Graduate Program - Molecular Basis of Disease (MBD)

Curriculum

Introduction

The graduate program is designed to provide students with the training necessary to study the cellular and molecular mechanisms of disease. The required course curriculum can be completed during the first two years while making a substantial start toward a thesis research project. The description and requirements delineated in this document apply to students entering the Pathology PhD program during the 2013-14 academic year or earlier. It is expected that all requirements for the PhD can be completed within five years.

Timeline for Completing PhD Program

• Year 1: Take Core Courses and Do Three Lab Rotations
  • Typical schedule for first year student
• Year 2: Complete Course Work and Begin Thesis Research
  • Typical schedule for second year student
  • Select Thesis Advisor and Laboratory after completing rotations in 3 different labs
  • Select Supervisory Committee and have first committee meeting before the end of the second year.
  • Register for PATH 800 after establishing your Supervisory/Thesis Committee.​
• Years 3-5: Take General Exam and Complete Thesis Research
  • Typical schedule for final years
  • Take the General Exam (GE) before the end of the 3rd year. The GE focuses on presentation of the proposed thesis project, progress to date, and knowledge of the field.
  • Complete a dissertation project.​
• Final Quarters: Write and Defend Dissertation

Required Course Work

A minimum of 10 credits must be taken each quarter (except summer: 2 credits) to remain a full-time graduate student eligible for training grant support. After a Thesis Advisor is chosen, students register for as many credits of PATH 600 (Independent research) as needed (e.g. 10 credits if no other course is taken). All students must complete 18 graded credits in graduate level courses (500 level) prior to registering for the General Examination (GE). This is a University of Washington Graduate School requirement.  Unless you petition out of some of the required courses, the program requirements will satisfy the graded credits requirements. Note that grades received from courses with numbers in the 600, 700 or 800 series can never count toward the 18 graded credits. A minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.00 is required.

We have crafted the course requirements to maximize student contact with the program faculty and to optimize opportunities to learn about disease processes (clinical presentation) and the approaches used to determine basic molecular mechanisms underlying these diseases.

The Pathology PhD Program requires the following courses:

• PATH 501 - Pathology Proseminars or equivalent seminar-based elective, including non-pathology courses
• PATH 520 - Experimental Pathology Seminars: Path Presents
• PATH 551 - Lab Rotation
• PATH 600 - Independent Study or Research (before Supervisory/Thesis Committee established)
• PATH 800 - Doctoral Dissertation (after Supervisory/Thesis Committee established)
• Molecular Basis of Disease Course Series
  • PATH 516 - Human Genetic Disease (offered Spring 2015)
  • Path 517 - Biology and Pathology of Aging
• UCONJ 510 - Introductory Laboratory Based Biostatistics
• Graduate Student Retreat
• Biomedical Research Integrity Series

Recommended courses:

• CONJ 526 - Introduction to Systems Biology
• CONJ 531 - Signaling Mechanisms in Excitable Cells
• CONJ 532 - Signal Transduction from the Cell Membranes to the Nucleus
• Path 513 - Neurodegeneration
• Path 514/CONJ 514 - Molecular Medicine
• Path 515 - Atherosclerosis
• Path 517 - Aging

Path 501 Proseminar Equivalent Seminar Courses

• Path 555 - Environmental Pathology
• PBIO 582 - Critical Thinking
• IMM 538 - Immunology Based Diseases and Treatments
• CONJ 526 - Intro to Systems Biology
• MCB 539 - Biological Basis of Neoplasia
• Path TBC - Innate Immunity course in development for Spring 2015

Petitioning for Exemption from a Required Course

A student can petition in writing to the Graduate Program Director to be exempted from one of the specific Pathology course requirements if he/she believes that it would repeat course material already taken. If the petition is persuasive, and the petition is granted, it should be noted that this does not reduce the Graduate School requirement for 18 graded credits.

Evaluation and Grades

The performance of every student in the program will be evaluated annually by the Graduate and Admissions Committee. The evaluation will be based, in part, on the annual report by the student's Thesis Advisor (due every August) and on the most recent report from the thesis committee (annual thesis committee meetings are a program requirement). The student will be sent a note documenting the committee opinions and recommendations. The major goal of this review is to make sure that a student gets additional advice when there may be problems with the student's progress.

The following are critical grade thresholds for graduate students:

• 3.0 Any time that the GPA for the quarter, or the cumulative GPA, is below 3.0 a "low scholarship report" is sent to the Graduate Program Director for determination of any programmatic changes or advice that is needed.
• 2.7 The Graduate School considers this to be the lowest passing grade for a graduate student. Below this, the student can not use the grade toward the 18 graded credits.
• 1.7 The Office of Graduate Academic Records states that 1.7 is the lowest numerical grade that a graduate student can get. Any grade of 1.6 and below is converted to 0.0 on the student record and 0.0 is used when computing GPA.

On the quarterly grade report that students receive each quarter, there is a "graded credits attempted" box. This is usually, but not always, the same credits the Graduate School determines when calculating satisfactory completion of course work credited toward the requirement for 18 graded credits. It is recommended that you acquire a copy of your transcript from the registrar's office in Schmitz Hall to verify your GPA.