Molecular Genetics & Genomics Graduate Program

Guidelines

A. General Policy
The graduate training program in Molecular Genetics is an interdisciplinary curriculum that leads to the Ph.D. degree in Molecular Genetics. The major goal of the program is to train students for independent research and teaching in the fields of molecular and cellular biology. The program faculty have departmental affiliations in all of the basic science departments and several clinical departments of the Medical School. The program of study is designed to provide a firm background in the basics of molecular and cellular biology, while also providing advanced course work designed to meet the objectives of the student and the laboratory in which the student performs his/her dissertation research. It is the intent of the Graduate Program in Molecular Genetics to provide specialized training in the interdisciplinary field of molecular genetics while integrating student training as much as possible with corresponding departmental graduate programs.

B. Program Administration
The Graduate Program in Molecular Genetics is administered by a Graduate Program Committee consisting of the Director of the Molecular Genetics Program, the Graduate Program Director, and three additional members appointed by the Director of Molecular Genetics. The responsibilities of the committee include evaluation of prospective applicants to the program, evaluation of the progress of individual trainees, and formulation of program policies. The committee also oversees recruiting and coordinates interviews of prospective students. The application for institutional fellowships and graduate assistantships for incoming graduate students is the responsibility of the committee. The Graduate Program Director will serve as advisor for incoming students until a dissertation advisor has been named, will administer the qualifying examinations, will oversee the graduate student advisory committees, and will be the representative to the institutional Biomedical Graduate Studies Committee.

C. Graduate Recruiting
The program accepts students with a variety of undergraduate degrees including majors in the biological sciences and chemistry. Applicants have usually successfully completed courses in general biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, physics, and mathematics through calculus.

Applications are evaluated by the Graduate Program Committee. A decision is made whether to consider the applicant for admission based on the quality of the undergraduate training record and grade point average, the verbal and quantitative scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) in the case of applicants for whom English is not the native language, letters of reference, and a statement of personal interests.

Qualified applicants are encouraged to visit Bowman Gray for an interview during the process of consideration. Major criteria for evaluation of the interview are the degree of motivation for a career in science and the quality and extent of the applicant’s undergraduate scientific training. Applicants that meet the requirements for admission to the Graduate School and whom the committee wishes to accept are nominated for institutional fellowships, which are awarded by the Biomedical Graduate Studies Program. Once a student has selected a dissertation laboratory, every effort will be made to use research funds for stipend support so that institutional funds can be made available for new applicants to the graduate school. Institutional support for any student will be provided for a period not to exceed four years under normal circumstances.

D. Course Requirements
Students are required to take the following core courses unless they are able to demonstrate a mastery of the subject matter by a written examination administered by the Molecular Genetics Graduate Program Committee. First year courses provide an introduction to basic concepts of molecular genetics and relevant associated disciplines. In addition, in the first year, students are required to take Introduction to Professional Development, a course that includes training in the preparation of research proposals, scientific papers, and a discussion of the ethical conduct of scientific research. This course provides an introduction to the core competencies of scientific professionalism for graduate students

Fall Semester, First Year:
• MOGN 731 Molecular Biology I *
• BICM 707 Biochemical Techniques
• BICM 705 Biochemistry I*
• MOGN 701 Research in Molecular Genetics (laboratory rotation)
• GRAD700 Introduction to Professional Development
• ETHS700 Ethics in Science (requirement of the Graduate School)
(* core courses)

Spring Semester, First Year
• MOGN 732 Molecular Biology II *
• MOGN 721 Computational Analysis in Molecular Biology*
• Specialty/Elective Course
• MOGN 702 Research in Molecular Genetics (laboratory rotation)
• GRAD701 Introduction to Professional Development
(* core courses)

Summer Semester, First Year
• MOGN 701 Research in Molecular Genetics

Fall Semester, Second Year
• MOGN 741 Tutorials in Molecular Biology
• MOGN 701 Research in Molecular Genetics
• Specialty/Elective Course

Spring Semester, Second Year
• MOGN 742 Tutorials in Molecular Biology
• MOGN 701 Research in Molecular Genetics
• Specialty/Elective Course

Summer Semester, Second Year
• MOGN 701 Research in Molecular Genetics
• Prepare and defend research proposal for Ph.D. Candidacy exam.

Fall Semester, Third Year
• MOGN 701 Research in Molecular Genetics
• MOGN 741 Tutorials in Molecular Biology

Spring Semester, Third Year
• MOGN 701 Research in Molecular Genetics
• MOGN 742 Tutorials in Molecular Biology

All Remaining Semesters
• MOGN 701 Research in Molecular Genetics

The Graduate Program Director and dissertation advisor will consult with each student each semester to develop the schedule and to optimize the choice of courses in the best interests of the student. Once a student has chosen a dissertation laboratory, the dissertation advisor will also be consulted about further course selections. The specialty courses include those graduate level courses offered by the Graduate School.

