GRADUATE STUDY IN BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES

Developmental and Cell Biology / Ecology and Evolutionary Biology / Molecular Biology and Biochemistry / Neurobiology and Behavior / Concentration in Biotechnology / Biological Sciences and Educational Media Design / Cellular and Molecular Biosciences / Mathematical and Computational Biology / Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program /

The School of Biological Sciences offers graduate study in a wide variety of fields ranging across the spectrum of the biological sciences. The four Departments of the School of Biological Sciences (Developmental and Cell Biology, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, and Neurobiology and Behavior) offer concentrations of study under the Ph.D. degree administered by the School of Biological Sciences. Most graduate students are admitted to the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree program. Additionally, the master's program in Biotechnology (M.S. degree in Biological Sciences), the M.S. degree in Biological Sciences and Educational Media Design, and the master's program in any of the four departments (M.S. degree in Biological Sciences) are offered. Each department has a graduate advisor whom students may consult for additional details of the individual programs.

The department or program evaluates applications for admission to graduate study based on letters of recommendation, Graduate Record Examination scores, grades, research experience, and other relevant qualifications of the applicant. Candidates for graduate admission are urged to consult the particular department or program whose faculty and expertise best fit their interests and background.

MASTER OF SCIENCE AND DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN THE BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES

The School of Biological Sciences offers both the Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy, although emphasis at the graduate level is placed on the Ph.D. programs. Most training takes place within one of the departments, although full facilities and curricular offerings are available to all graduate students in all departments of the Biological Sciences. Interdisciplinary study and research are encouraged.

Students are expected to maintain a B average at all times. The normative time to degree is two years for the master's degree and five years for the doctoral degree. A master's degree is not a prerequisite for the Ph.D. degree.

Students plan their academic program in consultation with the graduate advisor or a faculty committee. Faculty advisors may be changed to meet the needs and interests of the student. In addition, it is possible for students to transfer to another program in the School, subject to the approval of the Dean of Graduate Studies, and acceptance into that program. Students are encouraged to consult with faculty members with regard to their research and academic interests.

During their graduate training all doctoral students are required to serve at least two quarters as a 50-percent teaching assistant under the direction of laboratory coordinators or faculty. Advanced graduate students may work closely with faculty in the planning and execution of the teaching program. The amount and nature of the teaching experience varies with the department.

Master of Science

The Master of Science degree may be completed by submission of a research thesis (plan I) or by course work and a comprehensive examination (plan II).

Plan I: Thesis Plan. The student is required to complete at least four didactic graduate courses (16 units) offered by the department, and elective course work with an additional eight units of graduate or upper-division undergraduate course work. In addition, the student will typically take additional seminar courses during the graduate study. Students in the M.S. program may be employed as teaching assistants, but units earned through enrollment in University Teaching (399) may not be counted toward degree completion. The student engages in thesis research with a faculty thesis advisor, and will prepare and submit a thesis to the thesis committee. The final examination is an oral presentation of the thesis to the committee. The normative time to degree is two years for the thesis M.S. degree.

Plan II: Comprehensive Examination Plan. The plan II M.S. degree is awarded based on completion of at least 36 units of course work and satisfactory completion of a comprehensive examination. The student is required to complete at least 16 units (four courses) of didactic graduate course work offered by the department. In addition, the student will take up to 12 units of research. An additional eight units or more of elective course work will be completed from other graduate courses offered by the department. A maximum of four units of upper-division undergraduate courses may be included in the program with the approval of the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies. Students in the M.S. program may be employed as teaching assistants, but units earned through enrollment in University Teaching (399) may not be counted toward degree completion. The comprehensive exam will be administered by a committee of at least three departmental faculty, and may include written and oral sections. The comprehensive examination format will include a research presentation and may include additional portions such as a research proposal, presentation of a project, or other components. The normative time to degree is one year for the M.S. degree by comprehensive examination.

