The BMCB Graduate Program is an interdepartmental and interdisciplinary graduate program that seeks to equip students with the breadth and depth of knowledge, and skills, needed to build a successful career in the life sciences.
In the first year, students carry out three eight-week lab rotations, giving them a chance to explore a variety of research topics and approaches. Students also complete a series of foundational courses, in biochemistry, molecular biology, cellular biology and/or systems biology/bioinformatics. In the second year, students finish their coursework, develop a dissertation project, and then take their qualifying exam. PhD candidates then devote the following 3-4 years to full-time laboratory research and writing their dissertation. BMCB students spend an average of 5.8 years in the program before earning their PhD degree.
Students in the BMCB program become part of a close-knit community—participating in weekly seminars and journal clubs, and attending departmental retreats, student retreats, activities, and parties. Hiking and camping trips around the beautiful Southwest are especially popular.
Our graduate program is funded by a training grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS). We receive this funding in a large part due the excellent track record our graduates; BMCB graduates have gone onto to carry out postdoctoral studies at the best universities in the world, and have joined many of the top Biotech and Pharmaceutical companies.
