The strength of the CMDB program derives from our diverse and highly motivated students. Students can enter the graduate program from a variety of backgrounds, including chemistry, physics, and any of the biological sciences. The curriculum covers the essential core of the biological sciences in a set of advanced courses: Advanced Cell Biology, Quantitative Biology Lab, Quantitative Biology Bootcamp, and Genetics and Molecular Biology in the fall; Quantitative Biology and Biophysics, and Genomics and Development in the spring. These courses provide first-year students with a background for specialization in subsequent years.
Rotations
CMDB students’ curriculum includes:
- biochemistry and biophysics
- cell biology
- development biology
- genetics and genomics
- microbiology
- and molecular biology, as well as specialization in their research areas.
During the first year, students complete four rotations in CMDB faculty laboratories which expose them to a variety of research approaches and experimental systems and often causes them to pursue thesis research in areas different from their initial expectations.
Mentorship and personal development
The graduate program includes participation in the annual retreat and graduate-student seminars focused on specific topics of current interest. Additionally, students participate in OPTIONS Career Communities, attend weekly department-wide seminars, graduate research progress reports, and monthly departmental colloquia, in addition to participating in their own research group’s programs.