To Prospective Students of
Molecular Biology
The Molecular Biology Program at the University of Utah is a cooperative effort by faculty from the Biology and Chemistry Departments in the College of Science, five departments in the College of Medicine (Biochemistry, Human Genetics, Pathology, Neurobiology and Anatomy, Oncological Sciences) and the Department of Medicinal Chemistry in the College of Pharmacy. It brings together approximately 120 faculty members and 275 graduate students with research interests in different areas of molecular biology, including biochemistry, cancer and cell biology, developmental biology, gene expression, neurobiology, and genetics. The Program sponsors an extensive series of outside seminar speakers and other activities that foster communication and scientific interaction among the members of the molecular biology community. Its primary functions, however, are to admit, train, and support first-year students working toward a Ph.D. degree in the general area of molecular biology. The Program itself does not offer a degree, but rather accesses the entire molecular biology community to incoming students and enables them to choose a thesis advisor and dissertation committee from faculty in any of the participating departments.
The First Year
During their first year, Program students take a series of core courses and journal clubs in key areas of molecular biology. They also complete four lab rotations with faculty of their choosing and then arrange to carry out thesis work with a particular faculty member. Upon selecting a mentor, a student is automatically admitted to the degree program of the thesis advisor's academic department. The degree requirements of the different departments participating in the Molecular Biology Program are essentially identical (see Program of Study). All Program students receive first-year financial support in the form of fellowships that do not require any teaching duties. Financial support after the first year is provided through the individual departments in the form of training grants, teaching assistantships, and research assistantships.
Bioscience Graduate Studies
The Molecular Biology Program is one of two closely related interdepartmental graduate programs at the University of Utah. The other program covers the area of biological chemistry, but is otherwise organized along identical lines. See a comparison of the Molecular Biology and Biology Chemistry Programs. Both of these campus-wide programs offer advantages that are not found in more traditional graduate programs.
Program Highlights
*The diverse research interests of the Program faculty offer a wide variety of potential thesis projects in all areas of molecular biology and biological chemistry.
*Owing to the large number of participating faculty, the Programs offer a wider variety of courses, taught by experts in their respective areas, than could any one department.
*Financial support with no teaching obligation enables students to spend full time during the critical first year exploring research labs, taking courses, and getting to know the faculty, so that they can make a well-informed choice of thesis advisor.
This web site describes the research interests of faculty in the Molecular Biology Program and how to apply for graduate study. If you have any questions not answered by this material, please contact us by phone (801-581-5207) or e-mail us at tami.brunson@genetics.utah.edu. We think you will enjoy the University of Utah, and we encourage you to apply. The application fee is paid by the Program, and students accepted for graduate study are invited to visit at our expense for a first-hand look at the research community. We look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Anthea Letsou, Director
Molecular Biology Program
University of Utah
15 North 2030 East
EIHG 533, Rm 1400
Salt Lake City, UT 84112-5330
(801) 581-5207
(801) 585-2465 FAX