The PhD program in Medical and Molecular Genetics provides training to students who wish to pursue a career in research and/or service in mammalian genetics. The 28 faculty members with primary appointments and the more than 45 faculty with secondary and adjunct appointments within the Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics provide a wide range of research opportunities in the rapidly changing field of human genetics.
Begin PhD study in genetics
Apply to the Indiana BioMedical Gateway (IBMG) program to begin a PhD in genetics.
Admissions
The majority of students enter the PhD program through the Indiana BioMedical Gateway (IBMG) program, which provides a shared first-year experience for all IU School of Medicine biomedical science PhD students. Students have the freedom to explore research areas through three rotations in laboratories across programs and choose entry into any of the ten PhD programs at the conclusion of the first academic year. The open enrollment system enhances the community of graduate students by offering a shared collaborative culture, a vital component of today’s inter-disciplinary nature of biomedical science research. Students in the Medical and Molecular Genetics PhD program have the opportunity to participate in medical genetics clinics to facilitate an understanding of the bench to bedside approach to medical science.
Advisory Committee
Each PhD student must choose a major advisor and advisory committee by the end of their first year in open admission (by July). The student’s research committee is formed after admission to candidacy to supervise the progress of the student’s research toward the dissertation, evaluate the thesis and administer the doctoral defense.
Program Requirements
The requirements for graduation from this program include completion of coursework, successful performance on the department qualifying examination, successful defense of a research proposal, completion of an original research project and defense of the thesis.
Graduates from the program are knowledgeable in the spectrum of medical and molecular genetics and genomics. All PhD students in medical and molecular genetics are required to take a minimum of 28 hours of coursework for their major and minor, and the remaining hours are research and seminar credits, for a total of 90 credit hours. Students may request transfers up to 30 credits of relevant graduate level coursework to use for their plan of study and PhD course requirements. A student must maintain an average 3.0 GPA for all coursework; courses with less than a B do not count toward degree requirements.
The qualifying examination consists of a written research proposal and defense of the proposal. The qualifying examination must be passed before candidacy status is awarded, preferably by the end of the third year of graduate school.
A dissertation on a research project in the area of human/medical and molecular genetics is required.
All PhD students enroll in MGEN-Q660 Medical and Molecular Genetics Seminar for at least four semesters and present at one for a grade.
All Medical and Molecular Genetics PhD students are required to complete at least 12 coursework hours in a chosen PhD minor. Students who choose the Life Sciences minor using the core open admission curriculum may not count G716 Molecular Biology and Genetics toward the 12 hours of required genetics coursework. These students need to take an additional three credits to replace G716 used in the Life Sciences minor.
Financial Aid
Students receive competitive stipends, tuition scholarships and health insurance. PhD students with eligibility to work in the U.S. receive a competitive annual stipend without a teaching assistant requirement as well as tuition scholarships and health and dental insurance. Additional financial aid information is available from the IU Indianapolis Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships.
Policies
The IU School of Medicine Graduate School has established official policies for graduate students, and students are expected to follow professional standards of employment. Some aspects of program participation (including time off and vacations) are left to the discretion of the student’s mentor. The program advisor or departmental chair may be consulted if necessary.