Overview

The PMCB Program focuses on Ph.D. degrees. Our financial support is primarily directed to doctoral students. Master’s degrees are only offered to students who have identified a major professor willing to supervise and financially support them before gaining admission to PMCB. Completion of a Ph.D. degree is approximately four to five years.

Program Steps

1. Year One: core courses; lab rotation; written exam
2. Year Two: elective courses: research proposal; oral exam
3. Year Three: research; conferences; journal article
4. Year Four: research; dissertation; final exam

Admissions

We offer admissions in fall semesters only. Rotation assistantships are awarded to students entering in the fall semester only. Students may be admitted in the spring semesters only if they are in contact with a professor who agrees to take them directly into their lab and fund their graduate studies. First year graduate studies begin at the start of the fall semester, although it is possible to begin in July prior to the first year by undertaking a summer laboratory rotation. Ph.D. students can be admitted as rotation students or directly into a lab of their interest. First year rotation students complete short research projects in three different PMCB faculty laboratories and select a Ph.D. advisor by the end of their second semester (spring).

Process

All students complete four core courses in Advanced Genetics; Plant Molecular Biology and Genomics; Plant Cellular and Developmental Biology; and Plant Biochemistry. Students are also required to take Journal Colloquia classes every fall and spring semesters until the completion of their studies. Students can select elective classes in biochemistry, molecular biology, physiology, breeding, genetics, evolution, microbiology, and plant pathology. Elective classes are chosen by the student and his or her graduate committee to reflect individual professional goals and research interests.

Written qualifying exams - taken at the beginning of the first summer semester - rigorously assess whether students will succeed in our doctoral program. Oral candidacy exams (a.k.a proposal defense) are taken before the end of the spring semester of their second year. Our students write a detailed NSF- or USDA-style format proposal, which is presented publicly and then defended before the committee. After passing their oral exams, our students are admitted to candidacy and considered Ph.D. candidates.

Skills and Competencies

The key skills that are emphasized throughout our Ph.D. program are reading and interpreting primary literature, experimental design and execution, scientific writing, oral presentation of scientific results, and professional development.

We have a diverse group of graduate students and welcome all applications from highly motivated and qualified students. Preference is given to students who - aside from having met our minimum requirements - have a strong research background, including lab experience. Highly qualified domestic undergraduate students are encouraged to apply directly to our Ph.D. program. International applicants typically have or are working toward a M.S. degree. Having paper publications in peer-reviewed journals is highly desirable.