develop competencies that provide the foundation for lifelong learning and practice in their chosen field. Trainees will demonstrate and apply the professional and scientific skills necessary to benefit society. The program objectives are delineated below.

By graduation, a Genetics & Genomics PhD student will:

• Generate an original body of work in the biomedical sciences that reflects critical thinking and independent thought.
• Demonstrate competencies in advanced research skills and critical thinking.
• Develop the ability to communicate both through writing and orally within their chosen field of expertise, with specialists and non-experts.
• Demonstrate a commitment to professional development and continued learning in their chosen field.

Toward this end, we have designed a complementary set of degree requirements to meet these goals consisting of traditional coursework, journal clubs, seminar series, and a research proposal–based qualifying examination for PhD students. The coursework will be completed during the first two years of study. Students matriculate in September of their first year as Program in Biomedical Sciences (PiBS) PhD students, and they choose their degree-granting program at the end of their first year. The academic program requirements below reflect the combined program of study.

Please see the general description of the MD/PhD program for combined degree requirements.

PhD Course Requirements

• GMS FC 708 Professional Development Skills
• GMS FC 711 Foundations in Biomedical Sciences I: Protein Structure, Catalysis, and Interactions
• GMS FC 712 Foundations in Biomedical Sciences II: Structure and Function of the Genome
• GMS FC 713 Foundations in Biomedical Sciences III: Architecture and Dynamics of the Cell
• GMS FC 714 Foundations in Biomedical Sciences IV: Mechanisms of Cell Communication
• GMS FC 715 Foundations in Biomedical Sciences V: Translational Genetics and Genomics or GMS MM 710 Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine
• GMS FC 721 Statistical Reasoning for the Basic Biomedical Sciences or GMS FC 709 Research Design and Statistical Methods for Biomedical Sciences or GMS MS 750 Fundamentals of Biostatistics Using R
• GMS FC 764 Professional Presentation Skills
• GMS GC 716 Social, Cultural, and Ethical Issues in Genetics (3 units) or GMS GE 706 Deconstructing Systemic Bias: Where Biology Ends and Bias Begins or ENG BF 752 Legal and Ethical Issues of Science and Technology
• GMS GE 701 Principles of Genetics and Genomics
• GMS GE 703 Genetics and Genomics Colloquium I
• GMS GE 704 Genetics and Genomics Colloquium II
• ENG EK 800 Ethics and Responsible Conduct of Research
• 4 elective units

For MD/PhD Candidates:

• GMS FC 712 Foundations in Biomedical Sciences II: Structure and Function of the Genome
• GMS FC 715 Foundations in Biomedical Sciences V: Translational Genetics and Genomics or GMS MM 710 Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine
• GMS FC 721 Statistical Reasoning for the Basic Biomedical Sciences or GMS FC 709 Research Design and Statistical Methods for Biomedical Sciences or GMS MS 750 Fundamentals of Biostatistics Using R
• GMS GC 716 Social, Cultural, and Ethical Issues in Genetics (3 units) or GMS GE 706 Deconstructing Systemic Bias: Where Biology Ends and Bias Begins or ENG BF 752 Legal and Ethical Issues of Science and Technology
• GMS GE 701 Principles of Genetics and Genomics
• GMS GE 703 Genetics and Genomics Colloquium I
• GMS GE 704 Genetics and Genomics Colloquium II
• ENG EK 800 Ethics and Responsible Conduct of Research

For PhD/MS Candidates:

• GMS FC 708 Professional Development Skills
• GMS FC 711 Foundations in Biomedical Sciences I: Protein Structure, Catalysis, and Interactions
• GMS FC 712 Foundations in Biomedical Sciences II: Structure and Function of the Genome
• GMS FC 713 Foundations in Biomedical Sciences III: Architecture and Dynamics of the Cell
• GMS FC 714 Foundations in Biomedical Sciences IV: Mechanisms of Cell Communication
• GMS FC 715 Foundations in Biomedical Sciences V: Translational Genetics and Genomics or GMS MM 710 Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine
• GMS FC 721 Statistical Reasoning for the Basic Biomedical Sciences or GMS FC 709 Research Design and Statistical Methods for Biomedical Sciences or GMS MS 750 Fundamentals of Biostatistics Using R
• GMS FC 764 Professional Presentation Skills
• GMS GC 716 Social, Cultural, and Ethical Issues in Genetics (3 units) or GMS GE 706 Deconstructing Systemic Bias: Where Biology Ends and Bias Begins or ENG BF 752 Legal and Ethical Issues of Science and Technology
• GMS GC 601 Professional Issues in Genetic Counseling
• GMS GC 602 Clinical Genetics
• GMS GC 603 Embryology, Teratology and Prenatal Genetics
• GMS GC 604 Cancer Genetics
• GMS GC 605 Clinical Application in Genetics
• GMS GC 606 or GC 607 Genetic Counseling Seminar
• GMS GC 608 Fundamentals of Counseling in Genetics
• GMS GC 700 Fieldwork I
• GMS GC 702 Fieldwork II
• GMS GC 703 Fieldwork III
• GMS GC 704 Fieldwork IV
• GMS GC 711 Advanced Genetic Counseling
• GMS GC 712 Metabolism and Advanced Risk Assessment
• GMS GC 714 Advanced Medical Genetics (3 units)
• GMS GC 716 Social, Cultural, and Ethical Issues in Genetics (3 units)
• GMS GE 701 Principles of Genetics and Genomics
• GMS GE 703 Genetics and Genomics Colloquium I
• GMS GE 704 Genetics and Genomics Colloquium II
• ENG EK 800 Ethics and Responsible Conduct of Research

See Courses for detailed descriptions.

