2007-2009 CATALOG
Click here to view a .pdf of the current GSBS catalog, effective until the end of the 2008-09 academic year (end of Summer 2009 term).
CATALOG UPDATES
(changes entered in order of approval)
PLEASE SEE GSBS COURSE LISTING FOR THE MOST UP-TO-DATE COURSE OFFERINGS AND CHANGES.
ADDENDA:
ACCREDITATION UTMDACC
The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center has applied for accreditation of its baccalaureate degrees is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), which is located at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097, Telephone (404)679-4501, http://www.sacs.org. Many of the academic degree programs offered at UTMDACC undergo accreditation by specialized accrediting bodies*. They are as follows:
School/Program Degree Accrediting Agency
School of Health Sciences Professions
Cytogenetic Technology B.S. National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences
(Reference page 49 of 222 .pdf version of the current GSBS catalog)
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ADMISSION DEFICIENCIES
Admission deficiencies are no longer applicable.
(Reference page 93 of 222 .pdf version of the current GSBS catalog)
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PETITION FOR THE Ph.D. CANDIDACY EXAMINATION
Students must petition for Ph.D. candidacy before the end of the first semester of the third year of admission to the Ph.D. program (before the end of the second year if the student previously has earned an M.S. degree or one year after an M.S. has been completed at GSBS).
Before submitting the petition, the student must have repaired all admission deficiencies identified by the student's Advisory Committee and completed the tutorial and area course requirements. The petition consists of the signatures of the Advisory Committee to indicate their approval, the specific aims of the research proposal, and the names of the proposed members of the Examining Committee. The petition should be submitted to the Office of Academic Affairs for review by the ASC.
(Reference page 95 of 222 .pdf version of the current GSBS catalog)
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Applicants for the Ph.D. Degree Program
Applicants must have a bachelor's degree or its equivalent from an accredited institution. Applicants with interests in the biology-based areas of research concentration are required to have a solid background in the basic sciences. It is recommended that this background include:
Biology - a minimum of two semesters (including a course in introductory biology)
Biochemistry - a minimum of one semester (with prerequisite organic chemistry)
Calculus - a minimum of one semester
Physics - a minimum of two semesters
The applicant should review the web site of the Program in which he/she has an interest for a listing of the undergraduate coursework recommended by the Program for successful completion of the program of study. Once a student comprises an Advisory Committee, this Committee will review the student's undergraduate coursework, and, upon consideration of the student's research focus, make recommendations for any remedial work that would facilitate the successful completion of the dissertation research.
Undergraduate preparation that includes rigorous upper-level science courses or courses utilizing calculus is preferred. An M.S. degree is not required for admission to the Ph.D. programs.
Applicants are expected to have a grade point average of at least 3.0 on a scale of 4.0 on all undergraduate and graduate level work taken previously (particularly in the recommended coursework listed above). The average GPA of students entering the Ph.D. program in recent years has been 3.4.
(Reference page 109 of 222 .pdf version of the current GSBS catalog)
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Financial Support
It is the expectation of the GSBS that each student in the Ph.D. program be supported by a graduate research assistantship (GRA) or by a fellowship/traineeship. All students who are admitted to the Ph.D. program and who do not have external financial support are eligible for GSBS GRAs. The award of a GRA includes:
• A stipend of $26,000 per annum in 2008-2009.
• Payment of the student’s tuition and required fees (valued at $2,631 for a full-time student who registers for the 12-month academic year in 2007-08); and
• Access to participate in multiple health insurance plans.
(Reference page 115 of 222 .pdf version of the current GSBS catalog)
PREREQUISITE CHANGES:
GS060014 Immunology I
GS060611 Advanced Topics in Immunology
NEW HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER MISSION STATEMENT:
As a comprehensive health science university, the mission of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston is to educate health science professionals, discover and translate advances in the biomedical and social sciences, and model the best practices in clinical care and public health.
We pursue this mission in order to advance the quality of human life by enhancing the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease and injury, as well as promoting individual health and community well being.
(Reference page 10 of 222 .pdf version of the current GSBS catalog)
Larry R. Kaiser, M.D. replaces James T. Willerson, M.D., as President of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, effective August 1, 2008.
(Reference page 3 of 222 .pdf version of the current GSBS catalog)
James T. Willerson, M.D.
(Reference page 4 of 222 .pdf version of the current GSBS catalog)
Dr. Willerson
(Reference page 8 of 222 .pdf version of the current GSBS catalog)
James T. Willerson, M.D., President
Programs
In several Areas of Concentration, faculty members have established formal programs of study for
students who desire a more structured curriculum within a traditional area of research or department. The programs, approved by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, provide students with a recommended series of courses appropriate for the area, collective advice on research training from the faculty members of the program, and provide an opportunity for students and faculty who have similar research interests to interact. It must be emphasized, however, that all degrees are in the Biomedical Sciences.
