Javascript is currently not supported, or is disabled by this browser. Please enable Javascript for full functionality.

Skip to Main Content
University of Pittsburgh    
2016-2017 Graduate & Professional Studies Catalog 
    
 
  Mar 29, 2024
 
2016-2017 Graduate & Professional Studies Catalog [Archived Catalog]

Integrative Systems Biology (PhD)


ISB is an innovative program in graduate training that rapidly immerses students into a research environment, then mentors them to become independent scientific practitioners, skilled not only in the art of technical execution but in the creative multidisciplinary thinking required to address important questions in systems biology. Students receive a PhD in Integrative Systems Biology.

Integrative Systems Biology is a field of study that has emerged within the last decade as a unifying discipline that focuses on placing the molecules that comprise living systems within functional and organism contexts. The goal of ISB is to utilize all of our available resources to create a training and research environment to answer challenging questions of fundamental importance in biomedical and life sciences. The ISB faculty are drawn from cellular, developmental, molecular and systems biologists across the University of Pittsburgh campus and are distributed between four research foci:

  • Cell, Development, and Molecular Biology
  • Quantitative Biology
  • Translational Medicine
  • Genes and Evolution

 

Contact Information

Integrative Systems Biology Program
Graduate Studies Office
524 Scaife Hall
University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA 15261-0001
412-648-8957
Fax: 412-648-1077
E-mail: ISBinfo@medschool.pitt.edu

Admission Requirements and Procedures


Students most likely to gain admittance will have a baccalaureate degree from a natural science, physical science, or engineering program, a grade point average of 3.5 (on a scale of 4), combined average GRE scores (Quantitative and Verbal sections) greater than the 80th percentile, and three letters of recommendation. As this is an accelerated program, students should have prior immersive experience in research studies. Scores from a GRE subject test are strongly encouraged, but not required. Applicants who are citizens of countries where English is not the official language (and the Province of Quebec in Canada) are required to submit evidence of English language proficiency by submitting the official results of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). A minimum TOEFL score of 650 (paper), IELTS score of at least 7.50 or iBT score of at least 114 is required for admission to the Program.

Additional information and a link to the online application can be found at http://www.isb.pitt.edu/apply/apply.html

 

Financial Assistance

All full-time students receive a stipend, educational enrichment fund, computing and network service, and individual health insurance (with option to purchase additional family coverage) during their graduate training.

Degree Requirements


This is an accelerated program that provides the opportunity for students to complete their degrees in approximately 4 years. Students enter the program in the summer or fall sessions, and after performing three rotations identify an advisor and area of research dissertation research project.  Areas of research focus include Cell, Development, and Molecular Biology, Quantitative Biology, Translational Medicine, and Genes and Evolution. Required course work is completed during the first year and a half. During the first half of the second year students take a comprehensive examination that includes the generation of a research proposal ready for submission to national fellowship programs. Students receive career mentoring during the third and fourth years to ensure a seamless transition to the postdoctoral level. Additional information can be found at the following Web site: www.isb.pitt.edu/training/training.html

A minimum of 72 credits beyond the baccalaureate degree is required for the PhD degree. 32 of these credits are completed taking required and elective course work, and 40 of these credits are taken as dissertation research credits upon completing the comprehensive examination and advancing to candidacy. Required course work includes the following:

Advanced Elective Courses (6 Credits Total)


A large number of courses are available and are listed on the following Web site: http://www.isb.pitt.edu/training/training/elective_courses.html. Students are required to may select courses in more than any one of the following disciplines: computational biology, structural biology, molecular genetics, pharmacology, biochemistry, cell biology, and developmental biology.



Catalog Navigation