Molecular Medicine and Translational Science MS Program Curriculum Overview

Required: Yes

Credits: N/A

Offered: Summer

 

MS students should choose a thesis research mentor and a research project before entering the MMTS MS program and must be able to devote at least 75% of their faculty effort to research.

The choice of mentor must be approved by the Co-Directors of the MMTS graduate program. In consultation with the mentor and the Co-Directors of the MMTS graduate program, a faculty advisory committee should be appointed during the first year in the program. The committee must comprise an advisor from the MMTS program, a second faculty member from within the program, and a third member either from outside the program or outside the student's area of concentra­tion.

All members of the advisory committee should be members of the graduate faculty. Before submission of the thesis, the committee will be officially appointed by the dean of the Graduate School. With the approval of his or her advisor, a student may recommend a person who is not on the graduate faculty to serve on the examin­ing committee as a voting member; however, the committee must have a minimum of two members from the Graduate Faculty.

The thesis advisor must justify the participation of this person on the basis of research, publications, and/or professional activi­ties in a letter to the dean requesting approval.

Required: Yes

Credits: 1

Offered: Fall

 

Molecular and Cellular Biosciences students will begin their graduate education with this 1-credit course focused on data acquisition and analysis methods.

Balancing theory and practice, it will refresh their mathematical skills; describe techniques for isolating and characterizing cells and their macromolecular components; explore methods for manipulating genes and performing high-throughput assays; and introduce bioinformatics approaches. A series of take-home exercises reinforce problem-based learning.

MCB 700 will be offered as ten 1.5 hour sessions in the two weeks preceding fall term.

Required: Yes

Credits: 6

Offered: Fall

 

Molecular and Cellular Biosciences students will take a two-semester core course that will cover fundamental principles of the discipline. The overall goal of the course is to develop the student's understanding of molecular and cellular biosciences in the context of biomedical research as it relates to human disease.

In the fall semester students will focus on the basic building blocks of the cell, their synthesis, cellular metabolism and intracellular transport. The semester is broken into five blocks or themes that in order roughly cover:

• proteins and enzymes
• carbohydrates and lipids
• DNA and genetics
• gene expression, RNA and genomics
• intracellular sorting and the cytoskeleton

The course is in the format of didactic lectures and meets for six hours per week (four 90 minute lectures/week). Students are evaluated on the performance of five written exams given at the end of each block. Other Tracks may elect to have students take one or more blocks as one unit courses to be co-listed under their track.

Required: Yes

Credits: 6

Offered: Spring

 

In the second semester students will focus on cell growth and cell death, cell-cell communication and developmental biology, homeostasis with the environment (endocrinology) followed by an introduction to selected major systems in the body.

The semester is broken into five blocks or themes that in order roughly cover:

• cell cycle, cell death and oncogenes, tumor suppressors
• cell-cell communication and stem cells
• endocrinology
• cardiovascular system, respiratory system and bacteriology
• immunology and virology

The course is in the format of didactic lectures and meets for six hours per week (four 90 min lectures/week). Students are evaluated on the performance of five written exams given at the end of each block. Other Tracks may elect to have students take one or more blocks as 1 unit courses to be co-listed under their track. Although not a requirement, it is expected that students are familiar with material covered in MCB 700.

Required: Yes (one of two ethics courses offered)

Credits: 1 (each)

Offered: Fall and Spring

 

The Problem-Based Learning Method (PBL) is used to teach students in small groups to identify discipline-specific and broad professional norms and obligations for the ethical practice of science.

Content will include the norms and principles for the responsible conduct of scientific research such as data acquisition, management, sharing and owner­ship, publication practices, and responsible authorship. Emphasis will be placed on learning the tenets of responsible conduct of research, the current regulatory and legal climate, as well as the underlying norms and principles that shaped these concepts.

Topics will include:

• the student and advisor relationship
• laboratory dynamics
• collaborations in science
• appropriate handling of data and appropriation of credit
• plagiarism
• conflicts of interest
• financial responsibility

Students will acquire skills to recognize ethical issues in the practice of science, identify role obligations, and develop sound ethical reasoning to address these issues.

