Driskill Graduate Program in Life Sciences

Degree Types: PhD

The Walter S. and Lucienne Driskill Graduate Program in Life Sciences (DGP) combines graduate study in biochemistry and structural biology, cancer biology, cardiovascular and renal biology, cell biology, computational biology and bioinformatics, developmental and stem cell biology, genetics, epigenetics and genomics, immunology, lung biology, metabolism and endocrinology, microbiology, neurobiology, pharmacology, and reproductive biology into a single program. More than 200 faculty members are available as dissertation research advisors, and their interests cover a wide range of research in contemporary biomedical and life sciences.

The DGP provides each student the flexibility needed to design a personal course of study, pursue individual research interests, and choose an appropriate thesis advisor. The wide range of research opportunities within the DGP serves students well - both those who enter graduate school committed to a specific research field and those who begin with many potential interests. Flexibility and ease in pursuing diverse interests are the hallmarks of graduate training in the DGP.

Additional resources:

• Department website
• Program handbook(s)

Degree Requirements

The following requirements are in addition to, or further elaborate upon, those requirements outlined in The Graduate School Policy Guide.

Master's

The DGP is a PhD training program; however, there are situations when pursuit of the PhD cannot be completed and therefore an option for a terminal master's degree is provided. This degree option is not used for recruiting or admission purposes. A student seeking this degree, in addition to having successfully completed all required courses and having passed the Qualifying Exam, must have:

1. completed the thesis proposal process successfully;
2. held at least one annual thesis committee meeting after the thesis proposal;
3. completed sufficient research towards their PhD to write a master's thesis. 

PhD students in good academic standing who wish to obtain a terminal master's degree will petition the DGP Program Committee and the Director of the DGP explaining why they cannot complete the PhD program. The Program Committee would consider both the nature of the circumstances as well as the quality of the research in determining whether the student should be allowed to write a thesis and obtain the master's degree. Permission to pursue the degree will only be granted to those students whose body of research could reasonably result in a thesis. Students who are granted permission will submit a master's degree thesis to a committee comprised of members of their original PhD thesis committee and an ex officio member from the Program Committee. An oral defense will also be required. The committee will determine whether the written document and oral defense are sufficient to warrant the degree. There is no publication requirement.

PhD

Total Units Required: 9

Other PhD Degree Requirements

• Qualifying Exam/Thesis Prospectus: written thesis proposal and oral defense to thesis committee in spring of second year
• Research/Projects: laboratory research based on dissertation research proposal.  Must meet with thesis committee once per year (prior to fifth year) or twice per year (fifth year and beyond).
• Teaching: one quarter as a teaching assistant
• Publication: first author, peer reviewed research article published or accepted for publication
• Seminars:  two full length (30+ minute) seminars, including the final public seminar, plus either one additional full length seminar or three shorter presentations of the students work.  A poster may count as one of the three shorter presentations.
• PhD Dissertation: written dissertation and oral defense to the thesis committee
• Other: three laboratory rotations in first year, intended to assist student in selecting dissertation research advisors; regular participation in seminars and journal clubs