Doctor of Philosophy

Comprehensive Examination-First Year. The student must pass comprehensive oral or written examinations at the discretion of the department. The examination is generally taken at the end of the first year of graduate study.

Advancement to Candidacy. The advancement to candidacy examination is taken in the third year of graduate study. The student is expected to have identified an important and tractable dissertation research topic. A faculty committee for the advancement to candidacy examination is appointed by the School, on behalf of the Dean of the Graduate Division and the Graduate Council.

Once this examination is completed, the student is advanced to candidacy for the doctoral degree and is expected to complete the degree within three years. The student must submit a dissertation on this research and defend the thesis in an oral examination during the final year of graduate study. The normative time for completion of the Ph.D. is five years, and the maximum time permitted is seven years.

Graduate student status or consent of instructor is a prerequisite for all 200-299 courses.

Master of Science with a Concentration in Biotechnology

Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry
3205 McGaugh Hall; (949) 824-6034
morgano@uci.edu; http://www.bio.uci.edu/
Michael G. Cumsky, Director

The field of biotechnology has developed explosively since the discovery of gene cloning and sequencing methods in the mid-1970s. The field is now represented by many active and successful companies who share an intense demand for well-trained people with up-to-date research skills in the manipulation of nucleic acids, proteins, immunological reagents, and pathogenic organisms. The program in Biotechnology features two tracks leading to an M.S. degree in Biological Sciences. The first is the traditional program, and the second, which takes advantage of a defined area of campus research strength, provides an emphasis in stem cell biology. Both tracks incorporate extensive training from both teaching laboratories and actual research settings (individual faculty laboratories). Focus is placed on techniques relevant to industry and seminar exposure to the nature of industry. It is designed to train students to enter the field of biotechnology as skilled laboratory practitioners. Emphasis is placed on learning state-of-the-art technology in protein isolation and characterization, animal and microbial cell culture, virology, immunology, and/or stem cell biology. Students are trained in experimental rationales for solving actual research problems and are encouraged to take summer internships in industry between the first and second year of their studies.

The Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry evaluates applicants to the program on the basis of grades, letters of recommendation, GRE scores, and other relevant qualifications. Applicants should have successfully completed a B.S. degree or equivalent. Courses should include general chemistry with laboratory, calculus, physics, organic chemistry, genetics, biochemistry, molecular biology, microbiology, immunology, and virology, as well as laboratory courses in biochemistry, molecular biology, microbiology, and either animal virology or immunology. Enrollment in the stem cell biology emphasis is limited to eight continuing students per year. Biotechnology graduate students interested in this track apply for admission during the winter quarter of their first year in the program.

The traditional program emphasizes training in laboratory and research environments. First-year students are required to enroll in a series of laboratory courses: Molecular Biology and Biochemistry 250L, 251L, 221L (if offered), 224L (if offered), or 227L (if 221L, 224L are not offered). These courses are designed to teach techniques in recombinant DNA methodology, protein isolation and characterization, proteomics, animal and microbial cell culture, immunology, and virology. In addition, students are trained rigorously in data recording and presentation as the laboratory notebooks are reviewed and graded by laboratory course instructors. Students are taught formal course work in nucleic acids, proteins, genetic engineering, and molecular/cellular biology. Emphasis during the second year is devoted exclusively to research projects in faculty laboratories, with the exception of one required elective course each quarter (e.g., Developmental and Cell Biology 210, 231B, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry 206, 207). The program concludes with a presentation of the student's research at the end of the second year.

Students enrolled in the stem cell biology emphasis take the same number of laboratory and lecture courses as those in the traditional track. However, in the spring quarter of their first year they must enroll in the stem cell laboratory (Developmental and Cell Biology 252L, taught at the Stem Cell Research Core Facility), and their electives must include the following courses, if offered: Stem Cell Policy (Microbiology and Molecular Genetics 230), Stem Cell Biology (Developmental and Cell Biology 245), and Clinical Aspects of Stem Cells (Developmental and Cell Biology 203B, when offered). In addition, their individual research must be conducted in the laboratory of a faculty member utilizing stem cells.

