Required Courses
All students in the Chemical Biology Ph.D. degree program are required to take the following courses. Students must maintain academic standing (3.0 or better GPA) throughout their degree.
CHEM 525 - Chemical Biology I (Fall Semester)
Chemical Biology I discusses proteins, nucleic acids and how their actions are regulated. The purpose of this course is to ensure that graduate students have the biochemical foundation necessary for their research. Additionally, students are exposed to cutting-edge research. This course will extend students’ current knowledge of chemical biology, and provide them with skills to confidently read, evaluate and discuss the highly interdisciplinary biochemistry literature.
CHEMBIO 510 - Foundational Skills in Chemical Biology (Winter Semester)
Foundational Skills in Chemical Biology is a skills-focused course for first year Ph.D. students enrolled in the graduate program in Chemical Biology and/or funded by the NIH Chemical Biology Interface Training Grant . This course allows students to engage with cutting edge chemical biology techniques, peer review, project design, and management, data depiction, abstract writing, and research presentations.
CHEMBIO 601 - Critical Analysis I (Fall Semester)
Critical Analysis I is a foundational course focused on building student’s soft scientific skills in writing and analysis of the literature. In this course, students will be introduced to scientific writing including; abstracts, introductions, results, discussions and methods. Additionally students will learn how to provide constructive feedback to their peers. Students will learn the importance of critical analysis of scientific literature, important takeaways from research papers and presenting research findings to scientific peers. At the end of this course, students will use their knowledge to present a selected scientific literature to the class & receive peer feedback.
CHEMBIO 610 - Critical Analysis II (Winter Semester)
Critical Analysis II is an expansion of Critical analysis I. In this course students will learn further foundational soft scientific skills including; continued analysis of scientific literature and building upon presentation skills. Additionally, students will learn troubleshooting techniques, scientific communication to all audiences, and elevator pitches. Students will participate in in-class exercises to solidify their understanding of these skills.
Peer to peer learning is also a key component of Chembio 610 therefore students are required to take this course twice. Once during their formative years as a 1st year Ph.D. student and again during their more advanced years (3 - 5) as a Ph.D. candidate. Students are recommended to take this course as a third or fourth year Ph.D. candidate.
PIBS 503 - Responsible Conduct of Research (Fall Semester)
Responsible Conduct of Research consists of 50 minute small group discussions that meet NIH & NSF federally mandated topics. The topics include subjects such as; Conflict of Interest, Animal Use, Data Management, Human Subjects in Research, etc. All researchers new to the university must take this course.
PIBS 504 - Rigor and Reproducibility (Winter Semester)
Rigor & Reproducibility was developed from the NIH’s suggestion to incorporate rigor & responsibility training into all graduate and post-doctoral education. This course consists of two 2-hour courses taken in winter semester that cover the following topics; Transparency in Research, Blinding & Randomization, Biological and Technical Replicates, Sample Size/Outliers/Exclusion Criteria, etc.
Electives
Based on individual interests, the remaining course requirements of the program can be fulfilled from a variety of biology, biochemistry, chemistry, or other scientific classes taught on campus. Students will work closely with PCB staff and directors to determine the best courses based on student interests. A total of 2-4 credit hours of elective coursework is required prior to achieving candidacy. No elective coursework beyond that which is taken in the first year is required by the program with the exception of CHEMBIO 610. However, trainees are encouraged to take up additional coursework if their mentor(s) and/or mentoring committee believe the course(s) will enhance progress toward student research goals and degree.
Hence, a major advantage of the Program in Chemical Biology is that it allows students maximum flexibility in their training program.
Program Milestones and Research
Additional program milestones for Chemical Biology, including research rotations, advancement to candidacy, and requirements for your dissertation can be found on the PhD Degree Program webpage.