The Division of Cell and Molecular Biology comprises eight basic science graduate programs in the areas of Biological Chemistry, Cell Regulation, Genetics and Development, Immunology, Integrative Biology, Molecular Biophysics, Molecular Microbiology, and Neuroscience. The programs are interdisciplinary by design, and each reflects an area of research strength of the graduate school faculty. The goal of the division is to provide both a broad, integrated understanding of contemporary biomedical science and in-depth training in a specific area that the student chooses as his or her field of research.

UT Southwestern Medical Center ranks among the top ten biomedical research institutions in the country based on NIH research grant support to the basic science faculty. The Medical Center also receives financial support from private benefactors, foundations and industrial organizations. UT Southwestern ranks first in the country in support for students from these philanthropic sources. The Division of Cell and Molecular Biology currently enrolls over 350 doctoral students, with over 80 students pursuing the combined M.D./Ph.D. degree in an NIH-funded Medical Scientist Training Program. With four Nobel Laureates, thirteen members of the National Academy of Sciences, and numerous members of national science policy panels and editorial boards, UT Southwestern provides a rich scholarly environment for graduate study in the basic sciences.

Curriculum
During the first year, students enroll in the division in an "undeclared" status, i.e., not formally affiliated with a particular program. Successful completion of the common first-year curriculum is a degree requirement and qualifies a student for admission to advanced standing in a program. During the first year, students participate in the Core Course, which offers an integrated approach to the study of biochemistry, biophysics, molecular biology, genetics, biological regulation, cell biology, and organismal biology. The standard first-year curriculum also includes attendance at selected seminars and completion of three laboratory projects (rotations), lasting approximately ten weeks each. A student may select any member of the faculty of the division as a preceptor for each research rotation. Because all students enrolled in the division participate in the first-year curriculum, the student body is of sufficient size to allow employment of a wide range of educational strategies. The opportunity for innovative teaching has attracted the interests of our best teachers and bodes well for the continuing success of this approach. The design of the curriculum also fosters exposure of the students to many of our basic science faculty who participate in one or more of the components of the first-year curriculum.

During the second and subsequent years of study, students participate in the more advanced, sharply focused parts of the curriculum, which are organized by the faculty of the individual programs. Formal selection of a specific program and a dissertation research advisor is postponed until the end of the spring semester of the first year in order to foster flexibility and allow an informed choice of the most appropriate program for advanced study. However, students may associate informally with a program during the first year to the extent desired.

A coordinated design of the advanced aspects of the program-specific course work is another characteristic of the division's integrative approach to graduate education. Advanced courses with pan-program appeal have been designed, as well as a variety of more specialized courses. Curriculum committees from all of the programs work together to assure the existence of an appropriate range of advanced courses that are scheduled in a manner to facilitate accessibility. Although the programs of the division share a common administrative organization, each is distinct in terms of advanced course work and other degree requirements. For specific information, examine the individual program descriptions.

Requirements for Admission Students wishing to enroll in any of the component programs should apply to the Division of Cell and Molecular Biology. Qualified applicants will be recommended to the dean for admission to the division and thereby to the graduate school by an admissions committee composed of faculty representing each of the participating programs.

Applicants must submit a formal application, including a statement of educational and professional goals; a brief description of research experience; results of the GRE General Test; transcripts of undergraduate and prior graduate work; and a minimum of three letters of recommendation, two of which must be from college professors capable of assessing the applicant's scientific aptitude. Foreign students whose native language is not English must submit scores on the TOEFL.

How to Apply
An on-line application can be found at www.swmed.edu/dcmbapp. The deadline for application is January 5 for fall matriculation; no students are accepted for either the spring semester or summer term. The minimal requirements for admission are a combined score of 1000 on the verbal and quantitative portion of the GRE and an overall undergraduate grade-point average (GPA) of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, or a B average. For the 2002 entering class, however, successful applicants had GPA's that ranged from 3.23 to 3.83 on a 4.0 scale and combined verbal and quantatative GRE scores that ranged from 1200 to 1410. The average TOEFL score for successful foreign applicants for the 2002 class was 640.

