Dec 11, 2024  
2015-2016 University Catalog 
    
2015-2016 University Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Biochemistry, PhD


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PhD program is closed for entry beginning Fall 2015 

Note For the Current Academic Year:

Incoming PhD students should refer to the Integrated Biomedical Sciences section  of this catalog. The following information is intended for incoming MS students, current MS and current PhD students. Questions about the future plans should be directed to the program director.

Biochemistry: Admission Requirements


Students are admitted only in the fall semester. Applications may be submitted at any time during the year. Application review begins in early winter and the number of doctoral stipends is limited. Applications for admission to the program will be evaluated by the Graduate Program Committee of the Division of Biochemistry and, in special cases, the Graduate College Council. Applicants are encouraged to visit Rush University for an interview. Consideration for admission will include overall academic record, results of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), letters of recommendation and especially interview results. Students must meet all Graduate College requirements. Medical students seeking an MS or PhD in Biochemistry must take a leave of absence from medical school and be formally accepted to the applicable program in The Graduate College.

Transfer students with an advanced degree in science may, upon the recommendation of the Graduate Program Committee, be admitted to the graduate program in biochemistry with advanced standing. The extent of advanced credit will be determined by the Graduate Program Committee on an individual basis through its credentials subcommittee. All advanced level entrants are urged to see the credentials subcommittee before matriculation.

Minimum requirements for admission to the Graduate Program include a bachelor’s degree in any scientific discipline with a minimum grade point average (GPA) and GRE scores as defined by The Graduate College. More specific departmental course requirements are as follows: one year of general chemistry, one year of organic chemistry, one semester or quarter of analytical chemistry or physical chemistry, one year of general biology, one year of molecular, cellular or advanced biology, mathematics through calculus and one year of physics. At least one semester of biochemistry is highly recommended but not required. Students may be accepted with less than the minimum course requirements upon special action of the Graduate Program Committee, which may waive such requirements or require that the deficiency be rectified during the student’s first year of graduate study.

Biochemistry: Academic Policies


Statute of Limitations and Leaves of Absence


A student must complete his or her PhD degree requirements within five years of matriculating to Rush in the Department of Biochemistry, excluding any leaves of absence. Extensions of this limitation may be granted under unusual circumstances on a semester-by-semester basis upon petition to the Director of Educational Programs who will act based on the advice of the Graduate Program Committee.

Extramural Experience


Selected students will have an opportunity to spend one semester in a basic science research laboratory in an industrial organization or another recognized research institution of higher learning in the United States or Europe. It is expected that work in the extramural laboratory will aid the student in his or her dissertation research work. The students will be selected for this experience upon written application to the Director of Graduate Education through guidelines established by the Division.

Graduate College/Rush University Academic Policies


Academic policies specific to The Graduate College are located earlier in this catalog. In addition, the Academic Resources and Policies section of this catalog contains Rush University academic policies.

Biochemistry: Tuition Waivers/Stipends


The Graduate College determines tuition for full-time graduate students; however, tuition has historically been waived for students in a PhD program. Students in an MS program pay tuition. Most PhD students receive a research scholarship (stipend), while MS students do not. The research scholarship awarded to PhD students is a privilege, which is contingent upon satisfactory academic progress on the part of the student. No special application for this stipend need be made; the applicant must merely indicate in his or her cover letter that such a stipend is desired. Additional financial aid, including loans, is available through the Rush University Office of Student Financial Aid. It should be noted that the student is expected to be a full-time student. Part-time jobs are highly discouraged. The advisor (who will then inform the Director of Graduate Education in writing) must approve any special circumstances that necessitate a part-time job. It is intended that graduate students receive their stipends from the Division of Biochemistry until the student has passed his or her Preliminary Examination and, at the end of the first academic year, has selected a permanent advisor. From that time on, it will be the obligation of the student’s advisor to provide the student with financial support, including a stipend, from his or her extramural research funds as the student can now devote more time to research.

The research scholarship (stipend) is awarded to students for a period of five years with the understanding that they will devote their full time to graduate study activities and that they will make satisfactory progress toward the PhD degree. “Satisfactory progress” includes, but is not limited to, pursuit of the prescribed didactic course program, identification of a research advisor by the end of the second semester, passing the Preliminary Examination in the fall of their second academic year, presenting a research proposal by the end of the second academic year as specified by Departmental Rules and Regulations, and pursuing research activities toward the student’s dissertation with due diligence and effort. The Graduate College has mandated that the PhD must be awarded within seven years following matriculation. However, the Division of Biochemistry will enforce a five-year deadline, but will allow extensions that are justified and approved by the Graduate Program Committee.

Biochemistry: Research Interests


Members of the Division of Biochemistry’s faculty conduct a broad range of extramurally funded research activities. Many faculty members focus their research efforts on cartilage tissues, synovial joints and arthritic diseases. A strong interaction exists between practicing clinicians and members of the Division of Biochemistry, and sometimes leads to a full consolidation of research programs. The diverse interests of the faculty provide investigative expertise in the areas of connective tissue biochemistry, etiology of arthritis, animal models of arthritis, joint imaging, regulation of gene expression, cytokines and growth factors, signal transduction, biomechanics, tribology, musculoskeletal cell biology, cancer cell biology, cell membrane and lipid biochemistry and the application of clinical biochemistry to medical problems. Some of these research programs are joint efforts with other departments, giving the student an opportunity to interact with investigators in other disciplines as well as with clinicians and physician scientists. The departmental laboratories are fully equipped with instrumentation required for modern research in biochemistry, tissue culture and molecular biology.