E. Advanced Courses
All graduate students in their second and third years are required to take the course entitled, Tutorials in Molecular Biology (MOGN441, 442). This course focuses on new and important aspects of research in molecular and cellular biology with an emphasis on the current literature. Each semester the course centers on specific themes that are publicized to the rest of the graduate school so that students and faculty in other programs may choose to participate. The themes are chosen by the director of Tutorials in Molecular Biology and second and third year Molecular Genetics students. Students select topics for presentation and, with the help of the course director, prepare a short lecture to introduce the subject, assign key papers for participants to read, and provide a supplemental reading list. The following week the student leads a general discussion of key experimental findings.

In the second and subsequent years, students may take additional courses according to the needs of their particular research program as recommended by their dissertation advisor or their research advisory committee. Students must pass a minimum of 12 hours of collateral (specialty/elective) courses before qualifying for the candidacy examination.

F. Laboratory Rotations
Each student works in at least two different laboratories during the first year. A student may elect to do a third rotation during the summer semester of the first year if a decision regarding the selection of a dissertation laboratory cannot be reached after the first two rotations. Working in at least two different laboratories provides students with opportunities to learn research techniques that are used in each lab. A major goal of the laboratory rotations is for the students to obtain in–depth views of the laboratories in which they may wish to pursue their research.

Prior to the beginning of classes, students consult with selected members of the Molecular Genetics Program faculty concerning ongoing research projects. From these individual discussions with faculty, each student chooses potential laboratories in which to work during the first semester rotation. Each new student then meets with the Graduate Program Director to discuss the first year curriculum and the student’s choices of first laboratory rotation. Students will be assigned to rotation labs by the Graduate Program Director after consultation with the student and the potential laboratory director. The selection of the rotation for the second semester will be made before the end of the first semester and the student moves to that laboratory at the start of the second semester. At the end of each lab rotation, the faculty member heading the laboratory should prepare an evaluation of the student’s overall performance; discuss it with the student, then send the evaluation to the Graduate Program Director.

The policies on the choice of research area for a student are guided by the principle that both the student and advisor should be in a position to make a well informed choice before any decisions are made. Furthermore, to provide an optimal graduate training experience, the advisor must have adequate time and resources to devote to each student. For this reason, only certain laboratories may be available for students to do their dissertation research at any given time. Only those laboratories supported by adequate funding will be able to take on entering students, with the exception of recently recruited faculty. In the case of new faculty or faculty with a recent lapse in funding, only one entering student can be committed to their laboratories until they have established extramural funding. These policies help to insure that adequate supplies and equipment are available for the students’ research.

After the rotations have been completed, students choose a laboratory in which to do their thesis research, with the consent of the faculty member that heads the laboratory in consultation with the Graduate Program Director.

G. Grading
Minimum grade requirements for Molecular Genetics are governed by these guidelines and the policies of the graduate school as stated in the Bulletin of the Wake Forest University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. A student whose cumulative grade point average (GPA) falls below 2.5 will be placed on academic probation. The student will have one semester to bring his/her GPA to 2.5 or greater: otherwise the student may be dismissed from the Graduate School by the dean. The grade point average is obtained by dividing the total number of hours attempted for a grade, including hours for courses in which the grade is F. Thesis credit does not enter into the GPA. A Student may be dismissed from the Graduate School by the dean upon recommendation the program if he or she does not make adequate progress in research. Students must have a grade point average of 3.0 at the time of the preliminary examination. The full description of grading policy of the graduate school is found in the current bulletin.

H. Seminars and Symposia
Attendance at seminars is strongly encouraged to broaden the educational experience of graduate students. Students are expected to attend the seminar series sponsored by the home department of their dissertation advisor and to attend seminars sponsored, in whole or in part, by the Molecular Genetics Program. Each Molecular Genetics graduate student will present his/her research once each year in a seminar before the Molecular Genetics Seminar Program.

I. Research Advisory Committee
During the fall semester of the second year, a Research Advisory Committee is selected for each student. The committee is composed of at least the following FIVE members. All members of the committee must be members of the graduate faculty of the Wake Forest University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.  1) The chair of the major department or a faculty member chosen by the chair, 2) The student's thesis advisor, 3) A faculty member of the MGGP, 4) A representative from a related area within or outside the MGGP, 5) A member from OUTSIDE the major department of the thesis advisor who represents the Graduate Council and who serves as chair of the committee.  This member does not need to be a member of the MGGP.

If the faculty advisor has not yet trained a student graduate from his/her laboratory, it is recommended that at least one of the departmental committee members be a senior faculty member who can advise on procedural aspects of the Graduate Program.  The committee advises the student on the course of their research, administers the Candidacy Examination, and forms the final examining committee for the dissertation. 

The Committee for each student should meet at least once each academic year and more often when necessary. The purpose of the meetings are to evaluate the progress being made in the student’s research and to make recommendations for the immediate future. The meetings should be scheduled by the Research Advisor to ensure that they occur in a timely fashion.