The curricular recommendations developed by the programs provide sufficient flexibility to permit
students to develop an individualized program of study within the program’s framework. For those
students who wish to develop their Ph.D. programs independently of an Area program, the curricular
recommendations serve as useful guidelines. At the Ph.D. level, current organized programs
of study include: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biomathematics and Biostatistics, Cancer
Biology, Cell and Regulatory Biology, Genes and Development, Human and Molecular Genetics,
Immunology, Medical Physics, Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Molecular Carcinogenesis,
Molecular Pathology, Neuroscience, Toxicology, and Virology and Gene Therapy. Further information
about the GSBS Ph.D. programs and the faculty affiliated with them may be obtained from the
GSBS Web site at http://gsbs.uth.tmc.edu/, or the GSBS Office of Academic Affairs.
(Reference page 80 of 222 .pdf version of the current GSBS catalog)
FOR STUDENTS WHO MATRICULATE IN THE FALL 2008 TERM OR THEREAFTER
PETITION FOR THE Ph.D. CANDIDACY EXAMINATION
Students who matriculated prior to the fall term of 2008 must petition for Ph.D. candidacy before the end of the first semester of the third year of admission to the Ph.D. program (before the end of the second year if the student previously has earned an M.S. degree or one year after an M.S. has been completed at GSBS). Students who matriculated in the fall 2008 term or thereafter must petition for Ph.D. candidacy by the end of the second year following matriculation.
(Reference page 95 of 222 .pdf version of the current GSBS catalog)
FOR STUDENTS WHO MATRICULATE IN THE FALL 2008 TERM OR THEREAFTER
Ph.D. RESEARCH PROPOSAL*
It is the student's responsibility to submit an off-topic Research Proposal in the form of a research grant proposal to each member of the Examining Committee when the student obtains the initials of each committee member on the petition form.
The candidacy examination is meant to be an evaluation of the student's ability to construct a hypothesis, to design the means by which to test it, and to critically analyze obtained results.
(Reference page 96 of 222 .pdf version of the current GSBS catalog - *NEW HEADING)
FOR STUDENTS WHO MATRICULATE IN THE FALL 2008 TERM OR THEREAFTER
Ph.D. CANDIDACY EXAMINATION
The candidacy examination should take place as soon as possible after the petition is approved by
the ASC and should be completed prior to the end of the student’s third year.
The candidacy examination should be taken as soon as possible after the petition is approved by the ASC and by the end of the next term following approval of the petition for candidacy. The examination will test both breadth and depth of the student’s understanding of his/her research area. The examination will include both a written component designed primarily to test the student’s breadth of knowledge, and an oral component in which depth of understanding will be evaluated. Programs that require off-topic proposals for the oral candidacy exam may waive the written exam, whereas Programs that require on-topic proposals must continue to have a written portion of the exam. Non-Program students may bypass the written exam at the discretion of their Advisory Committees. Please see Format for GSBS Written Candidacy Exam on the GSBS Website.)
(Reference page 96 of 222 .pdf version of the current GSBS catalog)
FOR STUDENTS WHO MATRICULATE IN THE FALL 2008 TERM OR THEREAFTER
DEFENSE OF THE Ph.D. DISSERTATION
Students are required to submit a first-author paper related to their education and research at the GSBS for publication in a peer-reviewed journal prior to the Ph.D. defense. The Supervisory Committee must endorse the quality of the journal. A request for exception to this policy must be endorsed by the Supervisory Committee and approved by the Academic Standards Committee.
(Reference page 99 of 222 .pdf version of the current GSBS catalog)
Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Biomedical Sciences
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
The University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Houston requires a minimum of 54 credit hours to obtain the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.). The 54 credit-hour minimum includes one credit hour of the Ethical Dimensions of the Biomedical Sciences (GS210051), 12 credit hours of Tutorial Research Experience (GS000514), four required GSBS area requirement courses, and a minimum of one year of registration for research, which includes Research in Biomedical Sciences (GS000520) and Dissertation for Doctor of Philosophy (GS000920). Any exceptions to this minimum credit-hour requirement must be approved by the Dean upon recommendation by the Academic Standards Committee (ASC). The majority of these 54 credit hours (i.e. over 50%), plus the majority of any additional coursework required by the ASC or the student's advisory or supervisory committees, must be taken in residence at GSBS, at other UTHSC-H schools, or at an institution with which consortium arrangements exists (i.e., Rice University, the University of Houston, or Baylor University).
(Reference page 93 of 222 .pdf version of the current GSBS catalog)
Master of Science Degree in Biomedical Sciences
GENERAL COURSE REQUIREMENTS
The M.S. program of work must consist of a minimum of 30 credit hours of coursework, which must include at least one semester of Thesis for Master of Science and a minimum of six credit hours of Research in Biomedical Sciences. Didactic courses, Literature Survey, Special Project: Course, Special Project: Research, and Tutorial Research Experience may be used toward the remaining 24 semesters hours of course work. The majority ( i.e. over 50%) of these 30 credit hours, plus the majority of any additional coursework required by the ASC or the student's Advisory or Supervisory Committees, must be taken in residence at GSBS, at other UTHSC schools, or at an institution with which UTHSC-H has consortium arrangements (i.e., Rice University, the University of Houston, or Baylor University).
(Reference page 102 of 222 .pdf version of the current GSBS catalog)
