University of Connecticut
Health Center Graduate School
The University of Connecticut Health Center is the health sciences campus of the University. A Ph.D. in Biomedical Science may be earned in one of seven Areas of Concentration noted below. Combined degree programs offered by the Health Center include the MD/Ph.D., DMD/Ph.D., and Dental Clinical Specialty/Ph.D.
The goal of the Ph.D. Program in Biomedical Science at the University of Connecticut Health Center is to educate individuals dedicated to pursuing careers as scientists and scholars in biological and biomedical sciences. To achieve this goal, an academic environment is maintained which fosters creative thinking and supports programs leading to excellence in scholarship, research, and teaching. A primary responsibility to students is to help them optimize the expression of their native intelligence and technical abilities. This environment encourages students to develop a conceptual base, synthesize and correlate new ideas and concepts, and develop strategies for rigorously testing novel hypotheses. (Adopted 5.7.90 by the Graduate Programs Committee)
The Community
The Graduate School student body consists of approximately 400 students from diverse backgrounds. On average there are 115 Ph.D. students, 35 Master of Dental Science students and 250 Master of Public Health students.
The Health Center maintains an academic environment that fosters creative thinking and provides educational opportunities tailored to the needs of individual students. The Health Center is situated on 150 acres of wooded hilltop in the historic New England community of Farmington. From this vantage point the skyline of Hartford, the capital of Connecticut, can be seen about eight miles to the east. Attractions in Hartford include several theater companies such as the Bushnell and Hartford Stage, the Meadows which is an indoor/outdoor music venue, a variety of restaurants and night clubs and the Wadsworth Atheneum, the oldest public art museum in the nation. The region is close to ski areas, hiking trails, and facilities for boating, fishing and swimming.
The Health Center is just 2 hours from New York City and Boston, Massachusetts. The beautiful Berkshire Mountains and the Atlantic coast are close by as well.
Programs of study
The Ph.D. in Biomedical Science is offered in one of seven Areas of Concentration. Applicants may select from:
Cell Biology (http://grad.uchc.edu/cell_bio/cellbio_intro.html)
Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology (http://grad.uchc.edu/pharmacology/pharma_intro.html)
Developmental Biology (http://grad.uchc.edu/devbio_genetics/devbio_intro.html)
Immunology (http://grad.uchc.edu/immunology/immuno_intro.html)
Genetics, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry (http://grad.uchc.edu/mbb/mbb_intro.html)
Neuroscience (http://grad.uchc.edu/neuroscience/neuroscience_intro.html)
Oral Biology (http://grad.uchc.edu/oral_bio/oralbio_intro.html)
The Ph.D. curriculum consists of core courses in Biochemistry, Genetics, Cell Biology, Immunology and Developmental Biology supplemented with specialized courses appropriate to the individual programs. Students choose a faculty advisor for Ph.D. thesis research from over 100 graduate faculty members with a wide range of well-funded research programs. The equivalent of at least three years of full-time study beyond the baccalaureate or two years beyond the Master's degree ( in the same or a closely-related field) is required. The work presented for the Ph.D. should equate to 44 to 48 credits beyond the baccalaureate or its equivalent.
Facilities & Resources
The Health Center, comprised of the School of Medicine, School of Dental Medicine and the Graduate School, is a modern complex encompassing state of the art biomedical research facilities, teaching and administrative areas, hospitals and clinics, a vivarium and the Lyman Maynard Stowe Library which is the Regional Medical Library for New England.
The University complex provides excellent physical facilities for research in both basic and clinical sciences. The Health Center Library is well-equipped with extensive journal and book holdings and rapid electronic access to database searching, the World Wide Web, and Library holdings. The library also contains the Computer Education Center and the End User Support Center. The Center for Laboratory Animal Care contains the Transgenic Mouse Production Facility and special facilities for housing of immunodeficient animals. Other facilities include the Center for Biomaterials, the General Clinical Research Center, the Center for Biomedical Imaging Technology (confocal microscopy, low light level microscopy, two photon microscopy), the Molecular Imaging Laboratory, the Fluorescence Flow Cytometry Facility, the Electron Microscopy Facility, and the Biomolecular and Structure Analysis Center (x-ray diffraction and NMR).
Expenses and Aid
Expenses
Students awarded a graduate research assistantship receive a full waiver of tuition and fees. The cost to individuals not holding an assistantship for full-time enrollment ( 9+credits) in 2002-2003 is as follows:
In-state Tuition: $2,836 Out-of-state Tuition: $6,948 Regional Tuition: $3,954
In addition, a full-time student not receiving a graduate research assistantship pays an infrastructure fee, matriculation fee, and student activity fee each semester and a one-time escrow fee. Fees are $125, $42, $13 and $50 respectively.
Financial Aid
Students admitted to the Ph.D., and M.D./Ph.D. programs are generally eligible for institutional graduate research assistantships. Between 16 - 20 graduate research assistantships are available each year through the Graduate Programs Committee (GPC) to Ph.D. students. For 2002-2003 the stipend is $18,000 for 12 months. The assistantship also includes excellent health benefits and a waiver of tuition and fees. These graduate research assistantships are awarded on a competitive basis and no teaching is required. In addition to Health Center graduate research assistantships, certain programs and Areas of Concentration also have National Institute of Health (NIH) Training Grants which provide support to Ph.D. students. Currently NIH support is available in the combined MD/Ph.D. and DMD/Ph.D. programs, and within the Areas of Concentration of Neuroscience, Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology and Immunology. Programs or individual faculty may also have other funds available to offer a student in a Ph.D. program a graduate research assistantship. These students are also entitled to a waiver of tuition and insurance coverage. Financial Aid in the form of loans is also available. Students apply for financial aid through the Financial Aid Office at the main campus in Storrs.
