PhD Curriculum in Biomedical Sciences

Your lectures and first-year training programs are highly interactive. They spark stimulating discussions of the latest research findings, theory, methods and ethical issues.

First-year coursework and trainings include:

• Fundamental Topics in Biology, with courses on Genes to Proteins, Cell Biology and Developmental Biology.
• Biological Insights into Disease and Therapy, with courses on Cancer, Immunology, Infectious Diseases, Pharmacology and Chemical Biology.
• Topics in Clinical and Translational Research, which includes human subjects' protection training and six courses including experiential and conceptual components.
• Biostatistics and Computational Biology, with sections on Biostatistical Methods and Introduction to Computational Approaches to Answer Biological Questions.
• Core Facilities, which includes structured visits to the core research facilities at St. Jude to expose students to available technologies and capabilities.
• Lab Rotations, which immerse you in three different laboratories for six focused weeks at a time (you have no other course work during each rotation).  See our list of world-class research faculty.

For details on coursework, rotations and training experiences, see our Academic Catalog and Student Handbook (Download a PDF version).

During your Year 1 lab rotations, you have had an inside look into three possible settings for your dissertation research. As you move from Year 1 to Year 2, you choose your laboratory and your Doctoral Advisory Committee.

In Year 2, you begin experiments for your dissertation research, take a Scientific Writing and Communications course, continue learning through seminars and laboratory meetings and prepare for your Candidacy Qualifying Examination, or “Quals.”  The exam evaluates the student’s readiness and aptitude to move to full-time dissertation research and includes a written grant proposal on the topic of your dissertation research project and an oral question and answer session related to your proposal and field of study with your Doctoral Advisory Committee.  After you successfully pass the Candidacy Qualifying Examination, you receive a Master of Science and move on to full-time research.

You continue the research you began in Year 2 through degree completion. You will work with your Doctoral Advisor to refine the proposal that you wrote for your Candidacy Qualifying Exam and submit it to the NIH as a grant application.  You also continue relevant clinical experiences and meet with your Doctoral Advisory Committee for guidance and support. Lab meetings and seminars keep you learning outside your own work.

To complete your dissertation, you conduct original research, analyze and compile the data, report the results and significance of the work, and orally defend the dissertation. You will also be required to author or co-author two manuscripts.

By Year 3, you are a researcher.

In Years 4-5, writing manuscripts, completing your research project, and writing your dissertation becomes intense. By Year 5, you complete your dissertation, defend it and graduate. This is how you launch your life’s work as a biomedical scientist.

Throughout the program, career and professional development training will be provided to ensure your successful career in science.

For more details on the process, consult our Academic Catalog and Student Handbook (Download a PDF version)