Upcoming Event
The Department of Biochemistry hosts a weekly seminar series during the academic year showcasing both internal and external speakers. Seminars are held at 12:15 PM on Fridays. 
Student Spotlight
I earned a B.S. in Cellular and Molecular Biology with Honors from The Johns Hopkins University in 2007. I am a fifth-year MD/PhD candidate working towards my PhD in Cellular and Molecular Biology in the laboratory of Dr. Scott Morrical. I am expecting to graduate in 2014. My other interests include intellectual property and biotechnology law. Christian Sanchez Jordan Campus and Local Scenes
The Department of Biochemistry offers both masters and doctoral degrees. Students are admitted during the Fall semester only and admission to our doctoral program is competitive, with only three to five students chosen each year. We welcome applicants of exceptional achievement and those of diverse backgrounds.
Goals
The goal of our Biochemistry graduate program is to prepare our students for careers in science as both researchers and educators. We accomplish this by expanding our students’ knowledge of both chemistry and biochemistry, while cultivating their ability for critical analysis, creativity and independent study.
Program of Study
Our faculty is committed to providing each student with the necessary academic and research experience for a successful career in biochemistry and molecular biology. This includes an extensive, yet flexible, curriculum that is tailored to meet the needs of each student and ample exposure during the first year to various research areas. Thus, graduates of our program not only have a thorough knowledge of their own area of research, but a general knowledge of virtually all areas of biochemistry and molecular biology. It is our goal to ensure that all admitted graduate students thrive and succeed in our exciting scientific community. To this end, our program assists and supports graduate students in a variety of ways. For example, faculty and student mentors interact with the incoming students to smooth the transition to graduate school. Also, we work closely with the Graduate College and other university departments to create and maintain a sense of campus community. And finally, the graduate stipend for 2011-2012 will be $23,000, including health care.
Doctoral Program
The first year graduate program is carefully structured to accomplish three distinct but interrelated purposes:
Courses
During their first year, all entering students pursue a rigorous academic program consisting of a sequence of graduate core courses and a minimum of four electives. The core courses include: General Biochemistry I and II (301/302), and at least three of the following: Proteins (351), Nucleic Acids (352), Enzymology (353), and Physical Biochemistry (370). Electives are usually from outside of the department and vary annually.
Laboratory Rotations
An additional, and very important, function of the rotation program is to initiate the first-year students into the community of advanced graduate students and postdoctoral researchers. In this manner, rotations help knit together a community of researchers, while easing students’ abilities to exchange advice and share skills. We believe that the combined exposure to a strong academic program and a rigorous rotation program together with a supportive research community provides a solid foundation for the training of our Ph.D. students.
The first year culminates with a cumulative oral exam which gives our students the opportunity to demonstrate their understanding and practice of general biochemical principles.
Subsequent Years
Doctoral Defense
In the Spring semester of the second year, students form a thesis committee and present a specific proposal for their thesis research. Yearly progress reports are made to the thesis committee, the purpose of which is to identify any difficulties or problems and provide help with and guidance on the student’s research program. The preparation and defense of a NIH-style grant proposal takes place in the first semester of the third year and usually signals the end of didactic class work. A doctoral degree is awarded upon completion of the required course work and a written thesis with an oral defense. On average our students graduate in five years.
Financial Support
The Department of Biochemistry provides financial support to each doctoral (Ph.D.) student in the form of a stipend, fees, and tuition. The stipend for the 2011-2012 year will be at $23,000. Health insurance is available for those students who request it. Students receive support as long as they maintain satisfactory academic progress and have not reached the graduate college support time limit (currently 7 years).
At present we have no funding to support masters students. If you need support for this program, we recommend that you investigate the Stafford Loan Program.
Support is funded by federal, state and private sources and is provided in the form of research, teaching, or training grant fellowships. Since foreign students are not eligible for support from federal funds, resources available to support foreign students are limited.
All prospective and first-year students are urged to apply for extramural pre-doctoral fellowships for which they may be eligible. Links are provided below to several of these programs:
Masters Program
Students in the masters program complete a research intensive thesis and pursue a rigorous academic program consisting of a sequence of core courses and electives. The core courses include: General Biochemistry I and II (301/302), Rotations (309), Seminar (381) and at least two of the following: Proteins (351), Nucleic Acids (352), Enzymology (353), and Physical Biochemistry (370).