Overview
Dartmouth was founded in 1769 as a college committed to liberal learning and has a long-standing tradition of close student-faculty ties, a tradition strongly endorsed by the Biochemistry Program. Programs of study leading to advanced professional degrees are offered by the Medical School, the Thayer School of Engineering, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, and the Tuck School of Business Administration.

The Hopkins Center for the Performing Arts serves as the cultural focus of Dartmouth, incorporating concert halls, theaters, art galleries, art studios, and crafts workshops. A wide range of musical, dance, and theatrical productions by visiting artists are sponsored by the HOP.

There are currently 40 students in the Biochemistry Program and 110 in the MCB Program, while faculty members in these two groups number 22 and 62, respectively. The program is small enough to permit close faculty-student interaction, yet large enough to allow for a variety of educational experiences. Dartmouth has about 4,500 undergraduates and 1,200 graduate/professional students.

Students completing the Biochemistry Program go on to postdoctoral positions in leading academic laboratories around the country. After appropriate postdoctoral training, the majority of students find faculty positions at colleges, universities, or medical schools or work in leading biotechnology labs.

The Location and Community
Hanover is a pleasant town of about 6,000 located on the Connecticut River, which forms the border between Vermont and New Hampshire, surrounded by picturesque countryside. Unlike many small towns, Hanover has sophisticated dining, excellent bookstores, varied movies and theater, and a vibrant cultural life. The area provides excellent opportunities for all types of outdoor activities, especially hiking and skiing. Drives to Boston, Montreal, and New York take about 2, 3, and 5 hours, respectively. A growing number of technology-based companies, as well as the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, provide many employment opportunities.

Programs of Study and Degree Requirements
The Program in Biochemistry uses a broad range of biophysical, biochemical, and cell biological approaches to cover many areas of biochemistry and cell biology, including membrane protein function, actin and microtubule cytoskeletal dynamics, enzyme kinetics, protein folding, membrane trafficking, cholesterol metabolism and transport, transcription, RNA processing, mitosis, cell motility, hematopoiesis, and circadian rhythms. This diversity results from an interest in cellular and molecular function in general, rather than in a few specialized fields. The program's faculty members use a similarly broad array of techniques in their research, including molecular structure techniques, such as X-ray crystallography and structural electron microscopy; biophysical techniques, such as steady-state and stopped-flow spectrophotometry and spectrofluorimetry, analytical ultracentrifugation, and calorimetry; sophisticated biochemical techniques to probe enzyme kinetics, vesicle transport, transcription, RNA processing, and prion protein dynamics; live cell light and fluorescence microscopy; transmission and scanning electron microscopy; and genetics in yeast and mice.

Admission to the Graduate Program in Biochemistry, and to other closely-related life sciences graduate programs (Genetics, Microbiology and Immunology, and Biology), is through the shared admissions path of the Molecular and Cellular Biology (MCB) Program at Dartmouth, enabling students to choose any laboratory in these departments for their thesis work. During their first year, students complete a comprehensive course in the principles of biochemistry and molecular and cellular biology. At the same time, they are introduced to research through a series of one-term rotations in three of the sixty-two laboratories in the MCB Program. After their first year, students select a laboratory and graduate program, such as the Biochemistry Program, for the remainder of their course work and thesis research, thereby providing a focused intellectual environment in their chosen area of study. By the end of the second year, each student must pass a qualifying examination.

Facilities & Resources
The Biochemistry Program is located in the modern facilities of Dartmouth Medical School on the campus of Dartmouth College. In addition to state-of-the-art facilities for standard biochemistry and cell biology, specialized instrumentation is available, such as LCQ and MALDI mass spectrometers, an analytical ultracentrifuge, an isothermal titration calorimeter, an X-ray diffraction apparatus, confocal microscopes, electron microscopes, animal genetics facilities, microinjection equipment, DNA and peptide synthesis/sequencing, and fluorescence-activated cell sorters (FACS). The Dana Biomedical Library is fully equipped with reference material for cutting-edge biomedical research, and the Kiewit Computation Center of Dartmouth College provides vigorous support for bioinformatics and computational biology studies.

Expenses and Aid
All students in the program receive a scholarship for the full cost of tuition.

Financial Aid:
Students enrolled in the Biochemistry Program receive a support stipend and health insurance coverage through the Dartmouth Student Group Health Plan. Stipend awards are continued annually, based on satisfactory fulfillment of program standards and requirements.

Housing/Living Expenses:
The Biochemistry Program helps graduate students find appropriate housing, either in College facilities or in privately owned accommodations in the Hanover area. Single-student housing (usually off campus) costs $400 to $600 per month. Married students can rent College-owned duplexes for $675 to $850 per month plus heat and utilities.

How to Apply
Application forms and more detailed information about the Biochemistry Program may be obtained from the Chair of the Graduate Committee at the address given below. Applications are reviewed beginning on January 2. Applicants should send their application, supporting documentation (transcripts, references, and GRE scores), and application fee in time to be received no later than January 4.

It is the long-standing policy of Dartmouth College to actively support equality of opportunity for all persons, regardless of race or ethnic background. No student will be denied admission or be otherwise discriminated against because of race, color, religion, handicap, gender or sexual preference, or national or ethnic origin.

Who to Contact
Chair - Graduate Admissions Committee
Graduate Program in Biochemistry
Dartmouth Medical School
7200 Vail Building, Room 413
Hanover, New Hampshire 03755-3844

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