BCB Graduate Degree Requirements
DEGREE REQUIREMENTS FOR PHD IN BIOCHEMISTRY AND CELL BIOLOGY
Admission for graduate study in the Department of Biochemistry & Cell Biology (BCB)requires: (1) a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry, biology, chemistry, chemical engineering, physics, or the equivalent; and (2) demonstrated quality and motivation as indicated by the student’s previous academic record, Graduate Record Examination scores, and recommendation letters.
Although the department offers an MA degree in biochemistry and cell biology, the program is designed for students who wish to pursue the PhD degree. The most current version of the BCB Department Graduate Handbook provides a detailed description of the graduate program. For general university requirements, view the Rice University General Announcements.
Both PhD and MA Programs. Most of the formal course studies will be completed in the first year of residence to allow the students to commence thesis research at the end of their second semester at Rice. During the first year, all graduate students will be advised by the Graduate Advisory Committee. This committee will determine the formal course program to be taken during the first year in residence. Students are required to have training in biochemistry, cell biology, genetics, and physical chemistry or biophysics. If students are missing formal training in these subjects, they are required to take the equivalent background courses during their first year.
The corresponding courses at Rice include the following:
Bios 301 Biochemistry
Bios 341 Cell Biology
Bios 344 Molecular Biology and Genetics
Bios 352 Physical Chemistry for the Biosciences
All Ph.D. students are required to take the following graduate courses:
Bios 575 Introduction to Research
Bios 581, 582 Graduate Research Seminars
Bios 583 Molecular Interactions
Bios 587 Research Design, Proposal Writing, and Professional Development
Bios 594 Responsible Conduct of Research
Bios 599 Graduate Teaching in BCB (2 semesters in year 2)
Bios 701,702 Graduate Lab Research (laboratory rotations in first year)
Ph.D. Students must also take two units of the following advanced courses:
Bios 525 Plant Molecular Genetics (1 unit)
Bios 530, 532, 533, 535 Graduate Laboratory Modules in Molecular Biophysics (1/2 unit each)
Bios 544 Developmental Biology (1 unit)
Bios 545 Advanced Molecular Biology and Genetics (1 unit)
Bios 551 Molecular Biophysics I (1 unit)
Bios 552 Molecular Biophysics II (1 unit)
Bios 588 Advanced Cell and Developmental Biology (1 unit)
Students should complete BIOS 583 and BIOS 587 in their first year, and they will be responsible for the content of those course programs in their admission to candidacy examinations (see below).
All second-year students are required to take two semesters of Bios 599 (Graduate Teaching in Biochemistry & Cell Biology). In this course, students will gain experience in teaching by serving as discussion leaders and graders in sections of undergraduate courses during their second year of residence.
All students are required to attend Bios 581 and 582 during all years of residency. Students are also required to attend all departmental seminars, beginning with their first semester of residence.
Safety and ethics presentations are provided for first-year students.
Evaluation of Progress in Graduate Study – The Graduate Advisory Committee evaluates each student’s undergraduate record and recommends coursework based on the requirements. Thesis advisors may require additional course work of a more specialized nature. Students must complete all additional courses before taking the admission to candidacy examination.
At the end of each semester, the department chair, in consultation with the faculty, reviews student performance in formal course work. Students must maintain at least a B average, perform satisfactorily in Bios 701/702, and demonstrate outstanding motivation and potential for research. Thesis lab assignments are made based on student and faculty preferences following research rotations.
Evaluation after the first year includes:
- Ongoing review of research progress by the thesis research advisor
- A research progress review examination given each year by the student's Research Progress Review Committee
- Presentation of research progress at least once a year after the first year until submission of a complete doctoral thesis
- Submission of an admission to candidacy examination before the end of the student's fourth semester
- Defense of the PhD thesis research and text in a final public seminar presentation and oral examination attended by the student's Thesis Committee
MA Program. All the above requirements and evaluation procedures apply to MA candidates with the following exceptions. The research progress review examination held during the MA student's second full year, which is identical in format to that for PhD students, replaces the admission to candidacy examination; no other preliminary examination is held before the final oral defense of the master's thesis. MA candidates must complete a thesis and make a public oral defense of their research work to their Thesis Committee and other interested parties.
