Bioscience PhD Programs
Main navigation, molecular biology graduate student guidelines & requirements.
Below are the requirements and guidelines for Molecular Biology Program Students.
Core Curriculum
Laboratory rotations, recruiting involvement, professionalism, evaluation of first year academic performance, capstone exam, program benefits.
- Selecting a Thesis Advisor
- Following Years
- Additional Information and Resources
The Molecular Biology Program at the University of Utah is designed to equip students with a strong foundation for a career in the biomolecular sciences. The program provides students with high-quality, graduate-level education in cell and molecular biology in support of their transition into laboratory research environments for the remainder of their graduate education.
The program spans between eight basic science departments: Biochemistry, School of Biological Sciences, Human Genetics, Microbiology & Immunology (Pathology), Neurobiology, Nutrition & Integrative Physiology, Oncological Sciences, and Pharmacology & Toxicology.
All PhD students admitted to the Molecular Biology Program who remain in good standing will receive financial support including a traineeship /living stipend, tuition waiver through the Tuition Benefit Program, and health insurance throughout the entirety of their graduate student tenure.
I. First Year of Graduate Study
First year studies begin in the Fall semester. During their first year, students in the Molecular Biology Program will complete the core curriculum, three lab rotations, and the Capstone exam as described below.
Prior to arrival, each student is assigned a faculty advisor, who will provide guidance on first-year curriculum and laboratory rotation choices. The student and faculty advisor will meet at least twice each semester to plan coursework and discuss rotations. Students are responsible to keep their faculty advisor informed of their progress and status. The faculty advisor serves as an advocate for the students.
In addition to coursework and rotations, students will attend Orientation Week, the Annual Bioscience Symposium, and peer mentoring events organized by advanced students. Students are also expected to participate in recruiting efforts for prospective students in the Spring.
Molecular Biology Program students enroll in a standardized curriculum that has been designed to provide a solid background in key areas of molecular biology; to provide options in tailoring coursework to specific interests; and to teach independent, critical thinking skills, and grant writing.
Fall Core Curriculum
During the second half of Fall semester, students will self-select two (2) Selective courses that match their existing research interests and/or explore the range of disciplines and research emphasis areas of potential interest.
The Selective courses available may vary by year – please see the Curriculum page for recent examples.
Spring Core Curriculum
In the Spring semester, students will self-select two (2) Elective courses. These are didactic courses designed to help students gain proficiency in specialized areas of interest.
For the purposes of this requirement, a half-semester course is defined as up to two (2) credits, and a full semester course is defined ≥ two-point-five (2.5) credits.
Elective courses vary by year - please see the Curriculum page for recent examples
Adjustments
Individual student exceptions to these general requirements for the PhD must have written approval from the faculty advisor and Program Director.
Curriculum completion is a priority and students must obtain faculty advisor written approval for all adjustments to the described curriculum and student expectations including: extensions, leaves/absences and changes to lab rotations and schedules, recruitment duties, and other responsibilities. The course directors for the core curriculum can often provide additional resources and guidance for classwork.
If specific deficiencies in a student’s academic background are identified, the Program Director may advise a student to register for appropriate courses at the undergraduate level and to delay taking a core course until the second year. Absent an approved written extension, all students are expected to have fulfilled the Program's core requirements including any delayed or retaken course(s) by the end of the second year of study.
The Bioscience Programs and the University of Utah are committed to equity of student access. Students are encouraged to request appropriate ADA accommodations through the Center for Disability & Access. Accommodations should not be sought directly from the Program or from individual faculty members.
Molecular Biology Program students complete three (3) laboratory rotations with different faculty members in their first year of graduate study. A summer research experience is available before they begin classes, or an additional rotation can be done at the end of the first year if needed. Neither can substitute for one (1) of the three (3) rotations during the regular academic year.
Laboratory rotations are essential for identifying an appropriate thesis mentor and lab. In addition, laboratory rotations may provide valuable exposure to areas of research the student might not otherwise experience; familiarize the student with research in different groups and departments through research seminars; and help them develop contacts and learn experimental techniques that may prove helpful in their subsequent thesis research.
To assist students in identifying productive and exciting laboratory rotation experiences, program faculty present about their research in the Faculty Research Interest Sessions (FRIS). Through FRIS, faculty inform students about the diversity of possible thesis topics and the variety of experimental approaches employed in the different program laboratories.
General guidelines for a student choosing and successfully completing a lab rotation are outlined below:
- A student should choose a rotation lab only after careful thought and discussions with their faculty advisor.
- The primary goal of the rotation system is for the student to find a well-matched lab in which to pursue thesis research.
- Given that these programs cover the majority of PhD degree-granting laboratories in the life sciences at the University of Utah, exceptions to this rule will only be permitted after consultation with the student's faculty advisor and with written permission by the Program Director.