While the Biotechnology program is designed to produce skilled laboratory practitioners for industrial positions, some students may wish to continue in a Ph.D. degree program. The Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry is a member of the interdisciplinary graduate program in Cellular and Molecular Biosciences, a program which offers the Ph.D. degree in Biological Sciences. Biotechnology program students who wish to enter the interdisciplinary graduate program upon completion of the M.S. degree should apply for admission during their second year.

Master of Science in Biological Sciences and Educational Media Design

301 Steinhaus Hall; (949) 824-2359
bhughes@uci.edu
Brad Hughes, Director

Program Objectives and Student Eligibility

To meet the increasingly complex challenges facing science and education, highly trained professionals with advanced scientific knowledge and pedagogical techniques coupled with media design skills will be the science education leaders of the future. The Master of Science in Biological Sciences and Educational Media Design establishes an intensive pathway for training those innovative leaders. The program can be completed flexibly within one or two years of study, in as little as nine months of full-time study, or over two years of part-time study. In order to make the program accessible to working professionals, courses will be available during the academic year in the early evening and during the regular summer session. With the convenience of evening and summer course schedules, the program is tailored to suit working science educators, who typically possess the qualifications of a teaching credential and a B.S. in Biological Sciences or comparable degree, and have obtained a 3.0 or better GPA. Students with degrees in other areas will be considered if they have substantial course work in biology, chemistry, mathematics, and physics that is comparable to the degree requirements for a B.S. in Biological Sciences from UCI. Applicants possessing different prerequisite qualifications may potentially be considered for admission by approval of the program director with consideration of experience and/or additional course work, on an individual case basis.

Curriculum Description

The program offers an integrative interdisciplinary structure with a curriculum that includes advanced academic biological sciences course work electives, individually selected from upper-division and graduate-level schoolwide offerings. Students also choose from external field experience, research lab experience, or a graduate course in the Department of Education. A special graduate-level integrative biological science course, Experimental Evolution in Biology and Education, is part of the required core courses. The four additional core courses comprise a blend of advanced training in the field of science education, leadership, pedagogy, modern teaching media technologies, and educational media design. The biological and educational course work are integrated through the productive synthesis of curricular design, culminating in a capstone project of biological science educational media that is presented and defended in the final quarter of study. Students are encouraged to serve as teaching assistants during their program; however, course units earned for University Teaching (399) will not count as units for degree completion.

Required and Elective Course Work

The M.S. program requires a minimum of 36 quarter units in approved courses, at least 24 of which must be from graduate-level courses in the 200 series or higher. Four graduate-level core courses (16 units) in science education media design are required for the M.S. degree including the following: (1) Advanced Pedagogical Design and Educational Science Media Production (four units, fall, lecture); (2) Directed Research Specialization and Project Development (four units, fall, lab); (3) Directed Educational Media Project Production (four units, winter, lab); and (4) Project Presentations and Science Education Leadership (four units, spring, lecture/seminar).

Three academic courses (12 units) in biological sciences are also required, including the required core graduate course Experimental Evolution in Biology and Education (four units, winter, lecture/seminar). The remaining eight units may include graduate-level courses offered by the School of Biological Sciences (lecture or lab, approval of the departmental instructor and the program director are required), or upper-division undergraduate courses offered by the School of Biological Sciences (lecture or lab, approval of the program director is required).

Another eight units of electives from any of the following options must also be completed (approval of the program director is required), including: (1) independent laboratory research (up to eight units, e.g., Developmental Biology 200); (2) independent field research (up to eight units, e.g., Ecology and Evolutionary Biology 200); (3) graduate course work in the Department of Education (maximum of four units); (4) upper-division courses offered by the School of Biological Sciences (maximum of four units, lecture or lab); and (5) graduate-level courses offered by the School of Biological Sciences (up to eight units, lecture or lab).

