The Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology participates in the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences at the University of Kansas Medical Center. This program provides a diverse educational experience to prepare the student for a broad range of potential career paths. Students are able to complete nearly all of their course work in the first year, thus reducing the time required to complete the degree requirements.
Course requirements in the first year of study are Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology, Cell Metabolism, Gene Expression and Development, and Molecular and Physiological Basis of Disease. Students also are introduced to biostatistics, bioethics, fundamentals of scientific presentation, and principles of laboratory technique. Laboratory rotations begin in the first semester of the first year. In most cases, students will take specialized elective courses in the Fall of the second year before entering full-time into a research program.
Following completion of the courses, the student completes a qualifying examination, which consists of a research proposal written in the form of a National Institutes of Health grant application; this is defended orally. The student, with the guidance of his or her advisor, conducts an original research project. The outcomes of that research are assembled into a thesis consisting of a compilation of scientific papers submitted by the student for publication; a more traditional thesis format can also be used. The student defends this research in a seminar open to all interested parties. Completion of the Ph.D. degree requirements requires approximately six full-time calendar years.
The course requirements for the Ph.D. component of the M.D./Ph.D. program are, in addition to the first two years of the Medical school curriculum, specialized biomedical courses relevant to the student's dissertation research. The qualifying examination, research and dissertation requirements are the same as for the Ph.D. program. Completion of the M.D./Ph.D. degrees generally requires 6-7 years. Scholarships are available for both the M.D. and Ph.D. components of the program.
The interdisciplinary graduate program is organized along fourteen major research emphases. Members of the department have research programs under twelve of these research emphases (view faculty within the department whose research falls into these areas by choosing a link below):
Although the graduate program is organized along these seventeen tracks, specific research projects often encompass multiple tracks. In addition, many research programs involve extensive interaction among faculty in different departments.
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