About the Program

Overview

Aerial view of TMC

The Genes & Development (G&D) Program is a Ph.D. program for students seeking advanced training in Cancer Biology, Stem Cells and Development, Genetics and Genomics, and Biochemistry and Biomolecular Structure.

The program provides an outstanding environment for students pursuing biomedical research careers in academia and biotechnology – from cutting edge research and first-rate facilities, to courses and Program activities that foster faculty-student interactions and collaborations in an intellectually stimulating atmosphere.

Our graduate students carry out their research on diverse biochemical and developmental systems, including mice, worms, frogs, sea urchins, fruit flies, bats, yeast and human cells.

The G&D Program is part of The University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Houston (UT-GSBS), and is located in the heart of the world’s largest center for biomedical research and education – the Texas Medical Center. Most of our faculty have their primary appointments in the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and the Department of Genetics at MD Anderson, ranked by U. S. News and World Report as the nation’s #1 cancer center.

Program Brochure (pdf, 40 pages, 3.6 MB)

Admissions

Students interested in the Genes & Development Program must first apply, and be admitted, to The University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Houston (UT-GSBS). The Genes & Development program does not accept graduate school applications directly.

Students typically join our program near the end of their first year of graduate school, after selecting a G&D faculty advisor in whose lab they will conduct their dissertation research. No additional application is required to join the G&D Program.

Graduate school admissions information, deadlines, and online applications are available on the GSBS Web site.

Degree Requirements

Students in fly room

Requirements for the Ph.D. degree include a broad knowledge of gene regulation, biochemistry, molecular biology and developmental biology. These are acquired through coursework, three laboratory rotations during the first year, a dissertation research project and participation in research seminars and journal clubs.

The rotations expose students to a variety of experimental approaches and help them select their research advisors. Most coursework is completed during the first two years of study. Students advance to Ph.D. candidacy after satisfactorily completing a written and oral candidacy exam by the end of the first semester of their third year. After advancing to candidacy, students concentrate on completing their dissertation research.

Ph.D. Candidacy Exam

In order to advance to candidacy for a Ph.D. degree, students must pass the G&D candidacy exam, which follows the guidelines of the GSBS candidacy exam. It consists of writing three one-page ‘off-topic’ abstracts, writing an NIH style original research proposal, and presenting an oral defense of the proposal. The subject of the research proposal is selected by the student’s GSBS-approved examining committee from one of the three off-topic abstracts. The candidacy exam 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.

Prior to forming the examining committee, all required coursework must be completed, and the advisory committee must recommend that the student is ready to take the exam and approve the three off-topic abstracts. The actual selection of the abstract for the research proposal is done by the examining committee.

GSBS Requirements

Per GSBS requirements, students who matriculate in the fall 2008 term or thereafter must petition for Ph.D. candidacy by the end of the second year following matriculation (i.e. the end of the summer of your second year). The oral exam must be scheduled no later than the end of the first term of the third year of study (i.e. the end of the fall semester of your third year). The deadlines for students who matriculate in the summer term are one term earlier respectively.

GSBS Ph.D. Candidacy information

Exam Resources

Faculty Critique Guidelines for G&D Oral Exam (pdf - 1 page)

GSBS Candidacy Forms

Proposal Writing Resources on the G&D Intranet Site
http://inside.mdanderson.org/departments/genes-and-development-graduate-program/candidacy-exam.html

• Writing Effective Grant Proposals (from MD Anderson Scientific Publications)
• NIH Sample RO1 Grant Applications and Summary Statements

Program Activities

G&D Director's Roundtable

The program sponsors numerous activities that foster a highly collaborative environment and support our commitment to educate and train graduate students for successful careers in academics, biotechnology and other biomedical fields. Through these activities, G&D students work together with classmates and faculty to develop their experimental, reasoning and communications abilities.

In addition, all students in the G&D Program are provided a laptop computer while they are in the program with specialized graphics and scientific software. This special benefit provides students with important resources needed to prepare their scientific presentations and publications, and conduct online research.

Program activities include:

• Weekly research seminars and journal clubs where students present their research project or discuss recent advances described in the current literature
• Weekly Blaffer Lecture Series with invited, internationally prominent scientists who meet with G&D graduate students over lunch
• Our annual spring retreat where faculty and students discuss their research and enjoy time together at a Texas resort
• G&D Bioinformatics Workshop Series where hands-on workshops are presented on popular online bioinformatic resources
• G&D Student Dialog Series where several times a year students meet informally with an invited guest from the Houston scientific community to talk about careers, scientific topics and other points of interest
• Director's Roundtable where twice a year students meet with the G&D director and co-director over lunch to talk about the program, and discuss any suggestions, concerns and questions
• Ice cream socials and other events that bring G&D faculty and students together for a mix of scientific and social activities

Financial Support and Stipends

All G&D students are fully supported throughout their training with graduate stipends or fellowships that cover living costs, tuition, required fees and health benefits. The program also offers annual competitive awards for outstanding research projects and supports student travel to scientific meetings. Visit the GSBS Financial Assistance Web page for stipend levels and other information about fellowships and scholarships. The stipend level for 2011-2012 is $26,000 per annum.

Facilities

96-well sequencing plate being placed in DNA sequencer

Our research facilities and resources are first rate and in 2005 we moved into the brand new, state-of-the-art Mitchell Basic Sciences Research Building. The new building also houses UT-GSBS administrative offices and classrooms.

We have excellent libraries and computer services, and facilities for protein and nucleic acid sequencing and synthesis, electron and confocal microscopy, and the generation of transgenic animals.

In addition, our close physical proximity to neighboring institutions in the Texas Medical Center fosters collaborations with colleagues at Baylor College of Medicine, The University of Texas Health Sciences Center, Rice University and Texas A&M’s Institute of Biosciences and Technology.