Capstone Project for Degree Completion

The written documentation, multimedia product, and oral presentation of the educational media capstone project will serve as the comprehensive examination for completion of the M.S. degree in Biological Sciences and Educational Media Design. The centerpiece of the capstone project is the educational media product, which uses modern multimedia tools to provide compelling educational content that links conceptually to the biological science course work content. The methodological design of the educational media demonstrates the student's pedagogical skills, as well as technical facility with media development tools. Throughout the program attention must be directed at containing the scope of the project to a reasonable size and challenge range, both worthy of the master's degree and also realistically attainable. Projects may be developed using a modular production design in consultation with the program director, so that various elements are functional, while others are descriptively simulated, to efficiently showcase the educational media product design effectively without unreasonably high production efforts.

The educational media products are accompanied by a well-written documentation package. A requirement list and format for the project documentation package is provided early in the program, and includes such elements as pedagogical rationale for product design referenced to pedagogical course work, California State content standards addressed, lesson plans, bibliographic references, background content information referenced to biological science course work, user manual instructions, assessment tools, media overview linked to media design and production course work, and advertisement of product features. All projects will be required to address National or State standards, except by approval of the program director, for projects that deal with higher education or public educational foci.

Presentations of the projects occur during class sessions via multimedia colloquia style talks for instructor and peer review. Presentations emulate in-service training for end users, including comprehensive integrated descriptions of the project's educational media features and documentation package. This constructive process includes extensive peer evaluation, revisionary responses, and discussion participation. Exemplary capstone projects may be exhibited/presented at the annual UCI Media Arts in Science Symposia (MASS), currently in development.

Courses in Biological Sciences and Educational Media Design

(Schedule of Classes designation: BSEMD)

200 Individual Research (2 to 12). Individual research supervised by program instructor. Prerequisite: consent of instructor. May be repeated for credit as topics vary.

211 Advanced Pedagogical Design and Educational Science Media Production (4). Lecture, two hours; laboratory, one hour. Explores array of pedagogical methodologies for designing effective science curriculum. Concurrently overviews educational science digital media production tools with training for such skills as scripting, scientific videography and editing, photography, illustration, games, and Web multimedia integration. Prerequisite: acceptance into the M.S. in Biological Sciences and Educational Media Design program or consent of instructor.

212 Directed Research Specialization and Project Development (4). Lecture, 1.5 hours; laboratory, 1.5 hours. Supports establishing field experiences, selecting biology course work, and investigating research interests for conceptualizing the capstone project proposal. Supports applying concepts and skills from the BSEMD 211 course to projects in early development. Prerequisite: acceptance into the M.S. in Biological Sciences and Educational Media Design program or consent of instructor.

213 Directed Educational Media Project Production (4). Lecture, one hour; laboratory, two hours. Supports production of the capstone project's individually designed modules, effective functional scientific educational media components, showcasing advanced pedagogical design with innovative educational media content, refining approaches detailed in the BSEMD 211 course. Prerequisites: acceptance into the M.S. in Biological Sciences and Educational Media Design program or consent of instructor; BSEMD 211 and 212, or consent of instructor.

214 Project Presentations and Science Education Leadership (4). Seminar, three hours. This program capstone course facilitates refining presentation aspects of the final capstone educational media project, writing of the supporting documentation package, and multimedia presentation of projects. Also includes seminar research talks on contemporary issues affecting science education. Prerequisites: acceptance into the M.S. in Biological Sciences and Educational Media Design program or consent of instructor; BSEMD 211, 212, 213, and 220, or consent of instructor.

220 Experimental Evolution in Biology and Education (4). Lecture, 1.5 hours; laboratory, 1.5 hours. Overview of the field of experimental evolution. Focuses on microbial laboratory techniques for testing evolution theory with examples from the impact of global climate change. Methods for addressing controversy in teaching evolution in secondary classrooms are discussed. Prerequisite: acceptance into the M.S. in Biological Sciences and Educational Media Design program or consent of instructor.

