Graduate Programs in Biological Chemistry

Courses

5413 Medical Science I
1301 Catherine
University of Michigan Medical School
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-0606
Phone: (734) 764-8154
Fax: (734) 763-4581
Electronic Mail:umbiochem@umich.edu and pibs@umich.edu
Program Web Page: http://www.biochem.med.umich.edu/biochem/ and http://www.med.umich.edu/pibs/

Admissions Information
Refer to the Program in Biomedical Sciences Web Site (address above) before completing and submitting an application form.
 

Faculty

Chair: Professor William L. Smith

Professors: Andrews, Ballou, Engelke, Fierke, Franceschi, Fuller, Gafni, Glick, Goldman, Guan, Hajra, Kaufman, Klionsky, Ludwig, Margolis, Matthews, Menon, Ninfa, Ross, Schacht, Seasholtz, Uhler, Weinhold, Williams, Zand, and Zuiderweg

Associate Professors: Bleasdale (Adjunct), Kerppola, Nichols, Omann, Saper and Thompson

Assistant Professors: Bochar, Kwok, Leff (Adjunct), Mathews (Adjunct), Palfey, Pape (Adjunct), Trievel, Turner, Vojtek, and Xu

Interdepartmental Degree Programs

Various faculty of the department participate in the following:

Interdepartmental programs:
Biophysics, Ph.D.
Cellular and Molecular Biology, Ph.D.
Neuroscience, Ph.D.

Degree granting programs:
Chemistry, Ph.D.
Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, Ph.D.
Genetics, Ph.D.

NIH sponsored training programs:
Cancer Biology Training Program
Cellular Biotechnology Training Program
Chemical and Hearing Sciences Training Program
Chemistry/Biology Interface Training Program
Developmental Neurobiology Training Program
Human Genetics Training Program
Molecular Biophysics Training Program
Organogenesis Training Program
Pharmacological Sciences Training Program (Biology and Chemistry Tracks)
Reproductive Sciences, Ph.D.

Degree Programs of the Department

Master of Science
Doctor of Philosophy

In addition to the specific requirements listed below, see the Master's Degrees and Doctoral Degrees sections of the Graduate Student Handbook.

Master of Science

Granted ONLY during the course of doctoral study.

Minimum Number of Credits Required: 24 credit hours.

Specific Course Requirements: Biol. Chem. 550, either CDB 530 or HG 541, Biol. Chem 597, two rotations of Biol. Chem. 600, two semesters of Biol. Chem. 711 and 6 additional semester hours of didactic course work in Biological Chemistry or related disciplines. A cumulative grade point average of "B" (5.00) is a requirement for obtaining a master's degree.

Thesis or Research Essay: None.

Final Examination: None.

Doctor of Philosophy

Admission: Students apply through the Program in Biomedical Sciences (PIBS), which represents 13 departmental and interdepartmental Ph.D. programs at the University of Michigan. Admission to PIBS provides entry to each of these programs and gives the student access to more than 200 faculty working in all areas of biological and biomedical research. Students with a bachelor's degree or equivalent in the chemical, biological, or physical sciences are encouraged to apply. Applicants should have completed course work in general, analytical, and organic chemistry, biochemistry, physics, and calculus. Undergraduate coursework in physical chemistry, molecular and cellular biology, and genetics is recommended. The faculty are particularly interested in students with significant undergraduate or postgraduate research experience. The current application deadline for domestic students is December 31. International students should submit a pre-application by November 15 to PIBS. It is recommended that students confirm application deadlines with PIBS. Graduate Record Examinations (GRE general test) are required and should be taken by the October test date. A subject exam (Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology, Biology, or Chemistry) is recommended. To obtain application and pre-application forms and additional information about Biological Chemistry and the PIBS program, students may contact the departmental and PIBS offices via mail, phone, fax, or e-mail or through the University's World Wide Web site.

Range of Enrollment: The diversity of research interests in the Department demands the flexibility that comes from an individually designed curriculum. Required courses are limited to Protein Structure & Function (BC 550), either Cell Biology (CDB 530) or Gene Structure and Regulation (HG 541), Critical Analysis (BC 597), Graduate Seminar (BC 711, taken during both second and third years), Interdisciplinary Topics (PIBS 501/502), and Laboratory Rotations (PIBS 600). Students, guided by a faculty advisor and eventually a research mentor, will design a rigorous curriculum by electing a minimum of 6 additional credits from a wide variety of biochemistry, biology, medical science, computer science, chemistry, and biophysics didactic course offerings. During the first academic year, students complete laboratory rotations and choose a thesis advisor. During the second year, students complete the didactic coursework, begin thesis research, gain teaching experience, and develop and defend an original research proposal, thereby achieving candidacy status. During the third year, students gain additional experience in teaching and presenting seminars, and concentrate on the remaining program requirement of completing, presenting, and defending dissertation research.

Foreign Language Requirements: None

Work Experience Requirement: Teaching in departmental courses for the equivalent of one semester.

Preliminary Examination: In the spring of the second year of study, students develop and defend, before a committee of four faculty, an original research proposal.

Candidate Status: Candidacy requirements are described in the section on Requirements for Achieving Candidacy in the Graduate Student Handbook.

For information on the dissertation committee, final oral examination, and publication of dissertation, see the Graduate Student Handbook.

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