How to Apply
Ph.D. Program
Individuals interested in pursuing a Ph.D. in Biomedical Science may apply through one of two admission modes:
The Integrated Admissions Mode allows a student to enter as undifferentiated and explore a wide range of disciplinary areas spanning cell biology, developmental biology, genetics, immunology, molecular biology, neuroscience, oral biology and pharmacology with over 100 laboratories from which to choose. Students are encouraged to do research rotations in distinct disciplinary areas. At the end of the first year students choose a specific Area of Concentration. For more information on the Integrated Admissions Mode contact Dr. Gordon Carmichael (carmichael@nso2.uchc.edu). Students choosing to apply through this method should indicate Integrated Admissions Mode as the Area of Concentration on the Graduate School Application.
The Focused Admissions Mode is designed for the student who has already narrowed his or her interest and wishes to move forward in a specific discipline such as Cell Biology, Cellular & Molecular Pharmacology, Developmental Biology, Immunology, Genetics, Molecular Biology & Biochemistry, Neuroscience, or Oral Biology.
A student admitted through the Focused Admissions Mode may transfer to another Area of Concentration if they find that their interest changes provided that the new Area of Concentration is willing to accept them as a student. For more specific information on Focused Admissions contact the program director of the individual Area of Concentration.
Applicants should have a strong undergraduate record, competitive GRE scores, suitable recommendations, and a strong science background. Foreign applicants must also submit TOEFL exam results. Complete applications should be submitted as early as possible for entrance in the fall semester. The application deadline is January 1 for Neuroscience, January 15 for Immunology and February 1 for other Areas of Concentration. More information about each program may be found under each Area of Concentration listed on the Graduate Programs page.
Combined Degree Programs
MD/Ph.D. Admissions Process:
The School of Medicine participates in the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS), which administers a centralized application process. Upon receipt of the application, the School of Medicine sends the applicant a supplemental form that includes a questionnaire about interest in the Combined Degree Program (CDP). Those interested students then receive additional information about the MD/Ph.D. program. Applicants who are invited for an interview meet with faculty members of the Medical School Admissions Committee, the CDP Steering Committee and the graduate programs in which students express an interest. In addition applicants are given a tour of the facilities and meet with students who are currently in the CDP. Interviews occur between mid-September and mid-January.
All applicants are rank-ordered for admission by the Medical School Admissions Committee and the CDP Steering Committee. Evaluation criteria include: a) the undergraduate academic performance, b) the rigor of the undergraduate academic program, c) the MCAT and, if available, GRE scores, d) recommendations, especially from research advisors and e) the interview.
Admission to the CDP is a two-step process: 1) the application is initially reviewed by the Medical School Admissions Committee; a favorable review, i.e., acceptance to the Medical School results in 2) transmission of the application to the Combined Degree Program Steering Committee which reviews and rank-orders all accepted students. From the rank-order list approximately 4 students are then accepted into the MD/Ph.D. program and are offered full financial support. Acceptance offers usually occur by mid-February and continue on a "rolling" admissions policy. Those students admitted to the CDP are encouraged to re-visit the University of Connecticut Health Center to meet with additional combined degree students and faculty in a more relaxed setting.
Applicants who are accepted to the University of Connecticut School of Medicine but not to the Combined Degree Program are encouraged to join the first year medical school class, and if their research interest continues to be cultivated and medical school performance is strong, reapplication is recommended. For more information contact Dr. Domick Cinti (cinti@sun.uchc.edu)
DMD/Ph.D. Admissions Process:
Our process requires that the applicant be accepted sequentially by the SDM Admissions Committee for entry into the pre-doctoral DMD program, the Graduate School and, then, the DSTP Advisory Committee. Each member of the Advisory Committee has the opportunity to screen the completed applications and the committee collectively determines who shall be interviewed. Those invited are interviewed by members of the Advisory Committee generally at the time they are interviewed by the SDM Admissions Committee. The Committee then meets to discuss the evaluations and by majority vote of a quorum (2/3 of membership present) determines who shall be accepted and appointed to the Dental Scientist Training Program, if there are multiple candidates for the DSTP positions. For more information contact Dr. Alan Lurie (lurie@nso.uchc.edu).
Dental Clinical Specialty/Ph.D.
Applicants to the combined clinical specialty/training program should contact the director of the desired clinical program as early as possible while in dental school. Acceptances are made by November of the year prior to appointment. For further details on eligibility, mechanisms of award, application procedures, and review criteria, interested individuals may contact Dr. William Upholt ( upholt@nso2.uchc.edu) .
Who to contact
To receive a Graduate School application by mail contact:
Graduate School Admissions
University of Connecticut Health Center
263 Farmington Avenue Farmington, CT 06030-3906
Phone: 860-679-4306
The Graduate School application is also available online. Application
The Faculty and Their Research
Graduate faculty and their research interests are listed within the web site for each Ph.D. Area of Concentration as noted above.