- Note : If a student elects to join a thesis lab outside the Molecular Biology Program all program guarantees, such as the stipend assurance, are no longer binding. Please see guidelines about selecting a thesis advisor below
- Students are encouraged to rotate in at least two (2) different departments throughout the year.
- At the outset of the rotation project, students are asked to discuss conceptual and methodological details with the rotation advisor. It is the rotation advisor’s responsibility to ensure that students understand rotation expectations, such as attendance at group research meetings and the format of the end-of-rotation report/presentation.
- A description of the basic background of the research area
- A statement of the specific problem to be addressed in the project
- A description of the experimental approach to the problem
- Note: The emphasis should be on the explanation of the scientific problem and experimental approach rather than on obtaining a large body of data, per se.
- Meet with rotation advisor to review the Rotation Report and obtain a signature on the Rotation Verification Form indicating completion and satisfactory performance during the rotation and approval of the Rotation Report.
- Note: Students will be given a “NO CREDIT” grade until both documents have been submitted. ALL rotation documents need to be submitted before a student can officially transfer to a thesis lab. Stipend coverage will not be extended for late submission.
- Faculty are encouraged to only host one (1) or two (2) rotation students at one time. Faculty should email the Program Director if they intend to have more than two (2) rotation students at a time.
- In principle, students and faculty should be talking during the rotation about the possibility of joining the lab. However, this commitment should not be finalized until signing day. The faculty member has sole discretion whether or not to accept a student into their lab.
Rotation Schedule for 2024-25
(Please note: these dates do not correlate with the academic quarters.)
Fall 2024 Semester
1st Rotation : Monday, August 26, 2024 – Friday, October 18, 2024
2nd Rotation : Monday, October 21, 2024 – Friday, December 6, 2024
Spring 2025 Semester
3rd Rotation : Monday, January 6, 2025 – Friday, February 28, 2025
Verbal Lab Commitments Begin: Monday, March 3, 2025
All students are expected as part of their traineeship /living stipend to participate in official student recruiting efforts during their first year. This will include hosting prospective students during the recruiting weekends.
Graduate school is both an individual educational experience and a collaborative workplace environment, and students are expected to maintain professional and collegial behavior. Key components of professionalism in graduate school include:
- Attending classes and lab rotations ready to participate and contribute
- Notifying mentors/peers/advisors of absences
- Robust participation in group learning
- Prioritizing lab safety for self and others
- Keeping a detailed and accurate lab notebook
- Asking for help when needed
- Respectful treatment of mentors and peers
Every effort will be made to help students succeed during the first year, including consultation with their faculty advisor. Students will be alerted promptly of any academic deficiency, so that they have the opportunity to correct course. However, an unsatisfactory Molecular Biology Program academic and/or research performance can result in dismissal.
Satisfactory academic performance includes, but is not limited to:
- Students must earn a B- or better in all graded core courses.
- Students must maintain a GPA of at least 3.0
- Students must be eligible for the Tuition Benefit Program tuition waiver
- Satisfactory completion of laboratory rotations
- Passing the written and oral Capstone exam
The University of Utah, the Graduate School, and the Molecular Biology Program have a variety of resources available to help students succeed.
Academic Standards
Molecular Biology Program students are required to comply with the Policy Statement on Academic Standards outlined here.
Every student is required to sign a statement regarding the University of Utah Honor Code. Some university courses have take-home exams. Cheating, plagiarism, or collusion on examinations is not permissible. Academic dishonesty will likely result in revocation of stipend and tuition benefits and a recommendation for dismissal from graduate school. Collaboration on certain problem sets may be permitted as specified by the course instructor. If any doubts exist, the student should ask the instructor for clarification. The University of Utah Honor Code should be read carefully, and students should contact their faculty advisor, the Director, or the Program Office with any questions.
A student may be dismissed from the program for behavioral, academic, or scientific misconduct.
Unsatisfactory Performance and Dismissal
Students must remain in good academic standing in order to remain in the program. Students who are determined to be in unsatisfactory academic standing will be placed on probation and must meet with the student’s faculty advisor and the Program Director to develop a remediation plan. Absent extraordinary circumstances, failure to successfully remediate an academic deficiency will result in dismissal from the Program. The Director will make a final decision about continuation in the Molecular Biology Program after consultation with the student, faculty advisor, and relevant parties such as course directors.
Circumstances that will place the student in unsatisfactory academic standing include, but are not limited to:
- Only one (1) retake is allowed. Failure of a course twice is grounds for dismissal from the program. By the end of the second year of study, all students are expected to have fulfilled the Program's core requirements.
