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PhD in Medical and Molecular Genetics

The PhD program in Medical and Molecular Genetics provides training to students who wish to pursue a career in research and/or service in mammalian genetics. The 28 faculty members with primary appointments and the more than 45 faculty with secondary and adjunct appointments within the Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics provide a wide range of research opportunities in the rapidly changing field of human genetics.

Begin PhD Study in Genetics

Apply to the IBMG PhD Program.

Curriculum

Students enter the PhD program through the Indiana BioMedical Gateway (IBMG) Program for PhD Study, which provides a shared first-year experience for all IU School of Medicine biomedical science PhD students. Students have the freedom to explore research areas through three rotations in laboratories across programs and choose entry into any of the ten PhD programs at the conclusion of the first academic year. The open enrollment system enhances the community of graduate students by offering a shared collaborative culture; a vital component of today’s inter-disciplinary nature of biomedical science research.

Students in the Genetics PhD program have the opportunity to participate in medical genetics clinics to facilitate an understanding of the bench to bedside approach to medical science.

Advisory Committee

Each PhD student who declares Medical and Molecular Genetics as their departmental choice will have chosen a major advisor (and advisory committee) by the end of their first year in open admission (by July). The student’s research committee is formed after admission to candidacy to supervise the progress of the student’s research toward the dissertation, evaluate the thesis, and administer the doctoral defense.

Program Requirements

The requirements for graduation from this program include completion of coursework, successful performance on the department qualifying examination, successful defense of a research proposal, completion of an original research project, and defense of the thesis. Helpful degree progression information.

Graduates from the program are knowledgeable in the spectrum of medical genetics and take courses in molecular and biochemical genetics, cytogenetics, clinical genetics, and population genetics. All PhD students in Medical and Molecular Genetics are required to take a minimum of 30 hours of course work (of that, six hours are G718 rotations), and the remaining hours are research and seminar credits, for a total of 90 credit hours. A student must maintain an average 3.0 GPA for all coursework; courses with less than a B- do not count toward degree requirements.

Financial Aid

Students receive competitive stipends, tuition scholarships and health insurance. PhD students with eligibility to work in the U.S. receive a competitive annual stipend without a Teaching Assistant requirement as well as tuition scholarships and health and dental insurance. Additional financial aid information is available from the IUPUI Office of Student Financial Services.

Policies

The IU School of Medicine Graduate School has established official policies for graduate students, and students are expected to follow professional standards of employment. Some aspects of program participation (including time off and vacations) are left to the discretion of the student’s mentor. The program advisor or departmental chair may be consulted if necessary.