Curriculum

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MI TRACK COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND DESCRIPTIONS

A.      Courses Required for the Ph.D. Degree.

Students enrolled in the MI Track must take all of the following courses in the semesters indicated. Exemption from a required course is rarely given, and must be approved by both COGS and the course director. In addition, each student is expected to attend one research seminar per week.

INTD 5000, Fundamentals of Biomedical Sciences (10 credits, Fall semester, first year)

This course will cover the fundamentals of biochemistry, molecular biology, cell biology and organismal & systems biology. The course is designed for first year graduate students matriculating into the integrated, multidisciplinary graduate program.

MICR 5003, Core Concepts in Microbiology & Immunology (4 credits, Spring semester, first year)

This course will provide students with an integrated view of the microbial world and the mammalian immune response. Students will receive a foundation in the basic concepts and experimental approaches that are crucial for understanding core concepts in pathogenic microbiology, virology, parasitology, mycology and immunology through directed readings and didactic instruction. A special emphasis will be placed on integrating knowledge from each discipline using specific examples to illustrated important concepts in host-pathogen interaction.

MICR 5029, Building Scientific Thinking Skills (2 credits, Spring semester, first year)

The goal of this course is to provide the opportunity for graduate students to develop critical thinking skills in reading scientific literature, developing/critiquing scientific ideas and grant proposals and effectively communicating one’s own scientific ideas with peers. The courses will be offered in three consecutive stages. First each student will be assigned/encouraged to read articles focusing on a topic in the areas of Microbiology and Immunology and give a 50 minute review presentation on the topic to the class followed by questions/critiques from fellow students and faculty members. Second, each student is guided to develop a mini-proposal on a chosen topic followed by written critiques from fellow students and faculty members. Finally, each student is arranged to give an oral defense of his or her written proposal to the class followed by questions from fellow students and faculty members. Since the proposal writing and defense portions mimic the process involved in M&I track qualification examination, this course will not only have a long lasting impact on the student’s scientific skill development, but also prepare the student for the immediate qualification examination.

MICR 5030, Journal Clubs (.5 credits, Spring and Fall semesters each year)

Students are required to be present at any of the COGS approved journal clubs 10 times per semester with at least one presentation. The journal clubs can be any journal clubs and are not restricted to MI Track as long as the students obtain prior approval from MI COGS. At the end of each semester, each student is required to submit a list of journal club meetings he or she attended. After the course instructor verifies the attandance with the journal club organizers, the credit will be granted to the student. This requirement continues until the student reaches his or her thesis defense.

MICR 5090, Acquiring Presentation Skills (1 credit, taken Spring and Fall semesters each year after first year).

This course is designed to prepare the student for giving a scientific lecture or seminar. Each student is coached by a faculty member on effective public speaking and on the critical analysis of scientific data. Students present one lecture per academic year and enroll in this course once each year. Students, even if they are not enrolled in this course, are required to attend all seminars given by other students.

INTD 6002, Ethics in Scientific Research (0.5 credits, Spring semester, first year)

Round table discussions of current issues in scientific ethics.

MICR 6071, Supervised Teaching (Credit to be arranged)

Prerequisite: Consent of Chair of Department. Teaching, usually in the Medical and Dental Microbiology & Immunology Labs, under the close supervision of instructors. More advanced students may present formal lectures in the classroom. Students are required to participate in two semesters of Supervised Teaching.

MICR 6097, Research (Credit to be arranged)

Independent, original research under the direction of Supervising Professor. Research includes meeting with a supervising or dissertation committee at least once every six months.

MICR 7099, Dissertation (Credit to be arranged)

Prerequisite: Approval of Dissertation Research Committee composition and Dissertation Research Proposal. Completion of independent, original research under the direction of Supervising Professor. Registration for a least two semesters is required for Ph.D. candidates.

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B.      Elective Courses

Students enrolled in the Microbiology & Immunology Ph.D. program must take at least one of the following advanced courses, usually in their third or fourth year. Additional elective courses may also be taken with the approval of the student's Supervising Professor and the Chair of COGS.

MICR 6022, Advanced Microbial Physiology (2 credits)

Prerequisite: Microbial Physiology and consent of instructor. Current concepts and experimental studies in microbial structure-function relationships and regulatory mechanisms.

MICR 6024, Advanced Microbial Genetics (2 credits)

Prerequisites: Molecular Biology or consent of instructor. In depth study of selected areas of microbial genetics through the presentation and discussion of current literature.

MICR 6043, Advanced Topics in Virology (2 credits)

Prerequisites: Introduction to Virology, Biochemistry and consent of instructor. In-depth study of selected molecular topics from the current literature in virology.

MICR 6052, Advanced Immunobiology (2 credits)

Prerequisites: Introduction to Immunology or consent of instructor. An in-depth study of the immune system and how it is regulated. Presentation and discussion of current literature in these areas.

The following courses are appropriate for Ph.D. students only under unusual circumstances where a specific academic deficit needs to be corrected.

MICR 5092, Special Problems in Microbiology & Immunology (Credit to be arranged)

Prerequisite: Consent of instructor. Course provides an opportunity for the student to engage in a special research project or to develop proficiency in the use of certain laboratory methods.

MICR 5091, Special Topics in Microbiology & Immunology (Credit to be arranged)

Prerequisite: Consent of instructor. Students will be given an opportunity to gain in-depth understanding of selected topics in Microbiology & Immunology through a combination of library research and discussion with faculty.

MICR 5011, Medical Microbiology (5 semester hours)

Prerequisite: Consent of instructor. This course is designed primarily for medical students; graduate credit will be permitted only under unusual circumstances. Broad coverage of human immunology, virology, bacteriology, mycology, and parasitology with emphasis upon problems likely to be encountered in medical practice.

Students outside of the Microbiology & Immunology track may elect to enroll in one of the following courses which are individual modules of MICR 5003, Core Concepts in Microbiology & Immunology.

MICR 5025, Eukaryotic Pathogens (1 credit)

This course will provide students with a basic comprehensive understanding of parasitology and mycology. The first part of this course will focus on virulence mechanisms and the host immune response with respect to a variety of parasites that cause major human diseases. The second part of this course will cover several important areas of medical mycology including molecular biology, diagnostic/epidemiology, mating/phenotypic switching, morphology, pathogenesis and antifungal therapies.

MICR 5026, Pathogenic Microbiology (1 credit)

This is an introductory course in microbial pathogenesis focusing on bacterial pathogens that are important in human disease. Students will receive a foundation in the basic concepts and experimental approaches that are crucial for understanding the discipline through directed reading and didactic instruction. Specific concepts, strategies, and mechanisms used by human bacterial pathogens to cause disease will be illustrated.

MICR 5027, Immunology (1 credit)

This course will focus on fundamental concepts in immunology with emphasis on experimental stratiges for elucidating the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying immune responses. Lecture topies will illustrate important concepts in innate immunity, cytokine signaling, antigen recognitions and presentation, the genetics of immune receptors and the major histocompatibility complex, immunity to infection, and immunopathology (e.g. hypersensitivity, autoimmunity, immunodeficiency, etc.).

MICR 5028, Virology (1 credit)

This course focuses on the molecular and cellular biology of animal viruses, and their interactions with host cells. Many of the viruses to be covered in this course are medically significant or have provided critical information that has expanded our understanding of cell biology, immunology, development, and differentiation.

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