- Students with a GPA less than 3.0 have one (1) semester to bring their GPA back up. Two semesters of a GPA below 3.0 is grounds for dismissal from the program.
- Unsatisfactory completion of a laboratory rotation or unsatisfactory research performance.
- Failure to identify a suitable dissertation lab after completing laboratory rotations requirements. It is the student’s responsibility to identify a lab and obtain permission from the PI to join the lab.
Failure to pass the Capstone Exam.
The written original grant proposal prepared in the Guided Proposal Preparation course (MBIOL 6300) will be used as a basis for an oral Capstone examination by a faculty committee. This exam ensures that students satisfactorily review material from the core courses and meet our standards for thesis work before they join a department and lab. Specifically, students will prepare an R21-style grant proposal (~ six (6) single-spaced pages, covering two (2) years of proposed work) to be submitted before the exam as outlined by the syllabus for MBIOL 6300. They will present and defend the proposal in front of a three (3) -member Capstone exam committee.
If a student does not pass both the written and oral components on the first attempt, they have one (1) chance for a revision. Students have two (2) weeks to remediate a failed exam with a revised written and/or oral component as indicated by the Capstone exam committee. Revisions and iterative attempts to improve are a normal part of life in science and revisions of the Capstone exam are common. A pass in either component does not indicate a perfect performance.
The student will receive a written rubric from the exam committee either confirming the passing of the oral and written components or provide an opportunity to note areas that require improvement.
Students must pass this exam in order to join a lab and department. Two failures of the written or oral component of the exam are grounds for dismissal from the Program.
The student is expected to devote full effort toward graduate studies while enrolled in the Program. It is not permissible for a student to work at another job nor to be enrolled in another educational program
Traineeship /Living Stipend
- Traineeship/living stipend funds will be distributed through a monthly Graduate Traineeship (TR) disbursement through Accounts Payable
- A one-time $1,000 starting allocation will be included with the August disbursement
- Domestic students who participate in a summer rotation will receive one (1) additional monthly disbursement for July. All other financial benefits including student insurance and tuition coverage are not applicable/available until classes begin in August
- Students in the Molecular Biology Program are considered Graduate Traineeship (TR)
- No employer-employee relationship exists in a traineeship
- Scholarship, Fellowship and Traineeship payments may be taxable income to the recipient. It is the recipient’s responsibility to track and document the amounts received and determine whether those amounts are taxable. No tax amount will be withheld from the payments and no tax reporting, i.e., 1099 MISC, W-2, etc. will be generated/provided
- Students that are not US residents may have payments reduced by the tax amount paid in accordance with tax treaties with the recipient’s country of residence. Recipients are encouraged to contact a tax consultant or accountant for tax advice
- Students that are not US residents will need to complete several steps with the International Student & Scholar Services Office, including obtaining a Social Security Number (SSN), prior to receiving payment/disbursement funds
Tuition Benefit Program
The Molecular Biology Program participates in the Tuition Benefit Program. The Tuition Benefit Program covers tuition and mandatory fees for graduate students. Students are required to remain eligible for this tuition waiver including full-time, matriculated status in good standing and maintaining a cumulative GPA of 3.0. Detailed guidelines can be found here: https://gradschool.utah.edu/funding/tbp/guidelines.php
The Molecular Biology Program uses two (2) semesters of Graduate Traineeship (TR) eligibility for tuition and fees during the first year of graduate study. Thesis advisors and departments will continue to provide tuition waivers and coverage through the remaining eligible semesters of Tuition Benefit, extended tuition benefit (XTBP), and other funding sources, provided the student remains in good standing and eligible according to their guidelines.
Health Insurance
The Molecular Biology Program will pay the annual premium for students and eligible dependents for student health insurance and the optional dental/vision plan offered by the Student Health Center of the University of Utah.
Students are encouraged to consider whether the student health plan will meet their individual needs. Students who have access to other health insurance through parents, spouses, or the healthcare exchanges on healthcare.gov can decline the student health insurance plan.
II. Selecting a Thesis Advisor
Each student chooses a thesis advisor at the end of Spring semester of the first graduate school year. Arrangements are made by mutual agreement between mentor and student, and automatically admit the student to the degree program of the advisor's department (Biochemistry, School of Biological Science, Human Genetics, Microbiology & Immunology (Pathology), Neurobiology, Nutrition & Integrative Physiology, Oncological Sciences, and Pharmacology & Toxicology).
In order to allow fair access to thesis labs, students and faculty should not make firm commitments regarding choice of a thesis lab until the Monday after the end of the last rotation (early March). Students should discuss their interest in working in the lab of the potential thesis advisor during the year and learn whether space will be available and whether a faculty member “in principle” will direct their thesis. When a choice has been made, submit this information to the Program office.
