The Biomedical Sciences PhD program is an interdisciplinary program that combines biological and physical science. This program is intended to educate students in independent research and team collaboration within the field.
Entering PhD students may request the option to receive a non-thesis Master of Science (MS) degree “along-the-way” that will be awarded after achieving candidacy. Requirements for the MS degree include successful completion of all courses (33 credit hours minimum), along with the requirements of the PhD program.
Program Prerequisites
Applicants entering the program with regular status are expected to have completed course work required for a bachelor's degree in chemistry, cell biology, biochemistry, biophysics, genetics, molecular biology or microbiology.
Degree Requirements
Required Courses
24 Total Credits
- Complete all of the following
- Complete the following:
- BSC6432 - Biomedical Sciences I (5)
- BSC6431 - Practice of Biomedical Sciences (3)
- IDS6694 - Experimental Design and Analysis in Biomedical Sciences (2)
- Earn at least 6 credits from the following:
- PCB6815 - Molecular Aspects of Obesity, Diabetes and Metabolism (3)
- PCB5837 - Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience (3)
- PCB6236 - Cancer Biology (3)
- MCB6273 - Advanced Topics in Infectious Processes (3)
- GMS6860 - Statistics for Biomedical Scientists (3)
- Earn at least 4 credits from the following:
- IDS7690 - Frontiers in Biomedical Sciences (1)
- MCB6314 - Industrial Perspectives Seminar (1)
- MCB6938 - Seminar (1)
- IDS 7690 - Frontiers in Biomedical Sciences seminar (up to 4 credits total, 1 credit hour each semester or MCB 6938 Seminar (up to 2 credits, 1 semester each), or MCB 6314 Industrial Perspectives Seminar (up to 1 credit for 1 semester)
- Earn at least 4 credits from the following types of courses: IDS 7692L - Experiments in Biomedical Sciences
- (Lab Rotation: 3 credits/1 credit or 2 credits/2 credits for two semesters)
Elective Courses
9 Total Credits
- Complete all of the following
- Earn at least 9 credits from the following:
- BSC5418 - Tissue Engineering (3)
- BSC5436 - Biomedical Informatics : Structure Analysis (3)
- BSC6407C - Laboratory Methods in Molecular Biology (3)
- CAP5510 - Bioinformatics (3)
- CHM5305 - Bioconjugate Chemistry (3)
- CHM5450 - Polymer Chemistry (3)
- CHM5451C - Techniques in Polymer Science (3)
- CHS6251 - Applied Organic Synthesis (3)
- CHS6535 - Forensic Molecular Biology (3)
- CHS6535L - Forensic Analysis of Biological Materials (3)
- CHS6536 - Population Genetics and Genetic Data (3)
- CHS6536 - Population Genetics and Genetic Data (3)
- IDS5127 - Foundation of Bio-Imaging Science (3)
- MCB5205 - Infectious Processes (3)
- MCB5208 - Cellular Microbiology: Host-Pathogen Interactions (3)
- MCB5209 - Microbial Stress Response (3)
- MCB5225 - Molecular Biology of Disease (3)
- MCB5505 - Molecular Virology (3)
- MCB5722C - Methods in Biotechnology (4)
- MCB5932 - Current Topics in Molecular Biology (1 - 99)
- MCB5415 - Cellular Metabolism (3)
- MCB6226 - Molecular Diagnostics (3)
- MCB6417C - Microbial Metabolism (3)
- PCB5025 - Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology (3)
- PCB5235 - Molecular Immunology (3)
- PCB6236 - Cancer Biology (3)
- PCB5238 - Immunobiology (3)
- PCB5265 - Stem Cell Biology (3)
- PCB5275 - Signal Transduction Mechanics (3)
- PCB5527 - Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (3)
- PCB5596 - Biomedical Informatics: Sequence Analysis (3)
- PCB6815 - Molecular Aspects of Obesity, Diabetes and Metabolism (3)
- PCB5838 - Cellular and Molecular Basis of Brain Functions (3)
- PCB6528 - Plant Molecular Biology (3)
- PCB6595 - Regulation of Gene Expression (3)
- PCB6677 - Molecular Evolution and Phylogenetics (3)
- ZOO5748C - Clinical Neuroanatomy (5)
- At least 9 hours of electives must be taken from the above list. Any electives not on this list must be approved by the Graduate Committee before being counted toward degree credit requirements. Directed research, doctoral research, and dissertation research may be used to satisfy requirements beyond the first 9 hours, with approval from the program director.
Unrestricted Electives
24 Total Credits
- Earn at least 24 credits from the following types of courses: Students should take a minimum of 24 credit hours of electives, directed research, or doctoral research in consultation with their advisor.
Dissertation
15 Total Credits
- Complete all of the following
- Earn at least 15 credits from the following types of courses: IDS 7980 - Dissertation Research
- A minimum of 15 credit hours is required.
Cumulative/Qualifying Examinations
0 Total Credits
- Cumulative examinations taken during the BSC 6432 course will determine if students should continue with their doctoral studies. Exam questions will deal with data interpretation from the current literature, and design of experiments to test a hypothesis. A student must satisfactorily answer cumulative examination questions, displaying a knowledge base consistent with continuation in the PhD program.
Candidacy Examination
0 Total Credits
- Candidacy will consist of writing and orally defending a proposal outlining a novel research idea to the dissertation committee. The written proposal will be prepared independently, following NIH-style grant format, and must be approved by the dissertation committee (see Biomedical Sciences PhD Program Handbook for full description of Candidacy Exam requirements and procedures). After passing the candidacy examination and meeting other requirements as specified, the student can register for dissertation hours.
Admission to Candidacy
0 Total Credits
- The following are required to be admitted to candidacy and enroll in dissertation hours: • Successful completion of all required program course work (57 credit hours). • The dissertation advisory committee is formed, consisting of approved graduate faculty and graduate faculty scholars. • An approved program of study must be on file before advancement to candidacy exam. • Successful completion of CITI Training and RCR academic integrity workshops. • Complete IRB requirement • Successful defense of the written dissertation proposal • Successful completion of written and oral candidacy exam.
Dissertation Defense
0 Total Credits
- The dissertation should be of significant scope and depth such that the work has made significant advances in the area of biomedical science. The Ph.D. dissertation research must generate sufficient quantity and quality data to support a minimum of two original manuscripts (first-authored by the student) in a mainstream journal in the field. One first-author original research article published or accepted for publication is required for pre-defense. In addition to meeting the pre-defense requirement for publication, a second manuscript must have been submitted and subjected to peer review before the defense. Upon completion and approval of the doctoral dissertation by all designated faculty and university offices, the student will make a formal presentation of the research findings in a seminar format to the dissertation committee and other university faculty and students. The candidate will answer questions and defend conclusions about the subject matter.
Independent Learning
0 Total Credits
- The dissertation serves as the independent learning experience.
Grand Total Credits: 72
Application Requirements
Application Deadlines
Financial Information
Graduate students may receive financial assistance through fellowships, assistantships, tuition support, or loans. For more information, see the College of Graduate Studies Funding website, which describes the types of financial assistance available at UCF and provides general guidance in planning your graduate finances. The Financial Information section of the Graduate Catalog is another key resource.
Fellowship Information
Fellowships are awarded based on academic merit to highly qualified students. They are paid to students through the Office of Student Financial Assistance, based on instructions provided by the College of Graduate Studies. Fellowships are given to support a student's graduate study and do not have a work obligation. For more information, see UCF Graduate Fellowships, which includes descriptions of university fellowships and what you should do to be considered for a fellowship.