The courses also include plenary session presentations by experts on topics of professional development, such as preparing manuscripts and grant applications and policies regarding conduct of animal and human subject research.

Required: Yes (one of two ethics courses offered)

Credits: 1 (each)

Offered: Fall and Spring

 

Provides students with an overview of topics related to ethics and the responsible conduct of human subjects research.

Students utilize a case-based format to address such topics as:

• study oversight and research design
• informed consent, selection of subjects
• conflicts of interest
• the social effects of research
• the use of embryos
• fetuses and children in research
• genetic research
• authorship and publication of study findings

Students are required to complete the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI).

Required: Yes

Credits: 1 (each)

Offered: Fall and Spring

 

Faculty and students jointly describe their research in a human disease, first in clinical terms and then to follow the development of the understanding of that disease to the molecular level with an emphasis on translational applications.

Presentations introduce students to potential preceptors and experimental strategies used to study human disease. Students present their own research to gain experience and professional skills for seminars and national meeting presentations.

View our schedule for Fall 2017 and Spring 2018

Required: Yes

Credits: 3

Offered: Spring

 

Review of techniques for effective communication of scientific proposals and presentations, both oral and written. For oral presentations, emphasis is on content organization and connecting with the audience. Assignments include the presentation and critical discussion of papers by the students.

For written presentations, the emphasis is on grant proposal development, as well as familiarization with the peer-review process. The course consists of lectures on all aspects of grant development (including budgets and protocols and compliance regulations for human and animal research), and student preparation of a grant proposal. An oral exercise includes the discussion of an NIH RO1 proposal in a mock study section format.

Required: Yes

Credits: 1-9

Offered: Fall, Spring and Summer

 

Involves closely supervised research in various topics in molecular medicine, with a special emphasis on models of human disease, including research in preparation for the doctoral dissertation.

Required: Yes (one of three possible statistics courses available)

Credits: 4

Offered: Fall

 

Introduction to statistical concepts and basic methodologies that are prevalent in biomedical literature. Includes discussion topics such as:

• descriptive statistics
• probabil­ity
• sampling distributions
• hypothesis testing
• simple linear regression
• correlation
• one-way analysis of variance
• categorical data analysis
• survival analysis
• sample size and power analysis
• nonparametric methods

Required: Yes (one of three possible statistics courses available)

Credits: 3

Offered: Fall

 

The application of basic statistical techniques in the analy­sis and interpretation of data in scientific research. Topics include:

• descriptive statistics
• simple linear and multiple correlation/regression analysis
• t-tests
• analysis of variance and co-variance
• non-parametric statistics

Required: Yes (one of three possible statistics courses available)

Credits: 2

Offered: Fall

 

Addresses applied statistical approaches within common behavioral research studies. Focus is on selection of the most appropriate test for research aims and hypotheses as well as computational methods.

Specific topics include:

• power analyses
• effect sizes
• analyses of variance
• t tests
• correlation
• regression
• nonparametric tests
• chi square
• post hoc testing

Required: Yes

Credits: N/A

Offered: Summer

 

MMTS MS students should strive to complete their coursework and research in order to graduate in August of their 2nd year (end of summer term). The thesis must be written and submitted to the graduate school for approval at least 6 weeks before the August graduation date. It must be submitted to the advisory committee for approval at least 5 weeks before the August graduation date.

The committee must notify the graduate school of its' approval of the thesis no later than 10 days before the scheduled examination. If the thesis is approved by the committee, the thesis examination must take place at least 2 weeks before the August graduation date (dates are provided in the official Graduate School calendar).

The examination consists of a seminar presentation by the student, followed by a question and answer period conducted by the advisory committee. The possible committee decisions are unconditional pass, pass upon rectifying deficien­cies, and fail. If a student fails, he/she may be reexamined only once.

It is recommended that students also write and submit one or more manuscripts that report their thesis research prior to graduation.