A Thesis Agreement Form will be signed by the student, PI, and Department Chair after final grades have posted. This form states the student's progress (grades, rotations, and overall status) of the first year.
The Molecular Biology Program is responsible for students only during their first year. Financial support beyond the first academic year is a departmental responsibility. Every effort will be made to assist students in finding an advisor, but ultimately, each student is responsible for making appropriate arrangements. Only in exceptional circumstances, and with approval of the Program Director, will the Program continue financial support beyond one (1) year.
Faculty are urged to accept only one (1) student from each year's class. Mentors wishing to take more than two (2) thesis students from the Molecular Biology and Biological Chemistry Programs at the end of Spring semester should discuss their plans with the Program Directors.
A student may elect to join a thesis lab outside the Molecular Biology Program. However, the Program cannot guarantee stipend support for students in labs outside the Bioscience PhD Programs. Additional coursework may be required.
The Program recommends each participating department maintain the current stipend amount, but departments may vary on other support, e.g., insurance benefits. Please consult the individual department and potential thesis advisor about support.
III. Following Years
After the first year, each student's training and graduate education will be conducted under the policies of the department of the thesis advisor. This requires satisfactory completion of the standard first year program, including any courses that have been deferred or that must be repeated. In addition, requirements of the graduate school must be met, including a cumulative grade point average above 3.0 and the writing and defending of a PhD Thesis.
Additional requirements for award of degree that are common to all departments include the following:
- A Preliminary Examination / Qualifying Examination / Advancement to Candidacy must be passed. The name, form and content of the exam may differ slightly from department to department. In general, the departmental exam will not be undertaken (and in no case shall be considered to have been passed) until the Molecular Biology Program Core Curriculum including the Capstone examination has been satisfactorily completed. The departmental exam should be taken before the end of the second year.
- Upper-level graduate students are required to take a minimum totaling three half semesters (1 1/2 semesters) of additional graduate level courses. This could be a mix of didactic and journal clubs or discussion courses centered around primary literature. Please check the individual department requirements. Some non-graduate level courses may also be accepted.
- Each of the participating departments have weekly journal clubs and research-in-progress seminars and participation is considered a continuing and vital part of the students' graduate education.
- Graduate students admitted to the Molecular Biology Program are required to obtain a minimum of one (1) full semester of teaching experience in their second or later years. Teaching opportunities include but are not limited to assisting instructors in graduate level courses, leading discussion sections in undergraduate lecture courses, supervising undergraduates in laboratory courses, and serving as a teaching assistant in local public schools. There is no teaching obligation in the first-year curriculum, thereby enabling students to concentrate on laboratory rotations and first-year academics.
- A student transferring from one department to another after the first year will be subject to the specific guidelines of their new department. There is no guarantee that a Preliminary Examination or Advancement to Candidacy in one department will be sufficient to satisfy another department’s requirements.
IV. Additional Information and Resources
The graduate school policies.
The Molecular Biology Program follows all policies of the Graduate School ( https://gradschool.utah.edu/navigating-grad-school/graduate-policies/ ).
Guidelines for formal Leaves of Absence are detailed in Registration Policies. In general, a 1–2-week informal leave of absence can be arranged for a personal emergency or illness. Students considering a leave of absence should discuss in advance with their faculty advisor.
Student Support
It is the mission of the University of Utah and the Bioscience Program to ensure that all students are supported and have access to a broad range of community resources to enhance their research training, professional development, and sense of community. These values are woven into the fabric of our Bioscience community and research training programs, all of which provides multiple resources and community support mechanisms for incoming and advanced students.
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Link to University of Utah Statement: https://www.utah.edu/nondiscrimination/
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Updated June 20, 2024
School of Biological Sciences
Molecular, cellular & evolutionary biology program, mceb program.
The MCEB program focuses on how complex biological systems emerge from molecules, cells and genes – the fundamental units of life.
The intended learning outcome for the Molecular, Cellular, and Evolutionary Biology graduate program is to graduate PhD students at the forefront of research and prepare them for careers in research, industry, and education. Training will include oral and written communication skills, critical data evaluation, and hands-on experience with a variety of state-of-the-art research methods.
Faculty who are recruiting graduate students
Research Interest Areas
Behavior & neurobiology.
How animals use their nervous systems to shape behavior
Biochemistry & Structural Biology
How the molecular machinery of life assembles and works
Cell Biology
How the basic units of life construct themselves and function
Coevolutionary Biology
How species that interact closely shape each other
Developmental Biology
How complex organisms arise from single cells
Evolution & Biodiversity
How species diverge from their ancestors and each other
Genetics & Genomics
How genes and environments interact to shape phenotypes
Microbial Biology
How single-celled organisms rule the world
Plant Biology
How plants diversify and make the fuels used by other living things
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