Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, PhD

Required Courses

• BIOST 2041 - INTRODUCTION TO STATISTICAL METHODS
• EPIDEM 2110 - PRINCIPLES OF EPIDEMIOLOGY
• EPIDEM 2161 - METHODS INFECTIOUS DISEASES EPIDEMIOLOGY
• IDM 2001 - MOLECULAR BIOLOGY OF MICROBIAL PATHOGENS
• IDM 2002 - MOLECULAR VIROLOGY
• IDM 2004 - VIRAL PATHOGENESIS
• IDM 2014 - FUNCTIONAL GENOMICS OF MICROBIAL PATHOGENS
• IDM 2021 - SPECIAL STUDIES IN MICROBIOLOGY (six terms)
• IDM 2024 - PRINCIPLES OF MOLECULAR METHODS
• IDM 2025 - MICROBIOLOGY SEMINAR (four terms)
• IDM 2038 - PREVENTION, TREATMENT, AND CONTROL OF GLOBAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES
• IDM 2041 - RESEARCH ETHICS AND SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATION
• IDM 2103 - HOST RESPONSE TO MICROBIAL INFECTION
• IDM 3440 - VACCINES AND IMMUNITY
• PUBHLT 2011 - ESSENTIALS OF PUBLIC HEALTH
• PUBHLT 2022 - THE DEAN’S PUBLIC HEALTH GRAND ROUNDS (two terms)

Elective Courses

Students add electives as recommended by academic advisors to earn total credits required for the degree program.

Total Credits: 72

Other Requirements

Preliminary (Qualifying) Evaluation

• Taken at end of first year (generally June after 1^st year)
• Must have GPA of 3.0 or higher
• Format: Students are assigned a published manuscript that is outside of their current lab research area. Students must be able to present and critique the manuscript to a committee of 3 faculty.
• Through the exam, the student must show an ability to analyze and interpret data and breadth and depth of understanding of associated concepts.

Comprehensive Examination

• Taken at end of second year (generally July after 2^nd year)
• Must have GPA of 3.0 or higher
• Format: Students must write an R21-style proposal of original research related to their dissertation work. The exam consists of an oral presentation and defense of the proposal to a committee of 3 faculty.
• Through the comprehensive examination, the student must demonstrate mastery of the general field of doctoral study, acquisition of both breadth and depth around specialization within the general fields, and the ability to use the research methods of the discipline.
• Upon passing the exam, students enter FTDR status.

Overview/Prospectus Meeting

After passing the Comprehensive Examination, students must form their dissertation committee in accordance with University and school guidelines and have it approved by the school. The Overview/Prospectus must occur by January following the Comprehensive Examination. The overview requires the student to carefully formulate a plan and permits the doctoral committee members to provide guidance in shaping the conceptualization and methodology of that plan. The doctoral committee must unanimously approve the dissertation topic and research plan before the student may be admitted to candidacy for the doctoral degree. Approval of the proposal does not imply either the acceptance of a dissertation prepared in accord with the proposal or the restriction of the dissertation to this original proposal. The student is responsible for ensuring that all appropriate regulatory approvals are obtained for the proposed research. The dissertation committee is required to meet yearly to monitor dissertation progress.

Admission to Candidacy

To qualify for admission to candidacy a student must:

• be in full graduate status
• have satisfied the requirement of the preliminary evaluation
• have completed formal course work with a minimum grade point average of 3.00
• have passed the comprehensive examination
• have received approval of the proposed subject and plan of the dissertation from the doctoral committee following an overview or prospectus meeting of the committee

Final Oral Examination - Dissertation Defense

Students are required to have at least 1 first author publication with original research. Each student must write a dissertation that presents the results of a research project carried out by the student. The final oral examination in defense of the doctoral dissertation is conducted by the doctoral committee and need not be confined to materials in and related to the dissertation. The doctoral committee confers with the student before providing approval to schedule the dissertation defense. The doctoral dissertation defense must be announced at least 3 weeks in advance in accordance with school policy. final copy of the dissertation must be prepared and submitted according to University requirements.
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