Tulane University School Of Medicine

Molecular & Cellular Biology Program

The Molecular and Cellular Biology program at Tulane University offers a broad range of opportunities to carry out cutting edge biomedical research. Areas of specialization include gene therapy, genetic stability, cancer genetics, cancer immunology, environmental biology, infectious disease, genomics, proteomics, signal transduction, gene regulation, tumor virology. Molecular and cellular Biology graduate program offers M.D./Ph.D. and M.S./Ph.D degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology.

        M.D. / Ph.D. Program

The Graduate School permits transfer of 24 credit hours. These 24 hours can be comprised of Medical School coursework, including the Medical School Biochemistry course. In order to fulfill the other 24 hours of required course work, the following schedule is proposed.

First Year of Study :- In the Spring semester of the first year of Medical School, students enroll in 2 credit hours of MCBP 713 and 2 credit hours of MCBP 799 Research. The elective time scheduled in the Medical School curriculum in the Spring will permit this. Students may opt to take an additional rotation, i.e. enroll in MCBP 713 for an additional 2 credit hours instead of enrolling in MCBP 799, if they have not identified a Dissertation Adviser. The Dissertation Adviser should be identified by the Summer following the first year of study. Fall: open Spring: MCBP 713 (2), MCBP 799 (2), or MCBP 713 (4) Summer: Research.

Second Year of Study :- Students will take 4 hours of Research (MCBP 799) during the second year, where once again the Medical School elective slots in the schedule permit this. Fall: MCBP 799 (2) Spring: MCBP 799 (2) Summer: Research.

Third Year of Study :- Students will be required to take MCBP 607 and GBCH 718 to fulfill molecular and cellular biology core course requirements, and the MCB graduate student seminar and journal club. Fall: MCBP 607 (4), MCBP 710 (1), MCBP 714 (1), and MCBP 799 (2) Spring: GBCH 718 (4), MCBP 711 (1), MCBP 715 (1), and MCBP 799 (2 Summer: Research.

The General (Preliminary) Examination must be completed by the beginning of the fourth year of study.

Fourth Year of Study :- Medical School.

Fifth Year of Study :- Complete Ph.D. Research.

Sixth Year of Study :- Medical School.

Students may also enter the MD/Ph.D. program following the first year of study, but it should be emphasized that these students may need more time to complete the Ph.D. component than the six year framework suggests. Students who start in the Spring of the second year will enroll in MCBP713 for 2 credits and MCBP799 for 2 credits. The Dissertation Adviser should be identified by the Summer of the second year of study. In the third year of study 2 additional hours of research credit and/or individual study credit will be required in both the Fall and Spring semesters in order to fulfill the requirement for 24 hours of course work.

        M.S. / Ph.D. Program

The Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and the MCB Program are proud to announce the formation of a combined degree program in which graduate students earn a Master of Science Degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology and a Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Chemical Engineering. The combined degree program provides graduate students with a strong theoretical and research background in both engineering and the biological sciences. This unique education is designed to prepare future bioengineers and biotechnologists to work in a discipline that is becoming increasingly interdisciplinary. It is at the interface between engineering and the biological sciences where many of the breakthroughs in these two fields occur. Graduate students enrolled in the combined degree program take classes in both chemical engineering and MCB, including courses designed to integrate these two fields. Their doctoral research is in the area of bioengineering or biotechnology and done under the director of a chemical engineering faculty who is also a member of the MCB Program. No tuition waivers or stipends from the MCB Program are available for students in the M.S. Program.

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