Under special circumstances appropriately qualified students may be admitted to advanced standing in one of the division's eight programs without taking the standard first-year curriculum, for example, a student with equivalent course work and research experience gained at another institution. Students enrolled in the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) at UT Southwestern typically are admitted to advanced standing in one of the eight programs based on satisfactory completion of the first two years of the medical school curriculum and completion of the MSTP research rotations.

Faculty
An online edition of the Faculty Research Interests can be found at www.utsouthwestern.edu/facultyresearchinterests. It describes the research programs of the scientists in the Division of Cell and Molecular Biology of The University of Texas Southwestern Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. The division consists of eight cross-departmental, multi disciplinary pre-doctoral programs reflecting the evolving areas of modern biology: Biological Chemistry, Cell Regulation, Genetics and Development, Immunology, Integrative Biology, Molecular Biophysics, Molecular Microbiology, and Neuroscience. Within these programs there are also training opportunities in the areas of Chemical Biology and the Pharmacological Sciences.

UT Southwestern Medical Center, known for its research-intensive approaches to medical education and its fostering of the interaction of basic science and medicine, provides an ideal educational environment in which to prepare for a career in this rapidly changing enterprise. The faculty in the division is among the most distinguished in the world. Among its ranks are four Nobel laureates, thirteen members of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, and eleven Howard Hughes Investigators. There are over 350 students earning their Ph.D. degrees in the division, including over 90 M.D./Ph.D. fellows. All students in the division receive full fellowship support through NIH-sponsored Institutional Training Grants and NIH research grants, as well as through a number of corporate and private philanthropic sources, including the Perot Foundation, the Merck Foundation, Pfizer, and the Jeannette S. Eppler Medical Scientist Training Program Scholarship Fund.

Facilities
The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center is situated on a sixty-acre campus, approximately two and one-half miles northwest of downtown Dallas. The medical center is presently undergoing expansion with the development of the North Campus on a nearby forty-acre site. The laboratories of the 180 faculty members of the Division of Cell and Molecular Biology, along with the support laboratories available for their use, provide access for students to the equipment and facilities required for contemporary biomedical research. A central computer facility, animal facilities, electronics and machine shops, a comprehensive library, and core laboratories for protein and oligonucleotide synthesis and sequencing, antibody production, NMR, computer modeling, etc., are available on the campus.

First-year students are accommodated in a suite of rooms containing individual carrel space and lockers, a lounge area with kitchen, a conference room, and administrative offices. There is a personal computer installed in each of the five twelve-student carrel rooms.

Financial Assistance
All students accepted into the Division of Cell and Molecular Biology receive a stipend ($24,000) and monies to cover tuition, student service fees and a generous supplement for health insurance coverage. Most students are charged for tuition and fees at the in-state rate (~$1,600 per year).

Dallas Life
The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas is located a few minutes from the modern urban center of Dallas. The Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex is home to over 3 million residents. Many apartment complexes are available within walking and cycling distance of the campus. Dallas enjoys a healthy economic climate and low cost of living in comparison to other cities of its size.

Dallas provides an interesting contrast of cosmopolitan sophistication and easy access to rural and wilderness retreats. The city's many cultural offerings include art galleries, symphony concerts, the ballet, theaters, and opera. There are several museums in Dallas and in nearby Fort Worth. Professional football, baseball, hockey, and basketball can be enjoyed nearby. Dallas has a mild climate that is suitable for many outdoor activities. Surrounding parks, lakes, and rivers provide recreational facilities.

Who To Contact
Southwestern Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas
5323 Harry Hines Blvd
Dallas, Texas 75390-9004
e-mail: dcmbinfo@utsouthwestern.edu

(214)648-6708
(214)648-2102

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