299 Independent Study (1 to 4). Independent study supervised by program instructor. Prerequisite: consent of instructor. May be repeated for credit as topics vary.

INTERDISCIPLINARY GRADUATE PROGRAMS

The School is structured in a manner that encourages an interdisciplinary approach to scientific problems. Interaction and cooperative efforts across traditional institutional boundaries are especially evident in the School's participation in various organized research units (described in the previous Office of Research section) and in the interdepartmental/interschool graduate programs described below.

Graduate Program in Cellular and Molecular Biosciences

4141 Natural Sciences II; (949) 824-8145
http://cmb.uci.edu
David A. Fruman, Director

The combined graduate program in Cellular and Molecular Biosciences (CMB) provides the first year of instruction for graduate students entering Ph.D. programs in six departments within the School of Biological Sciences and the School of Medicine. Applicants should have significant laboratory experience and be well prepared in biochemistry, molecular biology, cell biology, and genetics with appropriate course work in organic chemistry, calculus, and physics.

Students in the CMB program will select three didactic courses, one each quarter, from a menu of approved course options. Students will select one course from each key biological category of "Molecules of Life," "Cells and Signaling," and "Integrated Systems and Genetics." The diversity of curriculum options offers students, in cooperation with a faculty advisor, the opportunity to customize the curriculum to the student's research goals and interests. During the first year, the students also undertake introductory research in at least two laboratories. Students can select a laboratory rotation from over 100 faculty laboratories in the departments of Biological Chemistry, Developmental and Cell Biology, Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, and Physiology and Biophysics. Each faculty member's area of research is described on the department Web sites. Faculty also are associated with research areas that span departments, as shown on the CMB Web site. The year culminates in a comprehensive preliminary examination and evaluation.

At the end of the first academic year, students will select a thesis advisor in one of the departments. Students who select a thesis advisor in the School of Biological Sciences (Department of Developmental and Cell Biology or Molecular Biology and Biochemistry) will complete the doctoral degree in Biological Sciences. Students who select a thesis advisor in the School of Medicine (Departments of Biological Chemistry, Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, and Physiology and Biophysics) will complete the doctoral degree in Biomedical Sciences.

During the second year and beyond, students participate in the departmental doctoral program. Students are required to meet all doctoral degree requirements associated with the thesis advisor's department or program, and may be required to take additional course work, and participate in journal club and seminar series. The normative time for completion of the Ph.D. is five years, and the maximum time permitted is seven years. Further information is available in the Catalogue sections of the participating departments and through the CMB program office.

Graduate Program in Mathematical and Computational Biology

Center for Complex Biological Systems
2624 Biological Sciences III; (949) 824-4120
mcsb@uci.edu; http://mcsb.bio.uci.edu/
Qing Nie, Acting Director

The graduate program in Mathematical and Computational Biology (MCB) is a one-year program designed to function in concert with existing departmental programs. Students who successfully complete the MCB program select a thesis advisor from among the participating faculty and then automatically join a departmental program for the remainder of their Ph.D. training. In this way, the MCB serves not as a degree-granting program, but as a "gateway" toward a Ph.D. degree in an existing degree program.

The MCB program provides students with an opportunity for a broad introductory training in mathematical and computational biology, individualized faculty counseling on curricular needs, and exposure to a large and diverse group of faculty and research projects in participating departments of the program. Member departments include Biomedical Engineering, Computer Science, Developmental and Cell Biology, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Mathematics, Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, and Molecular Biology and Biochemistry. (Other actively participating departments are Chemistry and Physics; admission to these departments via MCB is currently under review.)

The MCB curriculum is designed to teach students at the beginning of their graduate studies the necessary mathematical, computational, and biological knowledge for successful research at the interface between these disciplines. The needs of students with a variety of backgrounds can be met provided that they have had mathematical training comparable to a standard one-year university-level calculus course and a lower-division university course in elementary differential equations and linear algebra. Exceptional students not meeting these prerequisites may be admitted to the program on the condition that they fulfill these requirements during the first fall quarter of their graduate study or the summer preceding, and pass with a grade of B or better.

