Mar 29, 2024  
2015-2016 Graduate Catalog 
    
2015-2016 Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Integrative and Systems Biology, PhD


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►   Graduate School Rules  apply to this program.

Director for PhD Program:  Michael Greene
Office:  Science, 4115
Telephone:  303-556-5610
E-mail: michael.greene@ucdenver.edu
Website:  clas.ucdenver.edu/biology/grad.html

Requirements for Admission

Applicants must hold a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university, awarded within the preceding ten years. Applicants whose biology degree was awarded more than 10 years prior to entrance to the CU Denver program will be expected to retake or show competence in core areas. Successful applicants generally have earned an overall GPA of 3.2 or better. Students entering the PhD program in Integrative and Systems Biology must have completed a year of general biology course work. Supplementary course work or reading programs may be designed for some students admitted to the program to provide background information of sufficient depth for the program curriculum. The general GRE, transcripts and letters of recommendation are required of all applicants, as well as a completed application to the program.

The PhD program has two tracks: integrative biology and systems biology. For both tracks, applicants to the PhD program should declare an area of specialization that aligns with the research focus of a PhD program faculty member. Faculty expertise can be found under PhD program faculty on the Department of Integrative Biology website. Students are obligated to contact prospective faculty advisors in advance of application to the program to determine if openings are available within the faculty member’s research program.

Application deadline is December 1-with rolling admission until April 15th- for both domestic US students and international students. Applications submitted after the deadline date will not be considered. Application to the PhD program is through CU Denver Admissions.

Degree Requirements


All course work taken within the Department of Integrative Biology and applied toward the degree must be at the 5000 level or above. Core courses required for the program include: principles of biological research, pedagogy, topics in integrative and systems biology, biostatistics, directed reading/grant writing, 3 electives and dissertation credit. A course plan is developed jointly by the student and faculty advisor and is approved by the student’s graduate committee. Students are required to maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA throughout the program. In addition to regular meetings throughout the semester, all students must meet with their faculty advisor at the beginning of each semester to determine course schedules and upcoming deadlines. 

In year one of the program, students are required to take a preliminary exam covering first year course work. In year two of the program, all students are required to form a five-person dissertation committee. A formal research proposal (written and oral) is defended in the second year of the program as part of a student’s comprehensive exam, which comprises an original and state-of-field grant proposal followed by an oral defense. In the final year of the program, a dissertation is completed and defended in an open forum. Degrees will not be awarded solely because students finish required course work and achieve other milestones, including passing comprehensive examinations. Graduation is contingent upon students completing a dissertation that is based on original, publishable research, submitting for publication in peer-reviewed journals, and demonstration by the student of a comprehensive understanding of the literature surrounding the chosen dissertation topic.

Stipends for students are provided for all years of the program.

Per Graduate School rules , the minimum enrollment requirement at CU Denver for doctoral students is six (6) semesters of full time scholarly work beyond the attainment of a bachelor’s degree. Two (2) semesters of enrollment credit may be allowed for an earned master’s degree from another institution; however, at least four (4) semesters of credit must be earned for work performed while enrolled at CU Denver. PhD students are expected to participate in the life of the program by attending colloquia, seminars, orientations and other program activities and by spending time on campus interacting with other students and faculty outside of normal class hours. Students should discuss with their advisors how to fulfill the spirit of this requirement.

Required Courses

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