Laboratory Rotations

Our PhD candidates participate in a minimum of three laboratory rotations to ensure exposure to a variety of scientific approaches. These rotations will last 7–10 weeks each, with one during the fall term and two during the spring term. The rotations are organized during the first year of study while the students are PiBS students and before they officially join the Graduate Program in Genetics & Genomics. PiBS students begin their first year of studies in the fall term and join their degree-granting program at the end of the spring of their first year. Due to time constraints, MD/PhD students will have the option of joining a dissertation laboratory after two rotations. The academic and research components of the program together typically take 5–6 years of full-time academic study to complete for PhD students, and 4–5 years for dual degree MD/PhD students.

Teaching Requirement

Upon successful completion of the core courses, PhD students serve as teaching assistants (TAs) for one of the program’s courses. The TAs will lead discussion and review sections as well as support exam and homework grading. The TA assignments will be made according to academic performance in the courses in question and with student input. Acting as a TA for one course will satisfy the teaching requirement for the PhD degree, but further teaching opportunities will be available for students who are interested in developing these skills.

The Qualifying Process

Successful completion of the coursework and rotations during the first two years of graduate study will prepare the PhD students to advance to PhD candidacy through the qualifying process. This process depends on the following sequence of events:

• Completion of all required core and elective courses with a passing grade (A to B– average for all courses, with the exception of 900-level courses [research units], which are graded on a Pass/Fail scale).
• Skilled preparation of a 5–10-page, written, grant-style dissertation proposal based on the dissertation research. This portion of the qualifying process will satisfy the written qualification requirement of Graduate Medical Sciences. Students are encouraged to submit this proposal to funding agencies after the completion of the qualifying process.
• Expert performance in an oral examination based on the written proposal. This forum will test the student’s ability to think critically about the area of their dissertation research and about biological problems in general. The examining panel will also be free to explore outside topics in order to assess the student’s knowledge of genetics and genomics broadly. The examining panel will be chosen by the student and dissertation advisor based on related areas of expertise to the proposed dissertation research. The panel will be composed of five faculty members, three members who must be faculty of the Graduate Program in Genetics & Genomics and two additional members who are faculty members at Boston University but outside the program. The examining panel will be required to adhere to the written guidelines of the Qualifying Examination Format Committee to ensure equitable administration of the exam.
• For students in the dual degree program, they are advised to complete the qualifying exam prior to transitioning to the genetic counseling program of study.

Dissertation Research

Upon advancing to PhD candidacy, graduate students will focus on their dissertation research. This research will be conducted under the supervision of their chosen graduate advisor. The student will be responsible for conducting a rigorous, in-depth program of investigation into an area of research that is within the scope of their graduate advisor’s expertise and interests. The student’s progress will be assessed continuously by the graduate advisor and annually by a Dissertation Advisory Committee. This committee will be composed of the student’s advisor and at least four other faculty members with a minimum of two faculty members from the Graduate Program in Genetics & Genomics and one division faculty member from an outside program. The Dissertation Advisory Committee will serve to provide outside perspectives on the research program.

While the student is conducting dissertation research, they are expected to actively participate in program seminar series, lab meetings, and other research activities of their dissertation lab. It should be noted that the Boston University Genome Science Institute hosts seminars, including talks from prominent scientists from other institutions as well as talks from scientists with overlapping interests to the program here at BU. Students also have the opportunity to interact more privately with visiting seminar speakers through organized student lunch forums. Students and postdocs also participate in a Research in Progress series of seminars that gives trainees an opportunity to share their research and to learn more about the science going on in the Genetics & Genomics community of Boston University. Furthermore, students will be expected to study “The Responsible Conduct of Research” that is currently available to the Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine through ENG EK 800.

It is the job of the Dissertation Advisory Committee to facilitate expeditious progress toward the PhD, with most students graduating in 5–6 years total. Once the research has developed into several chapters of publication-quality work, the advisory committee will ask the student to begin compiling their written dissertation, and a date for the Graduate Medical Sciences public seminar and formal dissertation defense will be scheduled. The public seminar will be delivered to a general audience of Graduate Medical Sciences faculty, students, and researchers. Later that day, the public seminar will be followed by a formal dissertation defense, which will occur behind closed doors in the presence of the Dissertation Advisory Committee. This committee will evaluate the student’s dissertation defense and written dissertation for satisfactory completion of the degree requirements.