Graduate Program
|
|
| The Department of Cell and Developmental Biology and Anatomy (CDBA)
offers Ph.D. and M.S. degrees as part of the Biomedical Sciences program at the University
of South Carolina School of Medicine. The department is composed of faculty with research
interests in diverse areas including reproductive biology, cardiovascular development and
disease, chronobiology, angiogenesis and tumor formation and growth. The faculty use
state-of-the-art approaches and diverse in vivo and in vitro models to address questions
in these areas. The faculty in CDBA are well funded with over two million dollars in
external funding including grants from the National Institutes of Health, the American
Heart Association and other sources. Extensive collaborative efforts between different
labs are a hallmark of the department. These interactions lead to an enhanced training
experience for the young scientist |
Helpful Links
|
|
|
Forms (PDF)
|
|
|
|
Facilities
Each of the researchers in CDBA have their own independent lab that is equipped for
specific methods. Graduate students occupy bench and desk space in their respective
mentor’s lab. In addition to the individual faculty labs, the department
maintains a cell and tissue culture facility that is available to School of Medicine
faculty and students. The U.S.C. School of Medicine also supports an Instrumentation
Resource Facility that is directed by Dr. Robert Price. This facility contains
cutting-edge equipment used for imaging tissues and live cells, analysis of gene
expression and proteomics. (IRF page)
back to top |
|
Stipend Support
Students accepted into the Biomedical Sciences Ph.D. program will typically receive a
stipend of $21,000 per year. The Biomedical Sciences program pays this stipend during the
student’s first year in the Ph.D. program. The student's stipend is the
responsibility or the major professor and department in subsequent years in the program.
There is currently no stipend support for M.S. students from the Biomedical Sciences
Program; however, the student may receive a stipend at the discretion of his or her major
professor.
back to top |
|
Advisory Committee
Ph.D. students in the CDBA department, with the input of their major professor, are
required to select an Advisory/ Examination Committee by the completion of their second
year in the program. The purpose of this committee is to provide input regarding the
enrollment in elective courses and to mentor the student during their progression in the
graduate program. This committee is also responsible for administering and evaluating the
Comprehensive Examination and dissertation defense of the student. The Advisory/
Examination Committee is to be composed of at least five members including three faculty
members from CDBA, one faculty member from another U.S.C. School of Medicine basic science
department and one faculty member from outside the U.S.C. School of Medicine basic
sciences. The chair of this committee should be a member of CDBA other than the major
professor of the student.
Students in the M.S. program are required to select an Advisory/ Examination Committee
composed of three faculty members. Two of the faculty members should be in the CDBA
department.
back to top |
|
Comprehensive Examination
Ph.D. students are required to pass a Comprehensive Examination after completion of
their required coursework and prior to entering their third year in the program. This
examination consists of written and oral components and will be administered by the
student’s Ph.D. Advisory/ Examination Committee. Failure to pass the
Comprehensive Examination will result in dismissal from the departmental Ph.D. program.
The written component of the Comprehensive Examination consists of a National Institutes
of Health (NIH) style research grant proposal. This research proposal should be developed
by the student on a topic different from their actual Ph.D. dissertation area. The
student’s Advisory/ Examination Committee should meet four-six weeks prior to
the defense date to approve the Comprehensive Examination topic and provide guidance for
the completion of the written proposal. The written proposal should be completed and
submitted to the members of the Advisory/ Examination Committee at least two weeks prior
to the defense date.
back to top
|
|
Presentations and Meetings
Ph.D. and M.S. students are required to present annually in the Biomedical Graduate
Seminar Series (BMSC 801). Ph.D. students are also required to present their own research
data in the Morgan Newton Symposium at least once during their tenure in the Ph.D.
program. Students are encouraged to present at local and national scientific meetings.
Students in the department attend and present routinely at the annual meetings of the
South Carolina Academy of Sciences, American Society of Cell Biology and other
organizations.
back to top |
|
|