All first-year students normally take six four-unit MCB core courses, three quarters in mathematical and computational methods for biology and three in biological sciences. Research laboratory rotations constitute an important component of the first-year training program, providing students with intensive introductions to experimental design and quantitative data analysis as well as familiarizing them with available research opportunities. Students are expected to conduct three rotations in different labs prior to choosing a thesis advisor. Because of the interdisciplinary nature of the MCB program and the diversity of the enrolled students, MCB students are expected to become familiar with both "wet" experimental biology labs as well as with mathematical/computational laboratories.

At the end of the first year, each student will choose a primary thesis advisor from among the participating faculty of the member departments, and will enroll in a departmental Ph.D. program with which the thesis advisor is affiliated. To ensure interdisciplinarity of the thesis project, students who complete the MCB program choose a secondary thesis advisor from a department complementary to the primary thesis advisor's department. Although completion of the Ph.D. will be subject to the degree requirements of the departmental Ph.D. program in which the student enrolls, participating departments have agreed to accept both the course work and research conducted during the MCB gateway year in partial fulfillment of such requirements. The degree to which this is applicable varies. Students must consult with the department of choice for more specific information.

Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program

4145 Natural Sciences II; (949) 824-6226
gp-inp@uci.edu; http://www.inp.uci.edu
Marcelo A. Wood, Director

The Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program (INP) is a first-year graduate program that brings together more than 90 faculty from the School of Biological Sciences and the School of Medicine, including participation from the Departments of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Developmental and Cell Biology, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Neurobiology and Behavior, Pharmacology, and Physiology and Biophysics. INP faculty have broad research interests in behavioral neuroscience, brain aging, developmental neurobiology, genetics, learning and memory, molecular neurobiology, cellular neurobiology, neural injury/disorders/repair, neuropharmacology, plasticity, and sensory neuroscience. Neuroscience as a discipline requires scientists to have a detailed understanding of at least one field, and a broad understanding of many other fields. INP provides breadth early on, followed by specialization in years two through five of predoctoral training.

INP organizes and coordinates a core curriculum that provides a foundation in Neuroscience; this forms the basis of future specialized instruction in a participating departmental degree-granting program. This curriculum includes course work and laboratory rotations. Each trainee is individually mentored/assisted in tailoring an appropriate course of study based on academic background, interests, and research foci. After successfully completing the academic requirements of the program, students identify a thesis advisor who is willing to accept them into their laboratory, and the student will transfer to the doctoral program in their advisor's home department. In this way, INP serves not as a degree-granting program, but as a "gateway" to further graduate training. Students are required to meet all doctoral degree requirements associated with the thesis advisor's department or program.

In particular, the program provides trainees with an opportunity (1) to begin training in Neuroscience with a broad academic introduction, (2) to receive individualized attention to curricular needs, (3) to conduct initial research projects with a large and diverse group of faculty in a wide variety of departments, and (4) to conduct dissertation research in any of a large and diverse group of laboratories in a wide variety of departments.

In the first year of study, students must successfully complete one course from each of the molecular, systems, and cellular neuroscience categories. All trainees also participate every quarter in a two-unit course called Foundations of Neuroscience. This mandatory course meets in the fall and winter quarters and is intended to expose students to critical reading and analysis of the primary literature. Students are encouraged to carry out three laboratory rotations of 10 weeks each. With permission from the Director and the Dean, students may carry out fewer rotations. Rotations are graded on a Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory only scale. Trainees are judged as having successfully completed the program provided that they have (1) achieved at least a B+ (3.3) average in the core courses, (2) achieved a satisfactory grade in each quarter of Foundations of Neuroscience, (3) achieved satisfactory grades in all rotations, and (4) identified a participating faculty member who has agreed to serve as their thesis advisor.

