Integrated Biomedical Sciences

Integrated Biomedical Sciences: Admission Requirements

Applicants must enter the program in the fall semester in order to begin the required coursework in the core curriculum. The deadline for submission of applications is generally March 1. International applications can be accepted after March 1 but must take into consideration the delays associated with the necessary visa arrangements. The Integrated Biomedical Sciences Program has the following requirements for admission to its program:

• A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college
• Coursework in biology, cellular biology, molecular biology, physics, chemistry, organic chemistry, physical chemistry and mathematics, including calculus, is highly recommended. Upper-level biochemistry or physiology courses are also highly recommended.
• Academic transcripts from all baccalaureate and post-baccalaureate educational experiences are required. These should provide a minimal grade point average of 3.0 overall (A = 4.0). Higher grades are expected in science courses and evidence of research experience is preferred.
• GRE or MCAT scores are required. All applicants whose native language is not English are required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Applicants from foreign countries must have their transcripts evaluated by an independent agency (i.e., ECE and WES).
• A statement of the applicant’s interests and goals needs to be included as an essay in their application, if possible Identify a particular area of interest.
• Three letters of recommendation preferably from science faculty who can evaluate the character of the applicant, their academic and research performance, and their ability to think and work independently.

The Admissions Committee will evaluate applications. All prior academic experience and the letters of recommendation will be evaluated for an indication of the applicant’s potential for success as a graduate student and future independent investigator. With rare exceptions, PhD applicants will be required to interview with faculty members before admission to the program. Acceptance into the doctoral program is limited by the availability of faculty and also by the availability of stipends. All accepted doctoral students receive a competitive stipend and tuition scholarship. The stipend and tuition scholarship is renewed each year providing the student is making satisfactory progress towards the degree.

Integrated Biomedical Sciences: Curriculum

Integrated Biomedical Sciences: PhD Dissertation Program Progression

Minimal Credit Hours Required for the Integrated Biomedical Sciences PhD Degree

The PhD in Integrated Biomedical Sciences should be completed in five years and requires completion of 145 semester hours of credit distributed as follows: core courses (37), concentration specific cognates (16), electives (9), and dissertation research (83). The core curriculum, which will be common to all students, builds knowledge and skills in research theories and methodology, data analysis and statistics, laboratory applications and skills, and the molecular and cellular sciences basic to health and disease. These courses will provide systematic exposure to the contemporary process of scientific discovery and will serve as the basis for the remainder of the curriculum. Advanced students entering with a master’s (MS) degree in a biomedical science or a doctor of medicine (MD) degree may have classes in the first two years waived based on their prior record. The degree may then be completed in a shorter time providing the student progresses through the process outlined below. Students will be required, in conjunction with their advisors, to select from concentration focused cognates in one of five tracks: Translational Cancer Research; Cardiovascular and Respiratory Biology; Immunity, Inflammation, and Infection; Disorders of the Musculoskeletal System; and Disorders of the Nervous System. All students will be required to participate in track specific Advanced Topic Seminars that span terms 4 through 15. All students will also be required to complete a minimum of 83 SH dedicated to completion of their dissertation research. Dissertation hours are consistent across all Natural Science PhD programs in the Graduate College and encompass laboratory research time required for completion of the dissertation including: analyzing published data; developing a research proposal; learning and applying advanced methodologies and statistical data analyses; developing skills to write and submit a pre-doctoral training grant application; practicing presentation skills to disseminate own research findings in national conferences; writing in the form of a research publication, and developing and defending a dissertation project

Integrated Biomedical Sciences: Academic Policies

Qualifying Exams

• Comprehensive exam - In the summer quarter following the first year of classes, all students will take GCC 532 ; Topics in Biomedical Integration II. This course is their comprehensive exam where each student will be given an individualized disease topic related to their planned research. They will be required to write a literature review approaching the topic. This comprehensive exam assures that the student can approach a research or clinical problem from a variety of perspectives, accounting for the published literature that illuminates the molecular, cellular and organ systems manifestations of the disease process.
• Qualifying Exam (Dissertation Proposal and Presentation) - The student must select a Dissertation Committee and present the proposal to the committee by the end of the 2nd year. The student’s research proposal should include at least three Specific Aims and be written up as an F31 grant. Acceptance of the proposal by the Dissertation Committee means the student is a candidate for the PhD.

Dissertation Research Committee

After passing comprehensive exams, the student will select a research advisor and begins to collect preliminary data. By the end of Spring of the 2nd year the student and advisor will select a research committee in consultation with the Track Director. This committee will advise the student and evaluate their dissertation. The Graduate College requires that the committee includes 5 members and that one member must be the student’s mentor/advisor. A majority of the Committee (at least three members) must be faculty at Rush who are members of The Graduate College. The chair of this committee, who cannot be the student’s mentor/advisor, will be chosen at the first committee meeting and will preside at all subsequent meetings and arrange for a timely completion of the dissertation work. The dissertation committee will strive for consensus in all its actions, however, a majority vote of the committee’s membership, is sufficient for all activities except the final approval of the dissertation, only one member may disagree with the final decision. In addition to the five-committee members, either the Director of the Graduate Program, the Associate Director or a Track Director will serve as an ex officio member of the committee.