J. Candidacy Requirements
Each student must fulfill the following requirements for admission to candidacy in the Ph.D. program in Molecular Genetics: 1)pass their required core courses with final grades of B or better (the grade point average must be 3.0 or greater); 2)Pass 12 hours of approved collateral courses; and 3)Pass an oral defense of a written research proposal.

If a student does not pass a required course with a grade of B” or better, the Graduate Program Committee may decide to allow the student to retake the course or only the necessary exam, or exams, in that course (the next time the course is offered) that led to the low grade. Other forms of remediation may be required by the graduate program committee. All forms of remediation must be completed before the student is admitted to candidacy. A failure to pass the re-examination of the course or any portion of the course with a grade of at least “B” will be grounds for dismissal from the Ph.D. program.

K. Oral Research Proposal Defense
The examination committee for the preliminary examination will consist of the members of the student’s advisory committee. The function of the committee is to determine acceptability of the student for advancement to degree candidacy by critically evaluating the scientific quality of the project, the clarity of the written proposal, the completeness of the literature survey, and the student’s originality and understanding of relevant biochemical concepts.

The date set for the oral exam (early August) will determine when all other deadlines fall. The examining committee may revise the schedule suggested below at their discretion. The deadlines should be explicitly communicated to the student.

Eight weeks before the date of the oral exam (early June), the student will submit an outline of the proposal. One week later, the examining committee will meet briefly with the student to discuss the acceptability of the outline and to make suggestions. The purpose of this meeting is to guide the student in preparing for the oral examination. It is appropriate to give examples of the issues that will be raised. However, detailed questioning and defense of the proposal should be reserved for the oral examination. If there are no major problems, the student may proceed to complete the written proposal.

Two weeks before the oral exam, the student will submit the completed written proposal. Within 1 week, the committee chair will poll the committee and inform the student if the written proposal is acceptable for oral defense. If not, the committee will provide a detailed written critique and set a date for receipt of a revised proposal, usually within 2-3 weeks. If the revised proposal is unacceptable, the examining committee will recommend to the Molecular Genetics Program Graduate Committee whether the student should be terminated from the Ph.D. Program.

If the proposal is judged acceptable, the oral exam will proceed as scheduled. Following the exam, a decision on acceptability of the student for admission to degree candidacy will be made by the committee. In the event that a student does not pass the oral exam, the examining committee can recommend that the student be refused admission to candidacy for the Ph.D. program or that reexamination be allowed no earlier than six months from the date of the first exam. A student may be reexamined only once. If the committee does not recommend the student for advancement to Ph.D. candidacy, the student may, at the discretion of the faculty, have the option to complete the M.S. degree program. The chair of the committee will inform the Graduate Program Director of the outcome of the preliminary exam. The Graduate Program Director then informs the graduate office.

Format: The outline and the final proposal will be patterned after NIH guidelines. The student should consult with the examining committee on questions of format during the preparation of the proposal. The proposal should be clearly written in the student’s own words and should be carefully proofed for spelling and grammatical errors.

Outline Format - The outline should be no longer than two pages (single-spaced) and should consist of the following sections.

Specific Aims: A concise statement of the specific research objectives, including the hypotheses to be tested.

Justification: Explain the significance of the project and its originality, placed in the context of a brief summary of previous work done in the area.

Research Plan: Summarize experimental design to be used to address the specific aims, including methods to be used.

Final Proposal Format - The final proposal should be patterned after the NIH guidelines, with a maximum limit of 20 single-spaced pages. The student should consult with his/her examining committee on questions of format during the preparation of the proposal. Typing width should be no smaller than 15 characters per inch and type height should be consistent with NIH form 398 guidelines. The final proposal should consist of the following sections.

Abstract: (¹/₂ page) A short summary of the problem and the goals of the project.

Specific Aims: (1 page) A concise statement of the specific research objectives, including the hypotheses to be tested.

Background and Significance: (3-4 pages) A summary of the literature describing the present status of the field. The background section should place the proposed research in proper context. The significance and value of the proposed research should be included in this section.

Preliminary Studies: (0-6 pages) A description of any significant progress already made by the student toward the goals of the proposal. Graphs and charts should be computer-generated and of sufficient size to be clearly readable. Some of the preliminary data can be presented in a short appendix, if the page limitation is a problem.

Research Plan: (8-15 pages, depending on size of other sections) Experiments and methods to be used to address the specific aims with a description of the results expected. This section should identify any special problems that are anticipated and describe alternatives.

References: (pages not included in page limit) Techniques to be used and all work and ideas of others should be properly referenced. References should include titles and follow a format approved by the committee.

L. Dissertation Defense
The student’s thesis defense committee is composed of the Director of the Molecular Genetics Program or his designated representative and the members of the advisory committee. The defense of the dissertation begins with a formal seminar to the examining committee and the University community who choose to attend, followed by examination by the thesis committee. The selection of the examining committee and the format of the examination will adhere to the Graduate School Guidelines.