Academic Milestones and Policies

Before selecting a thesis adviser, students will complete three 10 week laboratory rotations. Each rotation involves an individual research project selected by the chosen faculty member and student. Laboratory assignments are based on student preference and are arranged so that each student gets his/her first choice for at least one rotation. Credit and grades for the research conducted during the rotations are provided through enrollment in MCB 291A-B with each mentor grading individual rotations and the Head Graduate Adviser reviewing all comments and grades for the final course grade. Please check the Calendar of Important Dates for the dates of each rotation period. Rotation requests are handled via an electronic form. 

See the Rotations and Thesis Lab Policy for more information.

The Faculty Evening Research Presentations (FERPS) start after Orientation Week and end in early September. This is an evening forum which provides students the opportunity to hear faculty discuss the research taking place in their own labs together with available rotation projects. FERPS set the groundwork for new students in the department and makes them aware of faculty accepting new students into their lab.

Retreats. The five divisions each hold their annual retreats between September and January each year. First year students are invited to attend the retreats of those divisions in which they have research interests. 

The Student Microsymposia allow students the opportunity to present the research conducted during their first rotation and either their second or third rotation. Each student describes the overall objectives of his/her rotation projects, the experimental approaches used, and the results obtained. SMS is moderated by faculty instructors and is designed to both familiarize students with and instruct them in the skills necessary to present research findings in a clear and incisive manner. SMS takes place during the last week of the Fall and Spring semesters.

All students take Fundamentals of Molecular and Cell Biology (MCB 200A-200B) in the first semester of the first year. The goal of this course is to provide graduate-level instruction on molecular and cellular biosciences from a highly-integrated systems perspective, rather than using a more classic, techniques-oriented format. A collection of approaches, and a focus on critical thinking and problem solving, will be used to show how fundamental, highly-significant biological problems are "cracked open.

See the Course Requirement policy for more information.

All students are required to take two advanced topic courses. The courses are mainly offered in the spring semester and students normally take both during the first year in the program.

Ethics course. This course (MCB293C) is scheduled in spring semester and focuses on topics in the responsible conduct of research. Rigor and Reproducibility in Research course. This course (MCB293D) is scheduled in the Spring semester directly after the Ethics course. The course aims to give students awareness of issues surrounding rigor and reproducibility of research

Teaching Appointment. In April the GAO will request your four choices of courses for which you want to be a Graduate Student Instructor (GSI) for the following term. Requests are reviewed and GSIs matched to courses in a meeting of all divisional GSI Advisers in early May. There will be training sessions for all new GSIs at the beginning of the Fall semester.

First-year students will be asked to fill out the pre-qual IDP in the fall, prior to meeting with their first-year advisor towards the end of the first rotation. See here for more information. 

See the Individual Development Plan policy for more information.

In order to be eligible to take the Qualifying Exam in the Spring semester of their second year students need to ensure that all required courses are completed by the end of the Fall semester of their second year.

See the Course Requirement policy for more information.

The Department offers Graduate Student Instructor Training (GSI) training during the Fall orientation week for all new GSIs. This training, along with weekly meetings with the instructor, mid-point student evaluations, and oversight of GSI Advisers offer GSIs the tools to succeed in their teaching assignment. Students are required to enroll in the MCB 375 pedagogy course, this 5-week course will offer strategies to succeed as an instructor. Students must also take the Graduate Division Online Ethics Course and attend their Orientation session. At the end of the semester, the department also performs evaluations of GSIs via comments from the class and instructors. It is these evaluations that are used in the nominations of Outstanding Graduate Student Instructors each Spring. For more information please read Graduate Council Policy for GSIs and Instructors.

See the Policy on Teaching by Graduate Students for more information.

The Qualifying Exam (QE) informational meeting for Second Year Students and the Second Year Advisers takes place in December each year. At the meeting students are able to discuss the exam process including committee formation and selection of topics. Students will receive a copy of the Departmental Guidelines on Qualifying Exams and a listing of faculty from other departments who may act as the Academich Senate Reresenative committee member for MCB students.

See the QE Guidelines for Students and QE Guidelines for Faculty for more information. 

In early April, the Graduate Affairs Office (GAO) sends out requests to all second year students for their individual GSI preferences for the Spring semester of their third year.

In the spring semester of the third year students complete there second teaching assignment and enroll in MCB 380. All MCB program students must complete two teaching assignments during their career. Students that are considering a future career that may require more teaching experience can request a third teaching appointment in their fourth of fifth year. The request is considered by the students mentor and thesis committee and agreed by the Head Graduate Advisor.

See the Policy on Teaching by Graduate Students for more information.

Thesis committee meetings are held each fall semesters for students who have advanced to candidacy (in their third year and above). 

See the page on Thesis Committee Meetings for more information.

Following the successful completion of the qualifying examination, all students must enroll in three semesters of special topics seminars (MCB 290) offered by faculty in areas of current research in the field of molecular and cell biology (typically 6 offerings per semester).

Students will have different needs for IDPs at different times in their career, and mentoring styles of PIs also differ.  To accommodate these differences as well as to provide students with the opportunity to open career discussions with mentors, students in their 3rd and 5th years are to complete the IDP and meet with their PI to discuss it. The GAO will not collect completed IDPs nor specify the length or breadth of the IDP conversation, but students will need to confirm the conversation took place on their annual thesis comittee form. See here for more information. 

See the Individual Development Plan policy for more information.

Dissertation Guidelines for the preparation of the Ph.D. Dissertation can be found here

Students in the MCB graduate program will publish at least one 1st-author (or co-1st-author) peer-reviewed research paper prior to graduation. Because the publication process itself can be lengthy, submission of a manuscript to an online archive (such as bioRxiv) or submission to a peer-reviewed journal prior to graduation, will satisfy this requirement.

See the Publication Policy for more information. Please complete the Publication Policy Signature Form and turn it in to the GAO upon time of meeting this requirement.