Overview
Baylor College of Medicine is a private institution that ranks in the top ten nationally, according to U.S. News & World Report, and first in Texas for federal research funding. The College is part of the Texas Medical Center complex, which is located in southwest Houston on 200 acres of land bordered by Hermann Park and Zoo, residential areas, and Rice University. The Medical Center is world renowned and represents a model for the concept of the central concentration of medical facilities. It contains two medical schools and seven hospitals with more than 4,000 beds. The Texas Medical Center library houses approximately 175,000 books, subscribes to more than 4,500 journals, has nearly 4,000 items in its audiovisual collection (including computer software), and subscribes to several major computerized information-retrieval services.

The Department of Immunology has 22 students from throughout the United States and abroad pursuing Ph.D. degrees. The graduate school enrollment at the College of Medicine is more than 400. Each year, 4 to 6 new students are accepted into the Graduate Program in Immunology.

Graduates of the Department of Immunology Ph.D. programs are located in different academic, government, and industrial institutions throughout the world.

The Location and Community
Houston is a dynamic, diverse city with a rapidly growing population of approximately 4 million. For recreation, the Gulf of Mexico is only an hour's ride by car. The semitropical climate offers pleasant days throughout the year. Symphony, opera, ballet, live theater, a thriving museum district, a revitalized downtown, year-round major-league sports, and a large number of diverse ethnic groups help to make Houston an entertaining and exciting city in which to live. A light rail system, linking the medical center with downtown, was recently completed.

Programs of Study and Degree Requirements
The Department of Immunology has ongoing research programs in molecular aspects of immunology, including MHC evolution, structure, and function; antigen presentation; T- and B-cell lymphocyte differentiation; dendritic cell and regulatory T-cell function; signal transduction mechanisms of lymphocyte activation and apoptosis; immunosenescence; immunotherapy, gene therapy, and genetic and cancer vaccine development; inflammation; cytokines; immune-related diseases, including asthma, autoimmunity, AIDS, and inherited immunodeficiencies; and stem cell biology.

The Ph.D. degree usually requires four to six years of full-time study and research. Beginning in the first term, an exceptional program provides students with an interactive course in the problem-solving skills needed for graduate-level work. During the first year, all students complete a core curriculum that includes immunology, biochemistry, genetics, and molecular and cell biology. After three or four research rotations, a major adviser is selected and a supporting committee is established to help the student set up a program in his or her major field of interest. In subsequent years, the student concentrates on laboratory research; participates in advanced seminars; passes a qualifying exam, which consists of writing and presenting an NIH-style grant; and prepares a dissertation. Small classes and seminars permit close interaction with faculty members. Reciprocal agreements enable graduate students to receive credit for courses taken at other Houston-area institutions of higher learning.

Facilities & Resources
The Department of Immunology has state-of-the-art research facilities that offer the open-space design popular in laboratories today, with the north windows offering a terrific view of the Houston skyline. There are spaces for shared equipment and core facilities for flow cytometry and protein chemistry within the department that feature the latest instruments and technologies. Baylor College of Medicine has a new animal housing facility and is home to the human genome project.

Expenses and Aid
The cost of tuition, which is typically waived, is $12,000 for the academic year.

Financial Aid:
The department currently provides generous assistantships of $28,000 and health insurance to qualified first-year students. Support for subsequent years is provided from funds of the faculty members. Students able to procure extramural funding are rewarded with financial benefits.

Housing/Living Expenses:
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, with the greater Houston area containing 4 million inhabitants. This population base includes a wide variety of racial and ethnic groups that give Houston a rich diversity and cosmopolitan feel but without the high cost of living. Costs of housing, health care, utilities, groceries, and transportation are all below the national average.

How to Apply
The application deadline is January 1. The preferred entry time is August (first term). Prospective students must take either the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) or the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) General Test, and a Subject Test is highly recommended in biology, biochemistry, or molecular biology.

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