Biochemistry: Curriculum


The PhD degree is a research degree conferred in recognition of proficiency in research, breadth and soundness of scholarship and a thorough acquaintance with a specific field of knowledge as determined by the faculty. To attain these goals, the curriculum includes the following:

  • Graduate College “core curriculum” courses (GCC courses) provide a common knowledge base in molecular and cell biology for most graduate students in all divisions.
  • A core of required biochemistry courses (BCH courses), which provide the basis for the students to pursue their own specialized biochemistry research programs
  • A variety of elective courses, which provide the students with the flexibility to tailor their coursework to their research interests or needs
  • Initiation of research as soon as possible in the student’s first academic year

During the first year, the student will complete all required biochemistry and Graduate College Core curriculum courses. By the end of the second year, the elective course requirements should be completed.

At the end of the summer term of the student’s first academic year (usually at the beginning of September; the academic year begins with the fall semester), the student sits for the Preliminary Examination, which is a combination of a written examination, take-home examination and oral examination. By the end of his or her second academic year (i.e., before the fall semester of the student’s third academic year begins) the student is required to submit and defend a written dissertation proposal before the student’s Dissertation Advisory Committee. Following this, the successful student continues his or her research work, as approved by the Dissertation Advisory Committee.

When the student’s advisor and his or her Dissertation Advisory Committee agree that the student has completed his or her task, which is evaluated at an announced “Permission to Write Meeting,” he or she writes a dissertation, which is defended in a public seminar and in a separate executive session with the student’s Dissertation Examination Committee. Another requirement is that one or more manuscripts, based on the student’s dissertation work, be published, accepted or submitted for publication in a full-length peer-reviewed journal, with the student listed as first author. To participate in the May commencement ceremony, all requirements for the PhD degree must be met by the beginning of the month.

Required Formal Courses for the PhD Degree


Any portion of this may be waived for advanced students on a case-by-case basis as recommended by the Credentials Subcommittee.

Semester Hours Required


Total credit hours required for full-time student status and for graduation are determined by The Graduate College. The student must check with the Office of the Registrar before anticipated graduation as to whether or not all formal Graduate College requirements have been met.

Research Credit Hours: (11) Required


Total Hours of Required Coursework, less BCH-595 hours: 45


A full-time student registers for a minimum of 12, 10, or 9 credit hours each semester depending on the semester. Credit hours not allocated to formal courses are made up by BCH 699  Biochemistry Doctoral Research for PhD students or BCH 598  Biochemistry Master Research for MS students. A student, however, should register for at least one BCH 699  or BCH 598  credit each semester even though the student may not have begun their laboratory research. A student not taking any formal courses must register for enough hours in BCH 699  of BCH 598  to be a full-time student. The 7 elective hours may be selected from other courses offered by the Division of Biochemistry or from coursework offered by other divisions, including those of other universities. Electives can be taken only after consultation with the student’s advisor and the Director of Graduate Education and final approval by the Director. Most required courses taken by the student must carry a letter grade (“A,” “B,” “C” or “F”); however, BCH 698  Introduction to Research, BCH 598  Biochemistry Master’s Research, BCH 699  Biochemistry Doctoral Research and some BCH 595  Journal Club credits are taken for a pass/no pass grade. Students must obtain a grade of “B” or better in BCH 571  , which is considered the biochemistry core course. Elective courses may be taken for a letter grade or a pass/no pass grade. Graduate students must maintain at least a “B” average (3.0) to remain in good academic standing in The Graduate College. The Department’s seminar program and the weekly workshops are to be considered as part of a student’s research experience. Attendance at seminars is mandatory throughout the entire graduate study at Rush. Attendance at the workshops is highly recommended since these sessions can greatly help a student prepare for and conduct their dissertation work. Since many of the themes presented at the workshops relate to dissertation projects, students may be queried as to their knowledge of seminar and workshop presentations at their Preliminary examination or “Dissertation Progress Meetings.”

Suggested Program


A suggested program for the PhD student is displayed herein. Please note that all required courses are to be taken in the first and second years of the student’s tenure at Rush University. Electives are normally taken during the second year. A research advisor should be selected by the end of the second semester of the student’s first year, or earlier. Students are expected to remain on campus during the summer term as full-time students taking BCH 699  (unless taking a formal course). The summer term provides a welcomed opportunity to do uninterrupted research work. Reasonable vacation time is permitted after consultation with the student’s advisor and two weeks are allowed annually, according to NIH fellowship guidelines. The program of study for MS students is similar to that for the PhD students except master’s students register for BCH 598  Biochemistry Master’s Research instead of BCH 699 . Master’s students do not take a Preliminary Examination. The MS program should be completed in two years, where the first year is devoted primarily to coursework and the second year to MS research.

Suggested Program of Study for PhD Students


Year 1


Year 2


Fall Semester

Spring Semester

Subsequent Years


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