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The Department of Pathology
and Laboratory Medicine and the Molecular and Cellular Pathology Graduate
program offer advanced training opportunities to those interested in acquiring
an extensive knowledge of diseases and their effects at different levels
of molecular and cellular organization. Major emphasis is given to
investigation of molecular mechanisms responsible for disease processes.
Students are given the opportunity to undertake candidacy for the Doctor
of Philosophy degree. Participation in research
activities leading to an original dissertation is required of all Ph.D.
students. The predoctoral curriculum is designed to require four
to five years to complete. The basic requirements
for the Ph.D. in Molecular and Cellular Pathology includes a series
of formal courses, passage of the doctoral written exam, generation of
a research proposal, completion of dissertation research, preparation of
a dissertation, and the final dissertation defense. The typical student
can complete the program in approximately five years. The first two
years consist of formal course work, seminars, and introduction to research.
Two more years may be sufficient to complete the research project, but
additional time, usually no more than 12-18 months, may be required in
specific circumstances. Students are introduced to all departmental
research programs through seminars at which faculty and graduate students
describe their research work. Additionally, students gain direct
experience in research projects through laboratory rotations. These
rotations also create an opportunity for those students who have not yet
selected their area of concentration to interact more directly with potential
advisors. Some trainees have a declared interest in a specific area
of the pathology program before entry, having been attracted by reports
or publications of faculty members.
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