Dissertation Proposal and Presentation

All students will present a thesis proposal before the end of the Spring Semester of their 2nd year that they have developed with their thesis advisor and graduate committee. The format for the written portion of this requirement is the standard Individual National Research Service Award (F31) mechanism. In addition, a comprehensive review of the literature relevant to the proposed studies is highly recommended as an adjunct document for this requirement. [All students are highly encouraged to submit these proposals to the National Institutes of Health for consideration of funding. The schedule for submission deadlines is April 8th, August 8th, and December 8th of every year]. Once the written document is completed, the thesis proposal will be presented in a seminar format to the Integrated Biomedical Sciences program with the written portion provided to the student’s committee at least 1 week prior to the presentation date. A formal committee meeting with thesis proposal defense will follow this presentation. During this meeting, the quality and merit of the project will be made and a determination as to whether the work satisfies the degree requirements or what measures for remediation are required to satisfy this requirement will be made at this time. Upon successful completion of this requirement the status of doctoral candidate is conferred on to the student. It is recommended this requirement be satisfied as early in the 2nd year as reasonably attainable. In the event student’s do not satisfy this requirement before the termination of the Fall semester of the 3rd year, the student and their advisor will need to present to the IBS Education Committee a reason as to why this requirement has not been satisfied and provide a plan for remediation.

Once the dissertation proposal requirement has been satisfied, all students will present an annual update to their committee in an identical format as the original proposal meeting with exception to the anticipated year for graduation. Again, after the seminar, a meeting between each doctoral candidate with their committee will occur and progress in the last year for their project and in their career development will reviewed. A detailed written account for each area should be distributed to the committee prior to this meeting. In addition to this, the web site that helps students identify career goals, my Individual Development Plan (myIDP) should be used whenever possible to track and report all professional development activities.

Completion of the Degree

In the candidate’s final year, a Thesis Data Defense will be presented to their thesis committee demonstrating that satisfactory progress have been made on the project to justify development of a plan to complete all experiments and to initiate dissertation preparation. Upon completion of this phase, the student will present the dissertation to the University in written form (approved by the Director of the Library of Rush University Medical Center) and present the work in a public one-hour lecture attended by the dissertation committee and faculty and students of the University. The dissertation committee will then meet in closed session with additional questions and will approve the dissertation. Typically the meeting immediately follows the public lecture. In line with the rules and procedures of The Graduate College, the committee strives for a consensus, but the dissertation can be approved over the objections of a single committee member. However, if two committee members disapprove the dissertation, then it is not approved. The awarding of the PhD degree requires the demonstration of a capability for independent research and a contribution to scientific knowledge.

It is assumed that one or more research articles are included in the dissertation. Since a peer reviewed first authored research article is required for the degree, the dissertation is not considered complete until its publication. If publication is pending, the committee may sign off on the dissertation but the program director will not sign off until the paper is published.

The Registrars office must be notified of impending completion of the degree by submission of an “intent to graduate” form at the beginning of the final semester. As the Dissertation is reaching final form, the student should consult with the University Librarian to assure that the Dissertation is formatted correctly. Once the dissertation is approved, the student will complete the final checklist to assure that all necessary approvals have been obtained. Students will be required to have an exit interview and provide feedback concerning their experience at Rush University.

Student Grievance Procedure

A student, who is having difficulty with a course and anticipates being absent from class or faces an emergency that will impact their attendance or performance, should contact their course director. A student with a problem in their laboratory rotations or research should attempt to resolve the issue through direct communication with the laboratory advisor or mentor. A good faith attempt to plan/resolve any issues directly with the course director, laboratory advisor or mentor should always be the first course of action. If this fails, the student should bring their concern to the program director if they are a first year student or to their track director if they have already identified a track. The program director or track director will work with the student and faculty member(s) to resolve the issue. If it is a serious issue, the program director, track director or faculty member may involve the Education Committee. The student may also appeal directly to the Education Committee by requesting in writing that it meet to discuss the issue. The Education Committee will meet within 10 days to render a judgment to best address the interests of the student within the guidelines of the Integrated Biomedical Sciences PhD program.

Students must maintain a B average in the first year. If they drop below a B average, they should discuss the possibility of remediation with the director of the course they had difficulty with. The course director may issue an incomplete grade for a limited time in accordance with university policy while agreed upon remediation takes place. However, once a failing grade (no Pass or letter grade less than B) has been given, the Education Committee must approve a remediation plan. Until a grade is remedied or his/her average is improved in some other way, the student is on probation. A student who remains on probation for two semesters will be dismissed.

Students who have entered a track must receive at least a B grade in any courses deemed required by their tract director. Failure to remediate a grade of less than B in a required course or a no-pass grade in a pass/no-pass course or the receipt of another such grade while on probation will result in dismissal.

The Education Committee will also hear complaints concerning academic dishonesty, non-professional behavior and student misconduct. The council may become involved through a direct request from a student or faculty member or by a referral from the Honor Code Committee. If the Honor Code Committee has not been involved, the council may refer the initial request to the Honor Code Committee. The council will hear testimony from any involved faculty and/or students. The council may recommend remediation or disciplinary measures. Recommendations for expulsion or suspension are made to the office Dean of the Graduate College. Appeals will be heard by the Graduate College Council (GCC) or a subcommittee of the GCC that will be organized solely for the purpose of hearing the appeal and making a recommendation to the Dean. The ultimate decision regarding student expulsion or suspension rests in the office of the Dean of the Graduate College.

Graduate College/Rush University Academic Policies