The ideal INP candidate will have had a substantial subset of the following courses: biology, chemistry, physics, calculus, neuroscience, psychology, biochemistry, and genetics. Preference will be given to applicants who have had laboratory research experience.

Following completion of the INP and selection of a thesis mentor, students will become members of the faculty member's participating department. In addition to the INP course work requirements, each department has specific requirements to be fulfilled, indicated below. Students who select a thesis advisor in the School of Biological Sciences (Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, or Neurobiology and Behavior) will complete the doctoral degree in Biological Sciences. Students who select an advisor in the School of Medicine (Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Pharmacology, or Physiology and Biophysics) will complete the doctoral degree in Biomedical Sciences.

Developmental and Cell Biology (School of Biological Sciences): Students entering the Developmental and Cell Biology program are required to enroll in and attend the weekly department seminar series (Developmental Biology 290) and Advanced Topics in Cell Biology journal club (Developmental Biology 206). Two quarters of teaching under the supervision of departmental faculty are required. Student training will also be individually assessed for possible courses with an emphasis in molecular, developmental biology, or genetics as deemed necessary for successful completion of the thesis research project.

Molecular Biology and Biochemistry (School of Biological Sciences): Students entering the Molecular Biology and Biochemistry program are required to enroll in and attend the weekly department seminar series (Molecular Biology 201) and the Research in Progress Seminar (Molecular Biology 229) where they will present their own work annually. Students will enroll in University Teaching (399) and teach (TA) beginning in their second year for at least two quarters. Student training will also be individually assessed to include at least one formal graduate course in each of the second through fifth years with an emphasis in molecular biology or biochemistry as deemed necessary for successful completion of the thesis research project. Necessary courses will include at least two out of the three core classes (Molecular Biology 203, 204, and 206).

Neurobiology and Behavior (School of Biological Sciences): Neurobiology and Behavior accepts any of the INP core courses toward the requirement of one each from Cellular, Molecular, Systems, and Behavioral categories. INP students who enter Neurobiology and Behavior in their second year must complete the fourth category if they only fulfilled three as INP students. In addition, they will fulfill the requirements met by all continuing students including teaching (TA) beginning in their second year for at least two quarters, advancing to candidacy in their third year, annual meetings with an advisory committee, and completing four advanced courses prior to defending their dissertation in their fifth year. They must also participate in the regular department colloquia. Students also present their research annually in the graduate student NeuroBlitz colloquium series.

Anatomy and Neurobiology (School of Medicine): Students entering the Anatomy and Neurobiology program are required to participate in the Current Topics in Neuroscience journal club (Anatomy 227A-B-C) and attend all department sponsored seminars. They are also required to meet once each year with an advisory committee to monitor their progress and present their research at the annual "Grad Day" meeting. Individual advisors may require students to take other courses depending on their interests and research program.

Pharmacology (School of Medicine): Students entering the Pharmacology program through the INP are required to complete Statistics (Pharmacology 256) and Ethics (Pharmacology 257) during the summer. They will also fulfill requirements met by all continuing students including the seminar series (Pharmacology 298), research (Pharmacology 299), and advance to candidacy in their third year.

Physiology and Biophysics (School of Medicine): Students entering the Physiology program through the INP are required to enroll each quarter in Topics in Physiology (Physiology 290) and to attend all meetings of the Physiology and Biophysics journal club, all Physiology and Biophysics Departmental seminars and lunch meetings with the Seminar speaker, and the Research in Progress seminars. All students are required to present their research once a year at the Research in Progress program. Students are encouraged, but not required, to enroll in Physiology of Ion Channels (Physiology 232) and Proteomics ((Physiology 252). All students are required to hold meetings with their thesis committee annually, beginning in their second year. The Department has no formal teaching requirements, but students who wish to gain experience as Teaching Assistants (TA) can make arrangements to do so in coordination with the Graduate Advisor.